How to Fix Any Remote at Home

Intro: How to Fix Any Remote at Home

Recently, i also found that the few buttons on my Tv remote had stopped working. The only solution i knew was to buy a new remote from market. Soon, i bought a new remote but found that its quality was nowhere near to the original remote and i was not able to find a good quality genuine remote.

I decided to do a bit of research and found that the bottom surface on the buttons of a remote is coated with a conductive paint, which over the period of time gets degraded and reduces the responsiveness of the buttons.

Do you know, you can just use a piece of food wrapping aluminium foil and make the remote as good as new? Many people don't, so, i decided to make an instructable, so that anyone can easily repair their remote controls in just few minutes at home.

STEP 1: Watch the Video

As i always say, a video is a wonderful tool that provides deep insight to the procedure and makes it easy to follow. However, it is also recommended to visit next steps for additional details and images.

STEP 2: Required Tools

1. Screwdriver
2. Tweezers
3. Food wrapping Aluminium Foil
4. Super Glue

Note: you can also buy a electrical paint from market and use it to repair the remote but it is very costly compared to a required tiny piece of aluminium foil.

STEP 3: Identify Non - Working Buttons

1. The first and most important step is to identify the non working buttons.
2. On a piece of paper, write down the names of all the buttons.
3. One by one press the buttons and check if it works fine or requires any fix.
4. Carefully check and note down all the buttons.
5. This step is important so that you don't have to repeat the process soon for other buttons that are about to stop working.
6. Its better to repair any button that shows even slight non-responsiveness.

STEP 4: Disassemble Remote

1. Remove the batteries from the remote control.
2. Look for any screws around the body.
3. Generally, there will be only about 1 or 2 screws.
4. Using the Screwdriver, unscrew all the screws.
5. Hold the remote firmly and apply some pressure at the sides.
6. You will find a side slightly moving in or out.
7. That will the side to begin opening the remote case.
8. Carefully open the case and separate the PCB.

STEP 5: Completely Clean Dust

1. Using a soft brush, clean the dust of the PCB.
2. You can also use alcohol wipes or isopropyl alcohol solution to completely clean the PCB. (It's completely optional)
3. If there is too much dust then you can also wash the remote buttons and the case (never wash the PCB).
4. Keep the body case and button pad to dry for sometime.

STEP 6: Cut Aluminium Foil

1. Take a piece of aluminium foil.
2. Using scissors, carefully cut pieces of the foil equal to the size of buttons.
3. Apply a drop of super glue on the surface of button and paste the piece of aluminium foil.
4. Make sure that the aluminium foil sticks well and is completely flat to the surface.
5. Repeat the steps for all the buttons that needs to be fixed.

Note: Super Glue sometimes is not a very good option to use with rubber. If you have any other adhesive like fevibond or araldite, they might prove a better option on the rubber surface.

STEP 7: Testing

• After verifying, assemble the remote control together.
• Insert the batteries and you will see that the remote control now works as good as new.

It is a very rare incident when the PCB of a remote control gets damaged. Mostly, there is always the problem with few buttons and because of which the remote has to be changed but now no more. Use this simple trick and easily repair any non-working buttons on a remote.

So Friends, this here concludes the tutorial. In case you might have missed, watch the video and see how i fixed non-working buttons on my remote control.

Use this method once and you will never have to buy a new remote again. Don't forget to share your experiences in the comments section below.

Stay Tuned and SUBSCRIBE to receive regular updates. You can also contact me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube Channel GOODTECH - Creativity And Science, where i frequently post new and creative content.

Thanks For Your Support..!!

Comments

[VincentG51]

You can also you graphite from a pencil just by drawing on it or smash it to powder and add a bit of wood glue.

[joewatt25]

U mean pencil to trace the pcb botton key..for what reason

[ivak245]

Contact replacement! What a good idea! I have been repairing household electronics for many years, and revived many dodgy remotes. Probably the biggest problem is the batteries, which most of the time get a minute layer of corrosion on one of the contacts. By removing and re-inserting the batteries or spinning them round in the holder gets the gunk off, and they are good for another few months. The rubber contact membrane and the PCB pads can be cleaned with a squirt of contact cleaning spray, and left to dry before assembly. I have not tried the replacement of the contacts, but I will try with the next one that needs it. I reckon a drop of PVA glue or contact cement would attach this well, as they stay flexible after drying.

