sorta OT: remote control repair?

[Nate Nagel]

Hi,

a while back I bought a big screen TV off of a local bulletin board. The price was right, the picture is good enough, although it's not HD it is perfectly serviceable for my TV-watching needs. The seller had lost the remote, however. No big deal, I figured, I'll pick up a replacement, or find one off eBay.

Little did I know... this apparently was a high end Sony TV when new and the remote is a monster... still didn't really need it because I was able to program the remote for my cable box to control basic functions. I kept an eye out for one though just because I like having all the original stuff, and also I wanted to be able to access the TV's menus from my couch, so it didn't take two people to adjust color, convergence, etc. from a viewing position.

I finally found one on eBay and it arrived today. It works perfectly EXCEPT for the little rocker switch that lets you scroll/select menus. This model (RM-Y114A) has apparently been discontinued by Sony and none of the people who sell replacement remotes have it, they are all substituting a generic replacement, except for one company who lists it, cheerfully took my money a month and a half ago, and have yet to ship me any product.

So the question is, does anyone offer a repair service for remote controls? Or, barring that, does anyone happen to have any clues as to how to take this thing apart so that I could troubleshoot the rocker switch? There's only two screws evident and the thing seems to be pretty monolithic, even with the screws removed.

nate

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/14/2009 5:25 PM Nate Nagel spake thus:

Short answer: I doubt it, but who knows? Lots of stuff exists that we don't know about.

If you want to try to fix it yourself, my guess is your only hope would be if the switch has dirty contacts which could be cleaned by a spritz of contact cleaner. This could might be accomplished from the outside of the remote, though would be better if you could expose the switch.

[aemeijers]

Most remotes are not designed to be field-serviceable, but I can often fix them anyway. Get a couple small flat-blade screwdrivers, and figure out where the halves of the shell snap together at the seam. Take it all apart, and wash in lukewarm water (or alcohol and a q-tip for the internals), taking care not to soak the circuit board. The rubber button layer, and the black spots under each button, are the usual grunge points that need cleaning. Careful use of a soft eraser can sometimes bring worn-out contacts back to life.

Hey, ya got nothing to lose, at this point. Try it before you go to big-box or ebay for a replacement, assuming you can find one.

-- aem sends...

[The Daring Dufas]

Check out Mike Sandman's site for rubber button repair information and kits.

TDD