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    How Silica Gel Took Over the World

    (www.scopeofwork.net)
    225 points Hooke | 13 comments | 01 Apr 25 19:33 UTC | HN request time: 0.323s | source | bottom
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    nvader ◴[01 Apr 25 20:18 UTC] No.43550901[source]▶
    I didn't find this in the article, so:

    You can "recharge" silical gel by baking in the oven at 120 C for a couple of hours. If you do, be careful to remove the casing before you do, unless it is heat safe.

    I have a small collection of oven safe dessicant packs that I keep on hand for emergency drying electronics.

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    Workaccount2 ◴[02 Apr 25 00:08 UTC] No.43552545[source]▶
    You are better off soaking the wet electronics in isopropyl alcohol then trying to dry them in a bag full of desiccant.

    One of the things that kills wet electronics is the dried residue that is left behind, creating shorts. Alcohol will wash away the water and leave no residue after it dries.

    If the device has ink or glue you'd like to try to preserve, deionized water will mostly work too.

    replies(5): >>43552700 #>>43552949 #>>43554635 #>>43554940 #>>43555740 #
    lightedman ◴[02 Apr 25 00:40 UTC] No.43552700[source]▶
    At my work any electronics that have had a water bath or flux-added rework will get an ultrasonic alcohol bath and then a forced air drying run. Alcohol is just so damned good for so much.
    replies(3): >>43552736 #>>43553265 #>>43554637 #
    1. fellerts ◴[02 Apr 25 08:19 UTC] No.43554637[source]▶
    I'd be very scared of IPA in an ultrasonic cleaner. Sounds like a recipe for a fire. Or is your machine perhaps designed for safe IPA cleaning?
    replies(6): >>43554705 #>>43554859 #>>43555126 #>>43555163 #>>43564358 #>>43565879 #
    2. Retr0id ◴[02 Apr 25 08:34 UTC] No.43554705[source]▶
    Do ultrasonic cleaners get hot?
    replies(4): >>43554723 #>>43555143 #>>43555368 #>>43558871 #
    3. actionfromafar ◴[02 Apr 25 08:37 UTC] No.43554723[source]▶
    Typically not (though some have heaters you can apply) but they atomize the fluid pretty well. The tiniest spark (static electricity) and some bad luck and you have the lid shooting into the roof and then a fire. As with everything, if you know what you are doing, go ahead.
    4. benjijay ◴[02 Apr 25 09:00 UTC] No.43554859[source]▶
    I'm scrolling before coffee and initially took your acronym as India Pale Ale, which would certainly be a different cleaning experience...
    5. jdietrich ◴[02 Apr 25 09:56 UTC] No.43555126[source]▶
    A few companies do make ultrasonic cleaners that are designed for flammable solvents, but they aren't common.

    The easiest option is to just fill a plastic food bag with solvent, throw your part in, seal it with a clip and float it in your ultrasonic bath. The bag contains the vapour for safety, and it's easy to switch between different solvents and solutions.

    replies(2): >>43556893 #>>43557559 #
    6. adlpz ◴[02 Apr 25 09:58 UTC] No.43555143[source]▶
    I've run isopropyl alcohol in an ultrasonic cleaner.

    It did get significantly hot after a while. And smelly, so it was surely aerosoling (is that a word?) somewhat.

    I did it outdoors and away from anything that could catch fire because it felt rightly sketchy.

    7. hilbert42 ◴[02 Apr 25 10:01 UTC] No.43555163[source]▶
    I've used both EtOH and propan-2-ol (IPA) for decades in ultrasonic cleaners both at room temperature and heated (quite warm to feel but not boiling hot) and never had a problem with fire.
    8. numpad0 ◴[02 Apr 25 10:41 UTC] No.43555368[source]▶
    It's basically an industrial ultrasonic humidifier attached to the bottom of a buffet tray. And it does get warm.
    9. 0_____0 ◴[02 Apr 25 14:10 UTC] No.43556893[source]▶
    That's a quite elegant solution I hadn't considered before.
    10. adolph ◴[02 Apr 25 15:10 UTC] No.43557559[source]▶
    That is next generation sous vide. Just controlling temperature is ho-hum. Getting it to just the right ultrasonic vibration to "cross-modulate the adipose frequency" is next level.

    And someone is already doing it:

    https://besservacuum.com/en/ultrasonic-food-treatment-machin...

    11. bradyd ◴[02 Apr 25 17:07 UTC] No.43558871[source]▶
    A lot of ultrasonic cleaners have a heating element.
    12. lightedman ◴[03 Apr 25 03:26 UTC] No.43564358[source]▶
    The machine doesn't get hotter than 50C. IPA isnt igniting at that temp.
    13. nullc ◴[03 Apr 25 07:06 UTC] No.43565879[source]▶
    Even more spicy is vapor phase cleaning... evaporate the solvent, condense on the part to be cleaned suspended above it. Very effective since the impurities are constantly distilled out.

    Also kinda explody.