XPost: alt.home.repair   
   From: NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com   
      
   In sci.electronics.repair, on Sat, 17 Sep 2022 20:36:37 +0200, "Carlos   
   E.R."  wrote:   
      
   >On 2022-09-16 07:06, micky wrote:   
   >> Have any of you noticed that your remote control, for a tv or whatever,   
   >> doesn't work at first, if you haven't used it for a day or two?   
   >>   
   >> I keep thinking the batteries have died, but after a couple minutes it   
   >> usually works.   
   >>   
   >> I try to warm up the batteries by pressing one button or another 10 or   
   >> 20 times and that doesn't seem to work but a fwe minutes later, things   
   >> are fine.   
   >>   
   >> One complication: I'm not controlling the TV directly.  I'm shining  the   
   >> remote on PowerMid that uses radio waves to communicate with a receiver   
   >> in my bedroom that uses a thin cable to send infrared to a little bead   
   >> that is stuck in front of the IR receiver on the DVDR.  But the powermid   
   >> has a red light that goes on when I'm shining the remote at it, and that   
   >> does go on.  Still, I don't think that is the cause of the delay.   
   >   
   >   
   >I have one remote?¹? that had buttons that would not work, or I had to   
   >press hard, and wiggle them. When I opened the thing, many buttons were   
   >humid inside. I never found where that came from, and doesn't happen to   
   >any other remote. I cleaned/dried them, close the case, work for a month   
   >or two, then repeat.   
      
   I have a clock radio in which all the controls are buttons, and 6   
   sliders. The buttons don't get humidity but dirt.  I took the think   
   apart and cleaned them and it was good for about 3 years.  The next time   
   I cleaned them it was only good for year.   There might have been a 3rd   
   time.  Since then I learned about DeOxit and bought some, but haven't   
   had the time to do it again.  So all I have is the FM button that turns   
   it on, with some effort, and the volume slider.   If there is a power   
   failure long enough to forget the station, it's a real challenge to   
   enter 88.1. which is now the only station I listen to.   
      
   >In the end, I had to glue small pieces of aluminum foil in the inner   
   >surface of the buttons so that they would make contact. Problem now is,   
   >some of the foil pieces fall down, and the button will not work at all.   
   >The tiny foil can also short some other contact instead.   
      
   I didnt' think of that.  And I guess it doesn't work that well!  In my   
   case very little space between the two contacts.   
      
   When I bought a tv 2 years ago, I bought a second remote right away.   
      
   >Someone made a program running on the computer that would connect via   
   >LAN and emulate the remote, so that's what I use most of the time now.   
   >Except for powering it up, that needs the remote.   
      
   I only have one smart tv. I'm glad I got it but I don't use it much.   
   The others are at least 20 years old.   
   >   
   >   
   >I have another device that the remote failed yesterday to get a response   
   >at some point. I could see a led blinking in the mode it does to tell   
   >the user that it is getting a command from the IR remote, yet it did not   
   >react. I had to power cycle the device - that button did work. My guess   
   >is that the device had hung.   
      
   Glad it's working.  I don't think that applies to me.   
   >   
   >   
   >(1)  Gigaset M740 AV   
      
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