Long Term Storage

[Mac128]

I know this has come up before, but I wanted to just go over it again prior to my impending move.

Basically, I am moving into a smaller transitional space which will not accommodate my "Mac room". This could last up to a year or longer depending on where I move next. My solution was to rent a Public Storage space in a climate controlled building, for the Macs as well as a bunch of other stuff I won't have room to keep on site.

That said, I have pulled the PRAM batteries from all the compacts. Aside from the caps, for which there's little else I can do to prevent leakage, is there anything else I should do for the compacts? I did pull all the logic boards and are storing them separately standing vertically in a file box, in the event the analogue board's caps should begin to leak as I am storing the compacts on their sides to better fit in the shelving units I have.

In addition, I have a few puzzlers. I also have a number of PowerBooks, for which I have removed all of the rechargeable batteries and packed in plastic containers. Though they are long dead, I can't really throw them away since they are integral to the laptops design. I suppose I could crack them open and discard the cells, but is that overkill? It also occurs to me that I might need to also open them up and remove the PRAM batteries, or are they relatively free from leakage? I've never seen a corroded PRAM battery in a laptop, though assume it could happen.

Lastly, I have a Mac Portable with a lead acid battery. Should I remove this and store separately, or at a minimum wrap it in plastic? Or is wrapping these batteries in plastic only going to encourage corrosion?

Is there any special consideration I should give to external drives, keyboards, etc. That I may perhaps be overlooking?

 

[Mk.558]

I doubt plastic will serve as an effective barrier to acid attack.

PRAM batteries can and do blow out. At this stage if they do have a 3v coin cell in a Powerbook, they're due for replacement anyways.

 

[jonathan]

I would pull the lead-acid battery out of the Mac Portable, Apple says to store it with a 50% charge (if it still holds a charge .

As far as the logic boards and other PCB's -- AVOID MOISTURE! Use moisture sealed, vacuum packed bags. Moisture causes corrosion, de-lamination, cracking, etc. Ideally you should get a storage space in the high desert.

As with preventing leaky caps, you could always consult with NASA and see how they handled long-term storage of their electronics circuitry onboard their Deep Space Exploration Spacecraft ...

 

[Byrd]

I'd pull the Powerbook batteries and wrap them in some sort of hard wearing material - even some old rags/denim would do (not plastic as this may "stifle" the battery), and place them in an uncovered box.

As long as you can avoid fluctuating temperature extremes where you intend to store your Macs, I don't think much will happen over that year of storage time.

JB

 

[Unknown_K]

I store my stuff in a cool dry basement without major sunlight (glassblock windows all around).

Never had issues with mold or batteries exploding, nothing is sealed airtight (except some shrinkwrapped programs).

Vacuum packing anything with sealed liquid capacitors is asking for trouble.

No matter what you do stuff will still yellow and parts will still decay. All you can do is minimize major swings in moisture, temperature, sunlight, and chemicals and fix what breaks as needed.

 

[Dog Cow]

...then have your body mummified, and you can take your Mac collection with you to the afterlife! :lol:

Think it's a joke? This is the sort of stuff that the Egyptians were working on thousands of years ago.... How do we preserve all of Pharaoh's favorite possessions?

But it worked! What wasn't looted still survives today.

 

[theos911]

But it worked! What wasn't looted still survives today.

And in some cases, still edible.

 

[Mk.558]

Ideally you should get a storage space in the high desert.

Garages in the deserts can reach temperatures in excess of 40 deg C (104F) in the daytime and don't really drop below 27 deg C (about 80F) at night. (I didn't have a temperature gauge on me at the time but all I knew was that it was -hot- in there. Yeah it was 35C (95F) outside but it felt like 44 deg C (about 110F) inside the garage.

Those are summertime quotes though. I didn't stay for winter.

