Fixing Remote controls
Ever had a remote that required you to press really hard to get it to respond? It seems to happen to the channel changing button and the on/off switch in my case.
These consist of a silicon rubber keypad with little conductive dots underneath which press against a conductive trace on a PC board below. I read on the internet where you can put rear window defogger repair paint or aluminum foil on the little conductive dots in order to rejuvenate the remotes - apparently though, it is hard to get things to stick to the silicone rubber for long.
When I opened my remote (less than a year old) the conductive dots didn't look worn, but there were puddles of grease all over the circuit board and on the back of the keypad. I always thought that greasy feel on the keypads was from hand oils, but it looks like some of it may be from the pads themselves - they apparently leak some sort of silicone oil over time.
To make a long story short, I washed the keypad with dish soap and wiped the PC board off with a homemade lens cleaner solution (one part isopropyl, 3 parts distilled water and a couple drops of detergent per pint) and the remote now works perfectly again.
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Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. --Carl Sagan
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