Fixing a remote

[Metspitzer]

I pulled a remote out of a drawer that hasn't been used in a long time. The 1 key doesn't seem to work. Pushing 1-9 causes a light on the remote to flash, but 1 doesn't flash.

I opened it up and blew on it. It is still broke. :)

s24 is the "switch" behind the 1 key and it looks as good as all the rest. I am guessing something else has failed.

All the buttons seem to be just a piece of black plastic that touches the switches.

I should have turned the flash off, but you can still make out what the circuit board looks like.

Toss it?

Want a free kitten?

[Gordon Shumway]

I think it is trying to help you diagnose the problem. At least I know my two always have to inspect what is being done.

[hrhofmann]

The black button material on the end of each key is conductive, it bridges the two printed patterns on the printed wiring board when you press the key. Have you tried interchanging a good key with the bad one to see if the conductive material on the end of the key has worn off from use or is dirty?. I have fixed several remotes by cleaning off the dirt that was on the surface of the PWB and on the surface of the key, which kept the key from electrically bridging the two intermingled fingers on the pwb.

[larrymoencurly]

You probably need to remove the rubbery membrane and clean both its black circular contacts and the circuit board beneath it with alcohol. Some of those contacts were lubricated at the factory with silicone oil, and sometimes the oil evaporates, leaving behind only the thick greasy part. It's possible that you need to reapply some new silicone spray, but sometimes that makes the buttons work a lot worse.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

+1 on that. I love this stuff from Radio shack. Deoxit5 [some radio shacks carry it-- and guitar shops might have some]

Expensive-- but worth the price of a can the first time it save an electronic gadget. I bought my first can to fix a tuning knob on the TV wee were playing Atari games with. I just bought my second can last year.

It eats corrosion, gum, gook on any electrical contact. I've cleaned up remotes, cables of all descriptions, MP3 players, phones. . . .

Jim

[willshak]

Now wait just a minute!!!! He hasn't tried WD-40 yet. :-)

[John Keiser]

Don't toss. First clean the pad and contact. If that fails, slice off a comparably sized pad from a trashed remote and crazy glue to the failed pad. You may need to practice until you get a suitably thin slice.

[Metspitzer]

After the first time I put it back together, I tried all of the buttons and a couple of other buttons didn't work either. Two were labeled macro, so it may be a single push wouldn't cause them to light. But there was at least one other button that should have light didn't.

I cleaned all of the contact points (alcohol and a coffee filter) giving extra time to the 1 key. When I tried again, the 1 key still did not work.

I was going to use it so I could add a TV to the HD box. I also have a set of pyramids so you can be in another room and change the channel in the main room.

The universal remote is so old that it didn't even have Motorola on the code list. While I may have been able to get it to work anyway, 1 button being broke was enough reason to toss it.

[Metspitzer]

[Stormin Mormon]

Can you recruit a helper? Kid from the neighborhood? You need a 11 or 12 year old boy, who has nimble fingers. They used to use child labor for such reasons, now days you can do it unofficially for small tasks.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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[Metspitzer]

[micky]

I love wd-40 but I wouldn't use it on electrical contacts.

>

[Stormin Mormon]

Kids do video games, now. Cost more than the ten buck remote. Good choice.

Christ>Can you recruit a helper? Kid from the neighborhood?

[gregz]

You beat me to it.

Deoxit is a great product. I can't see it eating corrosion, but otherwise it's a good cleaner and protectant.

Again, CRC 2-26 available at the home depot, among others is a great contact enhancer, but does leave some light lube.

MCM electronics, among others used to sell kits to refurbish remote pads.

Greg

[John Keiser]

Still, save the remote to possibly reuse the pads in the future when you are dealing with a specialty remote that you can't replace for $10.