Those temps are little too hot for long term storage in my personal opinion. All my electronic stuff is stored inside where there is at least a chance of maintain a 24 deg C (~75F) air conditioned area. Not to mention that deserts can get freakin' cold in the wintertime -- no thanks.

 

[Bunsen]

Throw in some of those moisture absorbing beans, whatever they're called. You should be able to order them in bulk from ebay I reckon.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

I store my units in climate control in sunny So Cal. But it's not cheap (my three small 5x5x10' spaces run me about $200/mo altogether; I'm consolidating down to two).

Bunsen: ITYM silica gel. U-Line or some of the other shippers sell them in bulk. I have a big sealable canister I use for really delicate items; I'll stuff it with bags of gel and wrap it up airtight. (Despite the name, silica gel is of course dry.)

 

[Mac128]

So the gist seems to be:

Plastic will not be a good barrier to leaked battery acid.

Don't store anything airtight.

Reduce moisture.

So here's the follow up. The storage unit is climate controlled so humidity should not be an issue. However, is the suggestion to use silica desiccants for general storage, or to put inside a ziplock baggy to seal up with the battery? I'm not sure I understand e vacuum sealed issue ... Isn't oxygen the active catalyst to corrosion? Wouldn't depleting 02 actually inhibit corrosion?

I currently have the batteries in tupperwear-like plastic tubs. My assumption was that the plastic was thick enough to contain an acid leak. what is the alternative? Glass? Metal just seems like I'm asking for reactive trouble ...

Now the lead-acid battery from the Portable is a different story, assuming any corrosion will be similar to a car battery. So does the same advice apply?

 

[trag]

Now the lead-acid battery from the Portable is a different story, assuming any corrosion will be similar to a car battery. So does the same advice apply?

Lead-acid batteries are killed by being completely discharged. This isn't always true, but it's mostly true. They're happiest when they are left on a trickle charger which keeps them topped off and never discharged too far.

So, if you want a lead acid battery to last, you should either leave it on a charger where it can get a constant trickle, or, at least, take it out periodically and charge it back up. I don't know what frequency you should do this at.

 

[Mac128]

Haha trag thanks for the advice, but that lead acid battery died a long time ago ... My purpose for storing most of these batteries is preserving them for posterity. In the case of some of the PowerBooks, the batteries are integral to the case design, so can't just throw them out. I suppose I could open them up and throw the batteries away, keeping only the shell, but that's actually more work than I have time for.

 

[Bunsen]

is the suggestion to use silica desiccants for general storage, or to put inside a ziplock baggy to seal up with the battery?

I was thinking general storage, however ...

The storage unit is climate controlled so humidity should not be an issue.

Ah, ok. Silica gel would be entirely redundant then - depending on what humidity level your storage unit is set at. I'd ask.

I'm not sure I understand e vacuum sealed issue ... Isn't oxygen the active catalyst to corrosion? Wouldn't depleting 02 actually inhibit corrosion?

Oxygen is the reactant. Water is the catalyst. In a dry environment, corrosion is greatly reduced. It only takes a miniscule amount of O2 to corrode board traces; a sealed bag would hold more than enough. But without moisture, it won't happen. And it's much easier to exclude or absorb moisture than oxygen.

I was thinking of whole Macs and circuit boards in bags, not specifically batteries. In a storage situation without climate control, sealed bags and some kind of moisture absorbant is probably the safest approach - unless you're able to store them in pure nitrogen, say

batteries in tupperwear-like plastic tubs. My assumption was that the plastic was thick enough to contain an acid leak. what is the alternative? Glass?

Well, sure, glass jars would contain any acid spill, but this occurs to me - do you want to contain any spilled acid, close to the battery, and other batteries in the same container, where it could possibly damage as-yet undamaged ones?

My suggestion (possibly over the top): Cover the base of the container with a half-inch to an inch of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). That will both absorb moisture (and smells) and (being a base, the opposite of an acid) instantly and harmlessly neutralize any acid that falls onto it. Put the batteries down on that in a single layer.