E-Mails please to: alexhoyle@trackdown.co.uk (Please note that  All Trackdown prices include both VAT and P&P.)

Frequently Asked Questions & Help Files.

Here are the some questions we are asked quite often.
If you have any questions (or answers) please contact us by email or by phone.

Q). Can you supply remote control handsets for non-UK models?

A). Very occasionally we can supply remotes for European models, but if you are overseas in say America or Africa for example, then it's unlikely that we can be of help to you.

Please ALWAYS tell us where you are.

To: alexhoyle@trackdown.co.uk

Subject: Wearing out

Sirs -- does a remote ever just wear out and if so is it repairable ?

Thank You

Bob

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1) In answer to your e-mail, Bob, yes they do have a limited life, and I personally don't know of many remote controls older than about 8-10 years that are still working perfectly.

2) Yes we can repair some types of remote control, but once you start taking them apart, you should really be thinking about replacing the remote control before it stops completely. It's a good idea to buy a low-cost limited-function remote to use every day and keep the original safe for those occasions when you need to use the special functions. The buttons which wear out are usually off/on, 1, 2, 3, up, down, forward, backward and volume. A low cost remote with just the basic functions will save wear and tear on your original expensive remote.

There are two main types of keypad:

1. Silicone rubber with conductive buttons moulded in.
2. Membrane type with dome-shaped metal "click" contacts.

We can not repair type 2.
We can not repair broken glass display panels.

If the internal printed circuit board is cracked we can sometimes repair it. If the copper tracks are cracked we can usually solder fine bridging wires across. If the black conductive epoxy tracks are cracked then we can't repair them.

In addition, if somebody has already "had a go", the remote is probably damaged beyond repair.

Our charges for repair are very reasonable. The work is skilled and requires good eyesight and practice, plus the proper tools, of course! We can usually repair a remote for considerably less than the cost of a replacement.

You may be able to. I'll tell you some "trade secrets" and you can decide for yourself.

As I mentioned earlier, the plastic membrane type is usually not repairable because the contacts are sealed between two layers of plastic film. However, the type that uses a flexible silicone rubber moulded contact keypad is often repairable. This is how we do it:

You will need the following:

• A hair dryer
• A small bottle of nail polish remover
• A toothbrush
• A penknife

Remove any screws which hold the remote control moulded shells together. If it doesn't come apart easily, there may be moulded clips holding the two shells.

Use the hairdryer to get the plastic case as warm as possible. This makes it more flexible. Now twist it in your hands and see where the split line is. You should be able to insert a small penknife blade and gently lift the plastic shell away from the clips. Work carefully around the perimeter with the blade. The battery compartment is the weakest point as the moulding is very narrow at the corners. Take extra care here or you will break it!

Once the two shells are apart you can see the printed circuit board which contains the components. There are copper tracks insulated with green epoxy resin and, either conductive black resin contacts, or gold-plated contacts. Against the contact side of the board is the silicone rubber keypad moulding. The tips of the buttons contain conductive powder which is designed to connect the board contact pairs together electrically when pressed into contact.

There are three main failure modes:

• Cracked copper tracks or cracked conductive resin
• Contaminated contacts (Coffee, Wine, Beer, etc.)
• Worn out button tips (no conductive powder left)

If the copper tracks are cracked it is sometimes possible to scrape the green epoxy coating away and to solder very fine wire to the shiny copper beneath. This is a skilled job. We use a single hair-thick strand from multi-strand flexible wire. A 1mm tip is needed for the soldering iron and 0.4mm solder. If the crack is extensive (more than 2 tracks affected) then the repair is unlikely to be reliable in use.

If the conductive resin is cracked it is usually impossible to carry out a reliable repair, although sometimes a temporary repair can be made with silver-loaded paint. If you get the remote to work like this, immediately use it to program a "learning remote" then store the repaired one away for emergencies only. This is worthwhile only if the original remote is unobtainable or substantially more expensive than the "learning remote".

Contamination should be washed from the printed circuit board and from the silicone rubber keypad by scrubbing with a toothbrush and a little nail polish remover. This is a mixture of acetone and water. Keep it away from plastic and protect your eyes and clothing. It can also be harmful to the skin so read the warnings on the bottle. Dry the parts with the hair dryer to remove all moisture. Do NOT touch the cleaned contacts with your fingers! If the plastic case is contaminated, wash it with warm water and detergent then dry it thoroughly.

If the button tips are worn out (you'll find the most-used buttons still don't work reliably) then repair may not be possible. One method that we find successful occasionally is to take a strip of conductive plastic film (yes, we sell this). Clean it with nail polish remover to get rid of finger grease contamination and dry it. Now, handle it only with tweezers and cut it into tiny pieces. Glue a piece to each button tip with "superglue" or similar Cyanoacrylate adhesive.

Finally, check the printed circuit board for damaged solder joints and loose connections. A favourite problem is that the little 455kHz resonator breaks. Another is that the infra-red LED stops working. (We supply both these parts).

Q. Can you provide the code for my XYZ remote so that it will work my ABC TV?

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A. We get asked this all the time!

Quite often we can find the code for you but it all takes time and we think we deserve to be paid. If you bought the remote from us then of course we will help you. If you bought it elsewhere, why should we help?

But we are not heartless. For a small fee we will provide a copy of the codes for your remote (if available).

Tell us the exact make and model of the remote and of the equipment that you want to control.

THE END