Hi All, I had the misfortune that a very curious Coypu, Myocastor coypus, attacked the plastic box where I had hidden the Audiomoth, making it fall into the water of the pond where I had put it to record bats, Myotis daubentonii, that feed on the surface of the water. The Audiomoth remained underwater for over 24 hours. Three lithium batteries were inserted. At the time of the discovery, I saw that acid had leaked from the batteries and affected the terminals of the battery holder and part of the connection to the board. After having thoroughly dried everything using compressed air, I washed the oxidized part first with water, then with a special reactivating liquid spray for electrical circuits. After that, battery operation has not been restored, while the Audiomoth works perfectly via USB connection and external Power Bank. The MEMS microphone does not seem to have suffered damage because the recording is still perfect. I ask to experts: is there anything I can do to restart the battery connection? I cannot access the lower part of the battery holder, as it is glued to the board, does it disassemble in some way? Thanks!
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Audiomoth dropped into the water and remained for 24h!!!
Audiomoth dropped into the water and remained for 24h!!!
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The battery holder is attached by the two solder pins and a spot of hot-melt glue at the opposite corner. I remove the holder by carefully cutting through the glue using a scalpel, taking care to keep the blade close to the battery holder to avoid the risk of damaging the board or components. Once removed you can soften the glue (with hot air) and wipe it away from the circuit board. The battery holder is a standard design and a replacement should be readily available.
When resoldering the battery holder pins take great care to avoid bridging the solder to the plated-through via holes that are very close to the battery holder pads.