Moisture in the display panel

[Deacon Blues]

I posted this in the Pedego section, but I thought I'd post it here too for more exposure.

While transporting my wife's Pedego Commuter behind our motorhome we rain into some rain and when I took the bike off the rack I noticed some moisture in the display panel. When I turned the bike on the display showed an error and nothing. The display is dead.
Has anyone had moisture in their display (any brand/model) and taken their display apart to dry it out?
Did it work?
I'm hoping I don't need to buy a new display.

 

[byunbee]

I would detach the display and put it in a bag of rice for a few days. If nothing shorted and once the internals dry out, it may still be functioning similar to wet phones.

 

[AHicks]

My experience-
A little moisture in a display that's still working and you have a chance of recovery. A little moisture in a display that doesn't work = time for a new display.

I cover ours, which travel 1100 miles in an open utility trailer twice a year, with a freezer bag secured with a draw string. Has worked fine through several rainstorms on the road for several trips now.

 

[byunbee]

My experience-
A little moisture in a display that's still working and you have a chance of recovery. A little moisture in a display that doesn't work = time for a new display.

I cover ours, which travel 1100 miles in an open utility trailer twice a year, with a freezer bag secured with a draw string. Has worked fine through several rainstorms on the road for several trips now.

Definitely a good idea to cover it up if keeping it outside overnight even if it doesn't rain.

 

[Alex M]

... Also, seal the seams and cable openings. Including seams that you don't see - clear plastic is (probably) glued to the casing from the inside, it wouldn't hurt sealing it around the glue line.

Open it and let it dry. Closed, it will take forever.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I kept it in my shop overnight and when I turned the power on this morning it worked. I then put the bike outside, in the sunshine, to dry it out. Three hours later there was even more moisture in the display and it wouldn't turn on again.

 

[rich c]

I kept it in my shop overnight and when I turned the power on this morning it worked. I then put the bike outside, in the sunshine, to dry it out. Three hours later there was even more moisture in the display and it wouldn't turn on again.

The universal fix for cell phones not working from moisture is to bury it in rice or kitty litter. Putting yours in the sun turned the moisture into a general condensation.

 

[maggiewu]

disconnect it and put in a bowl full of rice for a day or two.

 

[byunbee]

For the moisture that resides internal of a display unit or a phone, it usually takes 3-4 days to completely dry. I don't advise testing it again until you've waited enough days because you're risking a short each time you connect it to a power source. Be patient my padawan.

 

[Alex M]

I then put the bike outside, in the sunshine, to dry it out. Three hours later there was even more moisture in the display and it wouldn't turn on again.

Wetness migrated from the nooks to circuit board. Open it and put it in the sun or run a hair drier for a while. Closed it will take forever to dry - several days in the sun maybe.
Buyunbee is right, you will kill it (or kill the controller) if you keep turning it on with some wetness still inside.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I'll take it apart and let it sit in the sun tomorrow. See what happens.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Hey @byunbee, are you getting as antsy as I am for our new WW Superbike frames to show up?

 

[byunbee]

I'll take it apart and let it sit in the sun tomorrow. See what happens.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Hey @byunbee, are you getting as antsy as I am for our new WW Superbike frames to show up?

Of course! I’m eager to see some pictures of the prototype or even just the frame.

 

[Dallant]

Rice people! Cover it in uncooked rice to absorb the moisture.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Rice people! Cover it in uncooked rice to absorb the moisture.

Jessa Jones of iPadRehab on rice

 

[Dallant]

Jessa Jones of iPadRehab on rice

Not my experience. I’ve had 1 iPhone and 1 iPod that were affected by water and rice worked.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Not my experience. I’ve had 1 iPhone and 1 iPod that were affected by water and rice worked.

Did you watch the video? It wasn't the rice.

 

[6zfshdb]

I've had moisture in the display of my Pedego Platinum Interceptor but it never caused a failure. I get it mostly when transporting the bike in the rain. To fix it, I leave the bike in my shop with a small fan blowing air over the display and it disappears overnight.

To keep this from happening, I cover the handlebar ends for protection from the elements when transporting. There are many bar covers on the market but some are quite pricey. I use a pair of cheap heavy canvas fruit picker sleeves which work just fine. They also keep bugs, dirt & road debris from fouling the controls and cables.

Amazon.com

I did have a failure from moisture getting into the display wiring harness connector however. Unplugging it and drying it out with a hair drier solved the problem. Pedego has a kit they recommend that uses heat shrink tubing to seal the connector. Instead, I sandwich (not wrap) the connector between two pieces of heavy gauge vinly tape. This makes it much easier to remove when the connector needs to be unplugged.

 

[Dallant]

Did you watch the video? It wasn't the rice.

I get it. That’s her (and your) story and she’s sticking to it. She has a business to run and obviously there are situations where nothing you do will fix it...except maybe sending it in to her for data recovery.
I’ve used rice twice on small electronics where the devices were in water and didn't work properly. I shook as much water out as I could and stuck them in rice. They both worked. YMMV.
The other suggestion I’d make is to collect a bunch of desiccant packets/canisters from pills/electronics and put moist devices in a baggie with them.

 

[J.R.]

Jessa Jones of iPadRehab on rice

Great information!

I use very large and small metal canisters of chemical desiccant. These are designed to remove moisture from large and small enclosed areas like safes. They are designed to be reused, but it takes hours in a 350°F oven to remove the moisture from even a small one. The desiccant doesn't seem wet when full of moisture, the only way you know it needs to be dried is it changes color.

I've had electronic screens on boats and motorcycles get moisture inside. The only way it seems to get better is to leave them outside on a very warm day where the humidity is below 40%. Rare where I live. On a more humid day the condensation always reappears. The only real way to remove moisture is to open and dry.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I took off the glass display cover this morning. There looks to be two layers of glass, with the moisture trapped between the two layers.
I've put the display cover in some absorbent material to see if it will absorb the moisture.
The display electronics looks to be dry, but I did spent some time with a hair dryer just in case there some some moisture in the unit itself.
I'll put everything together later in a couple of hours. Fingers crossed.