December Adventure Day 27

After altogether too long, day 27 of my December Adventure saw me finally tackling, ‘remove Libretto 50CT batteries’, which my Organiser Il lucky dip has reminded me of countless times this month. I filmed the process, but as there are already good teardown guides, I’ve focused on illustrative stills instead of publishing the whole video.

My daily driver Libretto 50CT awaiting surgery on the operating table

As I had feared, the BIOS batteries in both machines had started to leak ever so slightly. The leak wasn’t apparent at first, but the battery contacts were corroded and it was clear it had travelled along the battery wires and into the JST connector on the mainboard.

You can just make out the green corrosion on the connector

Having found the corrosion, I decided to fully tear down both machines and clean the affected area of the mainboard with white vinegar, followed by a healthy rinse in IPA. While I could have done this with the mainboard in the case, I didn’t want to risk further damaging the already-brittle plastics with the vinegar.

I used an old stiff-bristle paintbrush¹ for the process and focused on the area around the JST connector. After giving the mainboard time to dry, I reassembled everything taking care not to crack the case and verified both machines still worked.

Thankfully, it looks like I caught the leaks in time, and both machines booted up. I’d still like to switch out the spinning hard disk in my secondary device, but that’s one for another day. 😮‍💨

Perhaps even more concerning than the leaky batteries was discovering the damage Hawaii is doing to the Libretto I have in daily rotation—the climate here is brutal and sadly shortens the life of devices, old and new.

The humid salt air is rapidly corroding the metallic paint on the Libretto’s case

There’s not much I can do about the climate—I keep what I can in weatherproof totes with desiccants—but I can be more selective about the devices I keep out. Seeing this damage is a good reminder to be more deliberate about the devices I use, an encouragement to let a few go to good homes, and practice a little more minimalism.