[joewatt25]

Wow...it my pleasure meeting u then.. please what's d crystal and rum and rum u r talking abt

[paulhschulman]

I have this same problem on my phone buttons. The '3' only works after pressing hard. Same solution?

[joewatt25]

U got to clean that spot..I can tell u as a phone technician..if worry go give it to a technician not all phone can be tamperd with

[Techgenie]

No, this solution only works for the remote. Phone buttons are much more compact and sealed differently. You can remove the keypad but there is a metal contact beneath it which cannot be removed without damaging it.

[Augusto Tamayo]

Hi, Would this technique work with a remote car key.
I bought this old car. The key pad (rubber buttons) we're gone and the two circuits are expose)
Evidently the circuits must be working because -I guess- the central locking (with the key) still works
To get a new key would cost me half what I paid for the car.

[joewatt25]

U can attempt it sir as long as it's a botton remote with pcb

[Techgenie]

Hello #Augusto Tamayo you can do a bit of cleaning but using aluminium foil in car key remote will not work. Disassemble the key remote and see, if there are contacts similar to that of a remote then it will work but mostly, the car keys have metal contacts that can work just by cleaning the corrosive residue.

[mrcurlywhirly]

IMO, for a car key its better to replace the whole key body if it is that bad, have you checked online? many of the bodies are available. If not there are generic equivalents you can pick up online for a fraction of the cost from a dealership. In my experience, I replaced a key with remote locking with a folding key, coded it to the door remotes myself and had it cut and coded to the barrel (another code) at an auto locksmith. After Mrs Curly lost one of the pair on the beach it needed to be at least recoded..

[joewatt25]

I think u are about to save me some money...I will try any step because I notice as my tv remote refuse to work with new battery and I open the case and close it back till today it not working only bring the red lght immediately I insert the battery without pressing any botton.good I met u,my mind just told me to make some research.. because I love research... please is there anyway u can help me out?.. please inbox me..thanks

[diyj2]

Excellent 'ible !!! Always repair or up-source expried products, v.good ecopolicy. So easy to do.thank you. Show me many more!

[Techgenie]

Thanks...I am glad you like it..:)

[RobertS251]

Interesting idea to use aluminum foil. When I have repaired remotes, I usually clean the PC board contacts with rubbing alcohol as the article notes. Then I use conductive paint on the buttons to restore conductivity. Either silver containing,often used to repair PC board traces, or the carbon particle variety of paint.

[Techgenie]

Thanks #RobertS251...a conductive paint is a commercial solution and an aluminium foil is a simple home solution. I don't have any idea but i think that may be conductive paint might also cost more.

[ElComp]

Всем привет!

1) Foil is the solution, but not a panacea.

2) The sticky liquid inside (if not beer or coffee) is a plasticizer - a product of rubber breakdown. It must be washed off!

3) You can wash and you need everything. Dry necessarily, especially if the DIP chip.

3) Drawing graphite is sometimes very good, and sometimes useless. But better than foil.

4) It happens that the current-carrying layer is worn on the board itself. In this case, all is useless.

5) A good way: thinly cut the conductive rubber band on an unused button and paste instead of a bad button (also cut off the worn layer) onto the rubber glue.

6) Plastic cards and medics help to open.

7) With a complete malfunction of the console, all of the above does not help. This is another story.

Спасибо за внимание!

[AaliaK1]

Thanks, will it work for Indian Remote?

[Techgenie]

Yes, if the remote can be disassembled then it will work for remote of any country.

[brianljnr.]

Very good instructs leave, I also had a problem with a few of my remote controls and I found that if I used a strip of double sided tape and stuck the aluminum foil to one side of the tape and then I used a ring binder hole punch to punch holes in the aluminum foil/ double sided tape which gives you perfectly round patches just the right size for the remote pads then just remove the backing from the tape and place it on to the pads that are not making a connection