When the TV remote control buttons do not work or are difficult to press, at the very least, it is annoying. At most, it makes it impossible to switch channels or adjust the volume. Modern TVs, LG or Sony, may not have control buttons on the body at all. If the remote control is not working properly, you can fix it at home. It only requires precision and some simple supplies.
Obvious problems
The vast majority of complaints about the remote not working well are due to its power supply being drained . Most often these are ordinary salt batteries. They need to be replaced before looking for more serious problems. This is done as follows:
- The remote control is turned over for inspection;
- in its lower part or in the center there is a battery compartment cover (it can be attached with a latch or fixed with a screw);
- The cover is removed by unscrewing the screw or pressing the latch area and moving the part in the direction indicated by the arrow.
After the batteries are removed, the contact pads should be inspected. On one side of the compartment there is a plate with protrusions, on the other there are two springs. There should be no oxides on these parts; if any are detected, cleaning is carried out. It is convenient to use a thin metal screwdriver and alcohol.
Important! If the contact pads are excessively worn or oxidized, the remote control can only be revived by replacing them. Service workshops will definitely have the necessary spare parts.
If everything is in order with the metal parts, you need to insert the batteries into the compartment and check the operation of the remote control. The TV may not respond. In this case, continue to press the buttons. If the batteries heat up during the test, it means that there are short circuits or other malfunctions in the TV remote control in the electronic circuit of the remote control. The easiest way out is to take the device to a service center. You can try to restore its operation yourself using one of the methods described below.
The second common cause of breakdowns is falls and impacts. If the remote control stops working after this, there may be serious damage to the electronics. It is better to replace a device with a split casing, since repairs at the service center will cost more than a new remote control. As well as efforts to resuscitate the remote control unit on our own.
We carry out repairs
Mechanical damage to the housing cannot be effectively repaired during remote control repairs. Large cracks look bad even when glued together. In addition, the vulnerability of the entire device increases sharply - most likely, from now on the housing will break regularly. If you step on the remote control, there is a high probability of damaging not only the case, but also rendering the entire board unusable. Any crack on the board cannot be repaired. There's nothing you can do about it - you'll have to buy a new device.
IMPORTANT! Before you begin repairing the remote control, make sure the batteries are in working condition. In the vast majority of cases, the problem will be resolved at this stage.
Samsung service remote does not work normally , try calibrating the product.
- Replace the batteries.
- "GUIDE" button for a few seconds . Count to 5.
- If the sensor still does not work, reconnect the entire remote control to the TV.
How remote controls are disassembled
Remote controls from a variety of manufacturers, Philips, Samsung, LG, Sony, Toshiba and so on, use only two schemes for connecting parts of the case. This is fastened with screws and locking latches. It is not difficult to disassemble and repair the TV remote control at home; you just need to be careful and careful.
If parts of the remote control housing are connected with screws, it is worth remembering that there may be several of them. In the simplest case, plastic parts are screwed to each other at one point. This is usually the battery compartment area. To get to the screw and unscrew it, just snap off the cover, pull out the elements and carefully inspect the interior. Often the screw head is filled with a resin compound, but the point of its placement is visible quite clearly.
The option when the buttons on the remote control with latches are difficult to press is somewhat more complicated. Disassembling the device body will require patience and care. It won't hurt to stock up on pieces of plastic, for example, from an old cut up bank card. The algorithm of actions is as follows.
- The connection line of the parts is carefully inspected. Usually it is quite wide.
- There is a part that fits into another. This can be easily determined by the presence of a protrusion on it in the connection area.
- By clicking on the connection line, find the area without latches. This is where the details come apart.
- Inserting a piece of plastic into the resulting gap, move it until it touches the latch.
- Taking a thin knife and widening the gap, press out the latch. It is blocked by inserting a piece of plastic.
The steps are repeated until all the latches are released. After this, the two halves of the case can be separated and you can carry out any complex repair of the TV remote control yourself.
Types of breakdown
Statistics on remote control repairs in service centers claim that the most common breakdowns or failures of devices look like this:
- damage to important controls and housing due to falls from various heights or other mechanical impacts;
- sometimes some of the remote control buttons do not work, but the rest perform their functions properly;
- Frequently used buttons do not function or only work when pressed very hard;
- The TV remote control only works from a very close distance.
Identifying the cause is not difficult, but you need to know the procedure for the upcoming repair, which directly depends on the breakdown that occurred; sometimes it is cheaper to buy a new remote control than to revive the old one.
Important! When the remote control buttons for your TV do not work, before starting repairs, try inserting new batteries - in 80% of cases the remote control will work as before. Such simple steps will help to revive even the Smart TV remote control.
Some buttons do not work or are difficult to press
Poor response of the remote control buttons can confidently be called a normal situation. The fact is that dust constantly gets inside the device. And the most dangerous factor is the secretions of human skin. This fat has strong fluidity and literally envelops the buttons. It is not difficult to repair a TV remote control if it is just dirty. To do this, you need to disassemble it correctly.
Cleaning the remote control
You can restore the operation of the remote control by thoroughly washing the contact groups . It is recommended to carefully inspect the electronic board. As a result of the accumulation of dirt and insect droppings such as cockroaches, the remote control circuitry may no longer function properly.
The main part, the button block, is cleaned in the remote control. Usually this is a rubber plate with protrusions, on the back of which there are graphite tracks.
Important! It is not recommended to use alcohol for cleaning. With some manufacturers, after such exposure, you may find that the TV remote control does not work at all, since the conductive paths on its contact elements have collapsed. It is best to use a solution of soapy warm water.
The remote control parts are thoroughly washed. When working with an electronic board, you need to be as careful as possible. Parts must not be moved or put excessive pressure on them. Breakdowns caused by careless work can only be corrected in a workshop.
