Is bluetooth earbuds permanently damaged or it possible to repair?

[unbuildpain]

I bought a pair bluetooth earbuds which are rated to be splash resistant, because of the on going pandemic, I washed the charging case and the earbuds with soap, while washing the charging case, it light up few times as if earbuds were inserted into them, after that I felt a slight warm inside the case. I inserted the earbuds to see if they are charging or not, and nothing lit up.

Is PCB of the charging case damaged or is this a temporary problem, like the battery charge getting exhausted, I've opened up the charging case and the battery is soldered to the PCB, I've noticed some water inside the case and on the PCB, I'm airing it out to dry it, I haven't tried charging the case. Can something like be permanently damaged, or will it function after the drying up?

 

[BradtheRad]

Did you determine which is at fault, the base or the earbuds?
Soap and soapy water conduct electricity to some extent. It could short circuit something in your devices. It's up to you whether to take the risk of washing the insides with water. Maybe you can fix it, maybe you can't.

 

[unbuildpain]

Did you determine which is at fault, the base or the earbuds?
Soap and soapy water conduct electricity to some extent. It could short circuit something in your devices. It's up to you whether to take the risk of washing the insides with water. Maybe you can fix it, maybe you can't.

I think both were at fault, they seem to have regained some functionality after drying but still not working as they should. The charging case has dried inside out, and it's PCB seems to have dried out too, but it is not able to charge properly, it is indicating error with it's light.

 

[ads-ee]

I bought a pair bluetooth earbuds which are rated to be splash resistant, because of the on going pandemic, I washed the charging case and the earbuds with soap, while washing the charging case, it light up few times as if earbuds were inserted into them, after that I felt a slight warm inside the case. I inserted the earbuds to see if they are charging or not, and nothing lit up.

Is PCB of the charging case damaged or is this a temporary problem, like the battery charge getting exhausted, I've opened up the charging case and the battery is soldered to the PCB, I've noticed some water inside the case and on the PCB, I'm airing it out to dry it, I haven't tried charging the case. Can something like be permanently damaged, or will it function after the drying up?

Splash resistant doesn't mean wash resistant. When they say something is splash resistant it's for things like getting slightly wet from rain drops (not a heavy downpour or sticking it under a sink faucet). Even considering the idea of washing the the case and earbuds was a mistake.

If you are that worried about sanitizing it then wipe it with a cloth that has hand sanitizer on it. The alcohol will evaporate quickly and as hand sanitizer is generally more viscous than water it is less likely to get inside the unit.

Unfortunately if hand sanitizer does get inside the device it will probably short out something and damage the device as the other 20-30% of stuff they add to the alcohol is going to leave a residue, which might be conductive.

You may have to clean the PCB in the unit with 99% isopropyl alcohol to completely remove the soap residue.

My recommendations if you're lucky and they still work.

• Don't wash them
• Don't touch them until you've used hand sanitizer on your hands
• Don't let anyone else use them
• Occasionally lightly clean them with some hand sanitizer (like after you may have touched something dirty like your cellphone)