I have to report that after a full soapy wash cycle and rinse in the washing machine, my little SanDisk Cruzer Blade is fully operational with all files on it intact and usable. The outer casing is now also very clean
Memory devices are very robust. As long as they are not crushed by a flying tennis shoe or the like during the wash, and most importantly, they are allowed to thoroughly dry before using, they typically can easily survive a good washing. Dryers on the other hand, especially commercial dryers (which often get too hot), can cause the device's case to warp distorting the alignment of the contacts in the connector. So while the actual memory components inside are still good, the flash drive is unusable. In fact, most electronics can actually be washed with no problems if all power is removed before washing and they thoroughly dried before applying power. Long ago and far away when still in the military, we had an HF radio system (Collins KWM-2a for those interested) that was trashed by a "haboob" in Arizona. Once we removed all the paper wrapped caps, we hosed the radio down with water, blasted it dry as much as we could with compressed air, then set the radio in the Phoenix sun for 2 days straight - turning it over every couple hours. With fingers crossed, replaced the caps, lubed the gears, and it fired right up. A short alignment later and it was back on the air.
Well, aren't many boards washed after production? They used to use CFCs, but now it's d-limonene and a water rinse.
I think they are chemically cleaned with products that don't need rinsing. d-limonene is "NOT" water soluble so they would not use that. And certainly, it would have to be boards that have already been coated in epoxy resins. You don't want water seeping in and getting trapped between the substrate layers of the board. I know they use d-limonene in food processing, but I don't think they do in the manufacturing of electronics. It is pretty caustic stuff so may actually eat more away than just dirt!
This is fairly common: "Water proof, Shock proof, magnet proof, temp proof, and X-ray proof with a 5-year warranty", quoted from the specs of a Samsung bar (metal) UFD (MUF-32BA/AM).
OK, I find that D-limonene can be used for "flux removal on circuit boards".[0] Followed by an acetone or 2-propanol rinse. Given flux removal, doesn't that mean after components have been soldered on? 0) Handbook for Critical Cleaning at p 185 https://books.google.de/books?id=10m3BgAAQBAJ
Flux cleaning is generally spot cleaning in my experience. In reading what I can from your link, it seems d-limonene is water soluble. But even in your article, it points out that it has a "noticeable" odor (which I can attest to) and leaves an "appreciable residue" that must "rinsed completely". It goes on to say that d-limonene is often used to remove polyurethanes that have yet to cure - again indicating it is pretty powerful stuff. Lastly, it indicates d-limonene is "suited where rinsing to remove d-limonene is not required". You don't want to leave residues on electronics. So it looks to me d-limonene may be fine for electronics repair facilities for spot cleaning after parts replacements and localized soldering, but not for immersion cleaning as done during circuit board manufacturing. It is better suited for automotive parts cleaning in tubs and such. In my shop we use 91 - 93% Isopropyl alcohol and an acid brush for small jobs. And contact cleaner for larger jobs. When I was in the Air Force, we used Bransonic Cleaner in an ultra sonic tub for really big jobs. I would think if d-limonene was used during motherboard manufacturing, we would smell it on new motherboards. I don't ever recall any citrus smell from any new boards. "Temp" proof? What's a temp?
Specs in more detail: Non-Operating Temperature -10~70℃ Operating Temperature 0~60℃ Magnetic 15,000 G (Gauss) X-ray 80KV, 50uA, 4W, 500 sec Radiation time. Water 1m depth 3% NaCl salt water, 72hrs Shock Acceleration :1,500 g (gravity), Duration time : 0.5ms, Direction : x,y,z 3 times http://www.samsung.com/uk/memory-storage/usb-3-0-flash-drive-bar-modern-metal/MUF-128BAEU/.
Those temps make sense. 70°C (158°F) would mean you can't use these things to stir your hot coffee or tea! I suspect the non-operating temp could go much lower as long as it was warmed up very slowly to prevent any condensation or micro-fractures due to rapid expansion.