At the end of cleaning, the parts are thoroughly rinsed and blotted with a napkin. It is recommended to act carefully so as not to leave scraps of paper on the contact surfaces. The parts dry naturally. Only after this the remote control is assembled, batteries are inserted and its operation is checked.
Recovering frequently pressed keys
With each press, the contacts on the rubber button bend and deform, collapsing. Therefore, problems arise over time. For example, the power button, the most frequently used one, does not work, or the remote control does not change channels. This doesn't mean it's broken. You can restore contact groups at home.
First of all, the remote control is disassembled. The rubber plate with contacts is removed and inspected. It is necessary to identify places where some buttons do not work. The points are marked. Then you need to find paper-based foil. This could be a package of chocolate or an insert from a cigarette pack.
The user action algorithm looks like this.
- You need to buy instant glue, Moment or similar. It is recommended to use gel as it is easier to apply carefully.
- Squares are cut from foil, the size of which corresponds to the damaged contact pads.
- Acting according to the instructions for using the glue, it is carefully applied to the paper base of the foil and the contact of the rubber plate.
- The foil is glued.
Important! It is not possible to eliminate the button pressing defect in this way forever. Most instant adhesives are hard when dry. The layer will inevitably deform when the buttons are pressed and be destroyed. The repair will have to be repeated after some time. In this case, the surface of the contacts should be cleaned of old foil and adhesive layer.
A more durable option is to use a special conductive varnish. There is one problem: products of this group, varnishes and adhesives, are quite expensive. But by choosing a composition designed for treating flexible surfaces, you can achieve a very long service life of the repaired buttons.
Cleaning from moisture and dirt
Anything that has oily dirt can be wiped with a damp cloth or cotton wool soaked in alcohol. However, if the remote control is old, the dirt may be unexpectedly heavy. It would seem where this dirt would come from, but, as practice shows, all remote controls collect dirt.
Take a small basin and pour warm, clean water into it. Add a few drops of dish detergent and lather the solution. Place all the elements of the remote control in it, including the circuit board. Don't worry, without power there will be no short circuit. After some time, all the dirt will become wet and it will be easy to remove, for example, with a regular toothbrush.
Clean the board with radio components especially carefully: they must not be damaged. The contacts on the microcircuit and the buttons themselves on the reverse side of the rubber element must be black! After all dirt has been removed, rinse the parts with running water, pat them dry with a dry towel and place them in a warm, dry place for 30-40 minutes to dry completely.
TV does not respond to remote control commands
If neither cleaning nor replacing batteries helps, the remote control is visually intact, but the TV does not respond to its commands, you should check the condition of the electronic part. To do this, the remote control is disassembled. When troubleshooting, you need to act carefully and carefully.
Lost contacts
When remotes are dropped or simply over time, a variety of devastating consequences can occur. After disassembling the remote control, inspect:
- area of the LED, the state of its legs;
- wires from the battery compartment, their condition, strength of soldering to the main board;
- condition of other parts with legs.
If breaks or broken conductors are found, repairs with a soldering iron or complete replacement of parts with damaged contacts are necessary.
Advice! It would not be superfluous to inspect the back surface of the electronic board. In places where the ends of the component legs have sunk deep, it is worth adding tin and working with a soldering iron.
Troubleshooting
During the initial visual inspection, most simple problems are detected and eliminated. If this does not help restore the operation of the remote control, it is worth checking the condition of some electronic components of the board. They start with an LED. Batteries are inserted into the power compartment. You will need a smartphone to check. The camera starts on it. The remote is pointed at her lens. If the LED is working properly, when you press the buttons, the smartphone, whose camera also captures waves invisible to the eye, will clearly display flashes. If the element is broken, the user will not see anything.
The second difficult problem is the failure of the quartz resonator necessary to generate a signal for the TV. Some manufacturers place this element in different parts of the electronic board. Therefore, you will have to determine the breakdown by ear. The board is gently shaken near the ear: if a rustling sound is heard, as if from rolling grains of sand, it means that the resonator is damaged and requires replacement . You can do this yourself or take the remote control to a workshop.
The batteries are low
80% of all calls to service workshops regarding a broken TV remote control are caused by batteries. The first thing to do when diagnosing failures of the remote control is to replace the batteries with new ones.
Even if you only installed new batteries a few days ago, you should try updating them. Batteries may be defective or expired; often, even in original packaging, these elements may be “dead.”
If you have a voltmeter in your house, you can check their voltage with this device. The minimum charge value should be 1.3 V. If the battery potential is lower, it must be replaced.
Check the operation of the remote control with new batteries; further repairs may not be required. If they are not the reason, move on to the next stage.
What can't you do?
The remote control can easily be damaged if you use products that are not allowed. They can not only harm the device, but also damage it.
What is prohibited from cleaning the remote control:
- Water and all means based on it. Their contact with the board is unacceptable. Water oxidizes the contacts and, when dried, forms a coating.
- Gels and pastes for washing dishes. They contain surfactants and acids that lead to oxidation of contacts.
- Household chemicals. Do not use rust or grease removers, even diluted. They cannot be used not only for internal, but also for external cleansing.
- Wet and cosmetic wipes. They are impregnated with water and a fat component. Contact of these substances with the board is unacceptable.
Useful tips
Recommendations from specialists will help increase the service life of the remote control. If you follow them, the device will serve for a long time without breakdowns.
Tips for using the remote control:
- always put the remote control in one place, do not throw it anywhere;
- use only high quality batteries from a trusted manufacturer;
- replace batteries in a timely manner, do not use old and new batteries in the same compartment;
- use protective equipment.
Often, users do not consider the remote control to be a piece of equipment that requires any maintenance on their part. In fact, it needs to be treated with care, and regular cleaning - internal and external - will ensure its long and trouble-free operation.
