Rules and methods for repairing a TV remote control with your own hands
Everyone got into a situation where the sound from the remote control ceased to be regulated, the buttons began to sink. To repair faults in TV remote controls, you do not need complex equipment, basic knowledge of electronics. You will need a knife or a credit card, as well as a set of screwdrivers with different slots. Then step by step slowly open the lid, find and locate the problem
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What do you need
For an ambulance, the console will not need bandages and antibiotics, but:
- screwdriver (preferably several);
- a piece of plastic (bad credit card);
- table or pocket knife.
Most remote controls, regardless of manufacturer, have a similar design and are disassembled in the same way. We act carefully so as not to damage the fragile latches of the plastic case.
Phillips screwdriver
These are included in cell phone repair kits, sold separately. A Phillips screwdriver unscrew the screws securing the card, if you need to do a deep cleaning, restore the contact pads.
Flat screwdriver
The screws are unscrewed with a flat slot, and the latches are also removed - sometimes it is more convenient to do this with this tool.
Knife
A knife is needed to open the halves of the remote control, which are attached to special latches.
Plastic card or pick
The card makes it possible to gradually widen the gap formed after unlocking the latches, so as not to break them. The same functions are performed by a pick.
Diagnosis and repair with your own hands
According to statistics, a large part of the problems with the operation of the console are not associated with global violations, but with local malfunctions, including:
- The television does not react to key presses.
- Battery discharge (type AA, AAA).
- The remote fell off, it stopped working.
- Worn contact pads on board or keypad.
- Contamination of the remote control (inside and outside).
With all these difficulties, a home master of average skill can cope with them.
No TV answer
A typical situation: when you press a button on the remote control, the TV receiver does not respond or works every time. The range of possible causes is wide: from contamination of the emitting LED to abrasion of a thin conductive layer on the keyboard. It also happens that the batteries discharge or that the remote control falls on the ground. Both are removable. But first you need to disassemble the device.
The batteries are low
In the ranking of urgent problems with remote controls, this is the second most important. Going through all sorts of malfunctions, owners of remote controls often overlook the issue of power supply.It is often enough to put in new batteries for the silent remote control to start showing signs of life again.
You dropped the remote on the floor
The remote control is not a device designed for extreme use. Therefore, after severe falls on hard surfaces, rustling appears and performance drops sharply. And to understand where the malfunction lies and what can be fixed, the remote control will first have to be disassembled.
Failure of some buttons
According to statistics, on the control keyboard there is never a simultaneous failure of adjacent buttons: some are used more often, others - less often. This causes their wear and pollution. It happens that the pimples "stick" in the body due to debris and grease from the hands that have slipped into the gap.
Heavy pollution
A layer of dirt on the top or bottom of the keyboard (on the board, the contact pads) is a serious obstacle to the operation of the remote control. To restore functionality, you will need to rinse the surfaces with alcohol. For this, ear cotton swabs, wet wipes are used. After drying, the keyboard is installed in the remote control, it should work.
In some cases, if liquid gets inside or if the device has been used in a damp room, a white coating appears on the conductive paths.
But you can only see and fix it by disassembling the remote control. To remove oxides, an eraser, alcohol is used.
It is not recommended to use sandpaper, a knife is not recommended - the copper layer on the tracks of the board is very thin, it is easy to damage it.
Delete contacts
The remote control operates on the principle of closing contact pads: one is applied to the key on the back of the key, the second is located on the plate. The conductive coating is subject to wear from heavy use, repeated repeated button presses.
It can be fixed by gluing special rubber, a thin sheet. A "resuscitation" kit, which includes glue and contact pads, is sold at radio supply stores. If you have the skills to work with small details, it is permissible to cut aluminum circles or squares for the previously identified "defective" buttons, and then carefully glue them to the remote control keypad. Rubber, superglue, shoe glue is used as glue. Not PVA under any circumstances.
Verification methods
The experts practice express methods for evaluating the performance of the plant, which make it possible to assess the extent of the malfunction. Previously, a radio tuned to the FM band was used for this. When the buttons on the remote were pressed, a sound was heard from the speaker. In modern conditions, a mobile phone acts as a tester. They also use a multimeter (who knows how).
By mobile
A phone with a built-in camera module will help you check the performance of a TV of any brand - Philips, Sony, Samsung or other manufacturers.
We carry out diagnostics in stages:
- Activate camera mode on your phone.
- Point the remote at the mobile by pressing any button.
A colored dot should appear on the screen - a sign of the console control board. This limits the field of troubleshooting. Most likely, the problem is with the keyboard, and it is easier to restore it than to solder and replace elements.
Tester or multimeter
A multifunctional household voltmeter, also called a tester, allows you to check the presence of current in the batteries, the supply voltage of the board. But for this you need to have a minimum of skills in working with the device.
First, the required mode, voltage (U) is set with a multi-position switch. Then the probes touch the battery contacts. The display should read about one and a half volts - this is the normal operating voltage of a good battery. At the same time, you can check the magnitude of the current: the tester is switched to the current measurement mode (I), at each element, a value of 250-500 milliamperes is considered to be working.
To assess board performance (voltage at test points), you need to know what to measure where. In Bravia models, these are some points, in Samsung - others. And before such extensive testing, the remote control must be disassembled.
Touchscreen disassembly features
Any remote control from Samsung, Philips or Panasonic is created according to similar principles: it has a battery compartment with a separate cover, a front panel with a block of buttons, and an emitter LED entering from the end.
Conventionally, the remote control can be considered to consist of two halves - upper and lower. They are mounted on plastic latches, less often on self-tapping screws.
In exceptional cases, a combination of the two methods is used. The challenge is to properly separate the parts. Disassembly is carried out in stages as follows:
- Remove the battery compartment cover, remove the batteries.
- Unscrew the screws with a screwdriver, being careful not to lose them.
- Take the remote control in your hands and, slightly shaking the halves, try to find the location of the latches.
- Using a knife (very carefully), as well as a plastic card, pushing them into the groove between the parts of the remote control, gradually widen the gap, opening the latches.
- After opening all the latches, carefully separate the remote control in the upper and lower cover, remove the remote control board.
- Freeing the board from the slots in the case (it can also be fixed with screws), they try not to break the power contacts, radio components and LED. Otherwise, soldering will be required to restore them.
Prophylaxis
The requirements for remote controls from Sony and other brands are simple: clean hands, careful handling, quick battery replacement.
It is good to make a rule to periodically clean the surface of the keyboard, the lower part of the remote control with a damp cloth soaked in alcohol on a cotton swab. And at the first sign of failure, use the advice given.