Got a dirty key fob? No problem!

Well, I mowed the lawn after driving our 07 Touring, and I left the key fob in the pocket of my sweatpants. My wife was so adamant about doing laundry that she washed my sweatpants without checking the pockets. I am happy to let you all know that a cycle on warm/delicate setting does wonders for getting the key fob "really" spotlessly clean without impairing its function. Our Prius unlocked and started up without hesitation.

I think I would open it up and make sure it was completely dry inside by leaving it in a warm place overnight. Just to be sure no moisture is in it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Sep 17 2007, 06:15 PM) [snapback]514028[/snapback]</div>

That's good advice. And for the OP, if this happens again to any electronic device you should do this before activating it or turning it on.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Sep 18 2007, 12:44 PM) [snapback]514106[/snapback]</div>

haha I think you missed the point. haha that much dirty stuff in the washing machine could cause staining of clothing!! :lol:

Seriously I have saved a couple of phones by doing this, open up and dry out before pressing any buttons.

The fob has a rubber gasket for the battery compartment and the battery compartment cover is screwed down tightly. I believe that as long as it is in good physical shape, it is water proof. I wouldn't push my luck with it, but I wouldn't get overly concerned if it took a dunk now and then.

I've accidently washed USB flashdrives as well. I let them sit on a sunny window jambliner all day, and they have always worked fine after

Does anybody know the frequency of the electromagnetic waves of the smart entry & start system?
May that system cause danger for health?
Sorry for the stupid questions.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AlbertoC67 @ Sep 24 2007, 03:06 PM) [snapback]517025[/snapback]</div>

Have you been sitting under the Radio Vatican antennas too long?

The key fobs transmit on either 314 or 433 MHz. They are VERY low power. Your cell phone is about a 1000x (yes, one thousand) times more powerful.

Don't worry about it!

Speaking of Radio Vatican and their 150 KW Transmitter. Nearly perfect DRM (Digital Shortwave) signal every night. from 6 to 6:45 pm here near Chicago. Truely remarkable. The signal looks like its been through the clothes dryer, but it decodes very well all the time.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(n8kwx @ Sep 24 2007, 11:38 PM) [snapback]517079[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for your reply.
Good joke about the radio Vatican :lol:
I see that new has crossed the ocean.
Here in Italy there's a lot of confusion about electromagnetic waves, one day they are terrible... the next they are not at all...

Ciao

My 3 yo daughter dropped my cell phone into a pan that had been used to roast a chicken which was soaking in the sink. I thought it was a gonner for sure. Much to my surprise after opening it up and letting it dry out for a day, it worked fine. Just a little greasy!

Next time, batter your cell phone before deep-frying and it will be DELICIOUS! I can't guarantee it will still work though.

Key fob

Sorry for another question in my english...

So, the key fob is the transmitter and the car is the receiver, am I wrong?
What kind of batteries are used in the key fob?
I knew the key fob must be put inside a groove on the instrument panel of the car, is it still right?
Only Prius use this system instead of the traditional keys in U.S.A.?
Thanks

Hmmm. Most cel phones transmit less than 50 miliwatts on 2.4 gig's. A thousandth of 50 miliwatts would be less than a half of a millionth of a watt. You'd have to be next to the car to remotely open it.

To the OP, was it an SKS? . . . or a regular fob.

Off by a factor of 100 or so

I'm surprised n8kwx let this go...

I think your math is off by a few decimal places. A milliwatt is 1/1000 of a Watt. A thousandth of 50 milliwatts would be 50 millionths of a Watt, not less than half a millionth of a Watt. Cell phones have been legally allowed to transmit with up to three Watts of transmit power - although most phones these days push out a few hundred milliwatts at most. A key fob remote is likely to be designed to be in the single-digit milliwatt power range in order to get a long life out of its battery, so a 3W bagphone (they're still available, for long haul truckers and others who venture into remote areas) could easily push out a thousand times the power of a key fob remote.

On top of that, there are two parts to a remote control system - the transmitter and the receiver - if the receiver is sensitive enough it could certainly pick up and decode a sub-milliwatt signal. If I remember correctly, the rule of thumb is that the strength of a radio signal drops off proportional to the square of the distance from the transmitting antenna - so that tiny signal could actually be stronger at the car's receiver than even a broadcast radio station signal, because car remotes are usually used a comparatively short distance from the car, compared to a radio station that could be many tens of miles away.

Now, I just wish my factory Mercedes remote worked more than 20 feet from the car. It's a bit dismal, especially since I got used to my previous car's aftermarket remote starter with its more than 500 foot range.

No cellular phones operate in the 2.4GHz band - that band is for unlicensed use for such things as 802.11b/g wireless networks, cordless phones, microwave ovens, bluetooth devices etc... Common cellular phone bands include 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz.

Anyhow, the advice I've always heard and used myself for electronic devices that get wet is to remove the battery as soon as possible, open the device up if possible to air it out, and dry it in a warm area. Removing the battery helps prevent damage from liquid short circuits and prevents electrolytic corrosion from taking place - with the addition of water, the battery power can actually cause electronics to corrode - removing the battery can help stop that from happening.

About ten years ago I had to wash two office phones in the sink with a scrub brush - they smelled really really bad - it was that or throw them away. I dried them in my mother's convection oven set at 150 degrees F for two hours and they worked great for years, right until I replaced that whole phone system. I'm not sure my mother was too thrilled to see a telephone revolving in her convection oven though.

So we wont get cancer in our pelvis from having the remote in our pocket? Cool!!

Re: Got a dirty key fob? No problem!

I red on a website that the cell phones transmit from 900 to 1800 Mhz.
The power of cell phones transmissions is surely more powerful, but what's the power of the key fob? :typing:
Thanks

Re: Got a dirty key fob? No problem!

I've been doing a little work with key fobs or remote keyless entry systems:
Prius Key Fob Study

The NHW20 fob transmit frequency is at the bottom end of the 315 mHz, USA band. If you are interested in the technology:

http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc4617.pdf


Bob Wilson

Re: Got a dirty key fob? No problem!

that wouldn't work for mine! i'm probably one of the few here who's rubber has cracked and disconnect from the plastic casing.