Fix Rubber Contact Buttons With a Pencil (Logitch Harmony 650 Remote)

by tmack0

63K1421

Intro: Fix Rubber Contact Buttons With a Pencil (Logitch Harmony 650 Remote)

This short Instructable covers how I fixed the contact buttons on my Harmony 650. The remote itself uses 2 types of buttons: the metallic dome ones, and rubber contact ones. They both fundamentally work the same: when you press the button, a switch is closed on a circuit, telling the processor to send a specific code via IR to the device its pointed at. The metal buttons do this by touching a metal dome across a contact pad. They will continue to work as long as the dome can spring back into shape. The contact buttons rely on a conductive surface on the bottom of the rubber button to do the same. Unfortunately some of these remotes use a conductive material that wears out rather quick. Fear not, its easy to make them conductive again!

STEP 1: Whats Needed?

All thats needed is a set of micro screwdrivers and a soft lead pencil
(a #2/HB, B or softer). Just like the old ScanTron tests, we will be filling in the circles. Conductive paint works better if you can get some, as does metal foil tape.

STEP 2: Take It Apart

There are 6 screws and 6 clips holding the two halves of the remote together. 4 Screws in the battery compartment, and 2 under a stick-on cover near the transmitting end. Remove all 6 screws and put in a safe place (they are small!).

There are 3 clips on each side of the remote. Starting at the thin end, slip a pry-tool (or small flat-head screwdriver) into the seam and pry the lower (black) half out and down. Work your way to the thick end. Once all 6 are released, lift the top straight up and off (the battery contacts must slide out of the top half). Slide the IR window down before lifting it, the clips at the top end of the remote hold it in place. The screw holes should be large enough to let you slide it down far enough to release.

STEP 3: Remove the Main Board and Expose the Buttons and Start Coloring

There are 3 screws holding the main board in place, remove them. This will expose a transparent/white plastic piece that should lift off easily to expose the button membranes.

Using the pencil, color in each black dot! Go over them heavily to make sure the pencil lead really coats the dot. They should end up with a shiny gray color instead of the black they were. For a more permanent solution that works much better, use conductive paint to coat the black dots instead. Don't use too much paint though, a thin coating of it is plenty. Too much and it will flake off and cause problems like ghost presses and lockups. Another option some commenters have mentioned is using foil tape: cut small pieces of metal foil or foil tape and affix to the buttons. Its more work but won't flake off as easy as the paint or wear out like the pencil solution tends to do.

Leave the other posts as they are, they are either guides for holding things in place or presses for the metal buttons that don't need this fix.

STEP 4: Close'r Up, We Are Done!

Once all the dots are shiny gray, put it all back together again. It should work like new!

16 Comments

Fearce1 9 years ago

I cut out small aluminum circles (In my case m foil coated paper from a friends cigarette package) and glued them in place for my fix.

I tried writing on the conductive pad with pencil to no avail.

Perhaps my pencil was not the correct type, Although I'm very aware of the conductivity of graphite(Today's equivalent of lead in a pencil).

I think there is an Instructable about using pencil graphite to make conductive ink/paint.

Informal post just the same

ReardenS 1 year ago

The pencil solution did not work for me. Noted some of the buttons looked damp. I ended up gluing aluminum foil to the inside of the button and it worked fine.

What kind of "glue" did you use? I tried adhesive backed HVAC tape and it would not stick even though it did bring the switch back. I ended up using white silicon caulk/adhesive and aluminum foil and it works fine.

Thanks for the instructable. Saved my remotes.

tmack0 9 years ago

Foil tape and a hole-punch supposedly work as well. I also just got a conductive paint pen from Radio Shack for $8 that should make this last longer (works for almost a year before the buttons get stubborn again). Softer "lead" will help, I used 2B lead with my lead holder for this, easily obtained at your nearest arts/drafting/office supply.

FohkninroB 4 years ago

Thanks! My 350 is working like a charm again.

Bob352189 5 years ago

i tried tin foil, but had poor results. After a bit of thought (and frustration at not being able to get the volume up button working) I decided to carefully cut (with a sharp knife) the conductive pad off a button I didn't use, cut the pad off the volume up button (the one that didn't work) and super glue the other pad on. After the glue dried, I reassembled, and it seems to work almost like new.

PatrickV88 6 years ago

Is the conductive paint something like this on AliExpress?

Tosnic 6 years ago

Since I wanted a solution that lasts longer than a bit of pencil dust, I went with adhesive aluminum tape I had lying around:

1. The adhesive of the tape was way too weak to make the tiny aluminum circles stick to the white buttons of the directional pad of the remote. Therefore I glued the aluminum using crazy glue.

2. 2 of 3 buttons work again using this method. Unfortunately, they now require a lot of force to recognize the button press.

I also applied the aluminum to a button that had been working all the time. This button does not require more force to actuate like the other buttons do.

BTW: I confirmed that the back of the aluminum tape (with the stock adhesive) is NOT conductive.

zenihama 6 years ago

Easy to follow instructions and perfect result!
Thank you VERY much!

laaannger 7 years ago

Thank you so much for this Instructable! I ended up using tiny squares of aluminum foil and minute dabs of super glue. Did all my buttons and the Harmony 650 works like brand new.

pablo1609 7 years ago

Thanks for this! I have a Harmony 350 with the same problem. As I didn't have a 2B or SB pencil handy, what i did was scrape off some of the 'lead' then applied it to the buttons with an earbud.

AvrilS4 7 years ago

Works great! I used a small amount of tin tap (I stole it from our furnace!) I only had 2 buttons that were not working well anymore so I didn't need too much of the tape. Very easy and great fix! Thanks!

MarkD213 8 years ago

Tried the aluminium option on a 600 and a 650, works like a charm! Thanks you all

GrantS16 8 years ago

I tried with the pencil, and it didn't work. Based on other comments here, I glued a small piece of aluminum foil to the offending contact, and it worked like a charm.