4 ms·
Dumb question: wouldn't non-conductive liquids be harmless? i.e., the USB port can in theory work even if it is immersed in some non-conductive liquid, no?
by jeanlucas 3y ago
Dumb question: wouldn't non-conductive liquids be harmless? i.e., the USB port can in theory work even if it is immersed in some non-conductive liquid, no?
- ianferrel 3y agoNon-conductive liquids still might be corrosive, or might provide enough thermal insulation to cause heat build-up, or might leave some kind of residue that would be problematic, or...
- 13of40 3y agoOr dissolve plastics and rubber, maybe delaminate circuit boards, destroy any tape and glue...
- disillusioned 3y agoSure, this is the same principle of, eg, the mineral oil cooled PC: https://www.pugetsystems.com/mineral-oil-pc/ https://www.pugetsystems.com/mineral-oil-pc/
- c0n5pir4cy 3y agoAlso some companies like 3M actually make a collection of liquids specifically for immersion cooling in data centres, so it's mature enough that people are happy to use it even in a data centre setting.
- monocasa 3y agoVery mature, going back to at least 1985 in the Cray-2.
- CamperBob2 3y agoI wonder if any of those coolant varieties survived the recent jihad against fluorochemicals. AFAIK 3M is out of the business entirely at this point.
- redox99 3y ago> Dumb question: wouldn't non-conductive liquids be harmless? Mostly yes, except for things like concentrated sulfuric acid which is highly corrosive but a bad conductor.
- robocat 3y agoAgree: bad conductor - https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/153107/why-does-the-graph-of-the-electrical-conductivity-of-sulfuric-acid-water-solutio https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/153107/why-doe...
- geon 3y agoI'll keep that in mind.
- flir 3y agoSomewhere, a YouTube content creator scribbles Macbook Pro in concentrated sulphuric acid. (And I'd probably watch it).
- Crosseye_Jack 3y agoAs long as we get a Steve Mould cross-section made from 3D printed parts, I’m on board!
- adolph 3y agoNileRed for HN, paging NileRed for a video about non conductive liquids in USBC PD
- Crosseye_Jack 3y agoNileRed: I turned this MacBook Pro into Cotton Candy!
- erik_seaberg 3y agoAt least bigstackD can recover the aluminum afterward.
- PeterStuer 3y agoBut you would need to make sure that the pins still contact though.
- pvaldes 3y agoWould depend on the nature of the liquids. A harmless liquid can still damage the plastic or be toxic for the owner.