Storing electronic devices inside cardboard boxes (like shoe boxes) along with newspapers, office paper, or A4 paper – will the cardboard and these papers release acidic fumes that corrode the PCB and the connections of the devices?

I read something about these materials having some kind of acid in their composition.

 

That's true, but the real enemy is damp, which carries and activates acidic components in the environment. For storage, wrap your kit in plastic along with a silica dessicant to keep it dry.

 

humidity here varies 55-66% not rain day temperature varies 31-38C in period 24 hours

 

1) SSDs and flash memory need to be refreshed (rewriting all the same files) at intervals of 1 year or more to keep the data intact and free from corruption and bitrot.
Do 2.5" and 3.5" HDDs also have this problem? Even if the drive is in good health, if the data was written many years ago, are they at risk of corruption, loss of magnetism, bitrot, and other problems? i use 2.5" hdd
generally i acess energize my drives 1 once year more no nothiting write

2) Do 2.5" HDDs for long-term storage require specific, perfect conditions of 50% humidity and 25°C? Is oxidation and corrosion possible above that?

In My home varies in 24h 31-38C 55-66% not rain day

 

Humidity and other reactive vapors are the enemy of ALL non-protected metal surfaces. AND some papers do have an acidic content.
Low humidity AND anti-static package material are the best guards for electronic components that may need to be soldered or connected in the future.

 

Pick up some Silica Gel bags, used for moisture absorption when storing.

 

Inside the cardboard box with newspaper, A4 paper, and office paper, will there be a release of acid vapor? Will the metal of the electronics (AV connections, HDMI, AC plug) in direct contact with the cardboard and these papers oxidize and corrode everything?
Here, the temperature varies 31-38°C and humidity is 55-66%, not counting rainy days.

https://www.univates.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Imagens-posts-blog-16-1-1920x1280.jpg

https://cdn.entrypoint.directory/as...4866984ed1d3872de1ee226098c66fdb0a2ae764.jpeg

https://img.kalunga.com.br/FotosdeProdutos/145080d.jpg

https://acdn-us.mitiendanube.com/st...e2c5c86f6f17e3b316817711611201-1024-1024.webp

 

If the bardboard box is sealed then a tray of Silica Gel should work, it is re-usable, BTW, if heated for a short period.

 

cardboardbox not sealed, some closed

 

Why not just don't store electronics in the same boxes with things that you are concerned about?

You don't indicate anything about the time frame you are concerned about. A week? Twenty years?

I have plenty of electronics, including ICs, that have been stored in cardboard boxes (inside of cardboard boxes) for, literally, over thirty years with no protection of any kind, just loose in the box. I have yet to find a failed component. I wouldn't trust them in an application that was critical, since I have no idea what effect the storage conditions might have had on their life expectancy, but I have no qualms with using them for casual projects with the assumption that they will function.

 

Hello,

This is just repeating your thread on electronics-lab:
https://www.electronics-lab.com/forums/threads/store-electronics.312959/

Bertus