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?

http://imgur.com/a/wk4J1

Want a free kitten?

On Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:36:44 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote:

Want a free kitten?

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.

On Oct 24, 9:36*pm, Metspitzer wrote:
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?

http://imgur.com/a/wk4J1

Want a free kitten?

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.

On Wednesday, October 24, 2012 7:36:55 PM UTC-7, Metspitzer wrote:

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.

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.

"hr(bob) " wrote:

On Oct 24, 9:36*pm, Metspitzer wrote:
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. *

-snip-

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.

+1 on that. I love this stuff from Radio shack.
Deoxit5
http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deox...dp/B00006LVEU/

[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

Jim Elbrecht wrote the following on 10/25/2012 8:05 AM (ET):
"hr(bob) " wrote:

On Oct 24, 9:36 pm, Metspitzer wrote:
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.

-snip-
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.

+1 on that. I love this stuff from Radio shack.
Deoxit5
http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deox...dp/B00006LVEU/

[some radio shacks carry it-- and guitar shops might have some]



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


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


--
Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeros after @

Young's Law of usenet: After Nazis have been
invoked and called forth from the spirit world,
someone is sure to mention WD-40. The debate
"is it a lubricant or water displacer" is not complete
until someone explains what the letters abbrev. for.
Points are earned by quoting usenet posters of old,
Aristotle, or your own personal experiences with
WD-40. Web pages abound, and are on topic for
the debate. Regardless of how worthy an argument
is, no one is allowed to change sides. The debate
must continue to eternity.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

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" wrote in message
...
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?

http://imgur.com/a/wk4J1

Want a free kitten?

On Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:47:55 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 24, 2012 7:36:55 PM UTC-7, Metspitzer wrote:

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.

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.

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.

I take meds that make my hands shake. Trying to do that would be
torture for me. Glue with anything = everything stuck to
everything.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 05:21:49 -1000, "John Keiser"
wrote:

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" wrote in message
.. .
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?

http://imgur.com/a/wk4J1

Want a free kitten?

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
www.lds.org
..

"Metspitzer" wrote in message
...
I take meds that make my hands shake. Trying to do
that would be torture for me. Glue with anything =
everything stuck to everything.

Maybe. I am just going to total the remote. Cost 10 bucks.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:46:54 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

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
www.lds.org
.

"Metspitzer" wrote in message
.. .
I take meds that make my hands shake. Trying to do
that would be torture for me. Glue with anything =
everything stuck to everything.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:11:45 -0400, willshak
wrote:

Jim Elbrecht wrote the following on 10/25/2012 8:05 AM (ET):
"hr(bob) " wrote:

On Oct 24, 9:36 pm, Metspitzer wrote:
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.

-snip-
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.

+1 on that. I love this stuff from Radio shack.
Deoxit5
http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deox...dp/B00006LVEU/

[some radio shacks carry it-- and guitar shops might have some]



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

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

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

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Metspitzer" wrote in message
...
Maybe. I am just going to total the remote. Cost 10 bucks.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:46:54 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

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
www.lds.org
.

"Metspitzer" wrote in message
.. .
I take meds that make my hands shake. Trying to do
that would be torture for me. Glue with anything =
everything stuck to everything.

willshak wrote:
Jim Elbrecht wrote the following on 10/25/2012 8:05 AM (ET):
"hr(bob) " wrote:
On Oct 24, 9:36 pm, Metspitzer wrote:
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.
-snip-
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.
+1 on that. I love this stuff from Radio shack.
Deoxit5
http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deox...dp/B00006LVEU/
[some radio shacks carry it-- and guitar shops might have some]


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


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



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

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.


"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Kids do video games, now. Cost more than the ten buck remote. Good choice.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Metspitzer" wrote in message
...
Maybe. I am just going to total the remote. Cost 10 bucks.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:46:54 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

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
www.lds.org
.

"Metspitzer" wrote in message
. ..
I take meds that make my hands shake. Trying to do
that would be torture for me. Glue with anything =
everything stuck to everything.