Rained a bit and got water in my keys

[kwyn]

Was gigging this afternoon and it started raining. Water was beading on the keys off my Korg Grandstage and viscount Legend Solo.

 

Covered it a minute or 2 later when we finished the song. Let it sit for a couple more tunes. Turned the gear back on and finished the gig no problems. After researching, I probably shouldn't have done that.

 

No issues so far, but what should I do?

[Moonglow]

Same thing happened to me, although during the last song of our set. Wiped everything off real nice, no problems some three-odd years later.

[mate stubb]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Open it up and wipe any residue away if you feel like it. Far far worse has gone into the cracks of some of my boards.

[kwyn]

Thanks! Good to know

[Al Quinn]

Just leave your gear out to dry. The water will evaporate and your gear should be fine.

[kwyn]

Just leave your gear out to dry. The water will evaporate and your gear should be fine.

 

Thanks. I was mortified. Feeling better about it after this thread.

[Kelly Gibson]

Many years ago, my D-50 got caught in a sudden thunder storm at an outdoor gig in Florida. I literally poured water out of the board. The sound tech advised me to open up the board and dry it in the sun before I powered it up again. After drying out in the Florida sunshine, the D-50 survived.

[RandyFF]

Having just opened up a NS 88 Classic to get a few keys working again (dirt/dust in the contacts) the obvious hit me: the action would probably be none the worse for wear if a bit of water came its way. And with the gaps between keys, the action is the most obvious place for water to enter (if we're talking water coming from above).

 

Where the board seems to be the most vulnerable is below the control panel, and usually those are sealed up fairly well.

[Joe Muscara]

One of my summer jobs between college semesters I worked for a company that manufactured military electronics of some sort. That's where, despite having worked on electronics such as kits as a kid, I learned that you could rinse a circuit board under water. It was something they did after they came out of the wave solder machine. As long as you're not running current through it when it's wet and you let it dry completely, most modern electronics can be fine. (There are some components that will absorb water or something, but I would bet most stuff on a modern digital keyboard are not those.)

[mate stubb]

Far better water than Mad Dog 20/20. Don't ask me how I know.

[RudyS]

I think Dan had a story a few years back where he told his Kronos basically drowned and worked the next night? Or am I making this stuff up?

[GRollins]

One of my summer jobs between college semesters I worked for a company that manufactured military electronics of some sort. That's where, despite having worked on electronics such as kits as a kid, I learned that you could rinse a circuit board under water. It was something they did after they came out of the wave solder machine. As long as you're not running current through it when it's wet and you let it dry completely, most modern electronics can be fine. (There are some components that will absorb water or something, but I would bet most stuff on a modern digital keyboard are not those.)

 

A few observations:

1) If you've got a keyboard with an MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) bottom, you're going to have problems. The stuff swells like crazy if it gets wet. Does not shrink back when it dries. This can get bad.

2) Little known secret: Service techs--back in the days when people actually worked on stuff instead of just swapping boards--would remove circuit boards from gear, take them home, run them through the dishwasher(!), then bring them back the next day, bright and shiny, and reinstall them. Presto! Beer (or whatever) gone. Circuit restored. Charge mucho, but do little. The secret is that the vast majority of components are not going to complain about a brief immersion in water and the temperatures (less than boiling, natch) are trivial compared to what they experience when they're being soldered into the circuit. Rain at normal sorts of temperatures? No hu-hu, Lulu. Just let it dry and you'll be fine, subject to #1.

3) Note that water is actually a pretty good insulator unless it's got something dissolved in it, e.g. metallic ions. Salt (NaCl), being the most likely culprit, although there are other possibilities. The lesson here is not to drop your keyboard into the ocean (lots of sodium, calcium, magnesium, et. al.), then turn it on. If it goes in the ocean, see #1 and #2, above. Rain water is reasonably close to distilled water and won't conduct very well. Your most annoying problem is microorganisms (e.g. algae) that it picks up as it falls. Get the water dried as quickly as possible and the algae won't grow. Again, you'll be fine. Winter rain is cleaner than summer because the critters aren't as prevalent, but...there aren't as many outdoor gigs in the winter.

 

I didn't say that and you didn't hear it. It's a secret. If you tell people, I will disavow any knowledge of your existence.

 

Grey

[Fleer]

ð

[ShadowMan]

I got caught out in the rain once, too. Another time I played an evening gig on a dock, and by the end of the night everything was absolutely soaked with dew.

 

Each time I just left them out of the cases in an air conditioned room for a few days - with the a.c. cranked and a fan blowing on them.

 

No issues either time.

[Mr. Nightime]

Before I got the cover for my truck bed, I was driving home and got hit by a rainstorm. My Hammond was in it's case, and no water got to it. My Yamaha, was not so lucky.

 

It was in a Gator case that would not close. One day I was trying to set up, and the zipper jammed, so I could not get the case open. I had to take a knife to the case and cut it open at the zipper to get the board out. So, when riding in the truck, on its back, it left a gap exposing the front of the keys.

 

The Yamaha MM8 has a fiberboard bottom. You can see the water mark on it. As far as operation, I works fine, with one exception. The display will not light up, so the only way to read the display is to shine a flashlight on it. Really doesn't matter, as I've pre-programmed the sounds I will need into the performance memory. I couldn't see the display anyway with the Hammond in the way.

 

I have since replaced that case, and put a cover on the truck bad.