I have a directv TiVo remote whose IR system is shot. It’s not the batteries as the same batteries in a new remote work.
Has anyone replaced the IR lamp on one of these? I imagine its sweat the solder off the board and resolder a new one.
It could be the keypad that’s the trouble. Open up the case and lift up the rubber keymat. Use a cotton swab and some isopropyl alcohol to clean off each switch contact both on the circuit board and on the underside of the keymat. If this doesn’t help, you can try replacing the IR LED. Before removing the old one, take careful note of the direction it’s installed. One side of the rim at the base will have a flat spot. Make sure you install the new one in the same direction or it won’t work. Replacement LEDs are available at any Radio Shack.
Are you sure it’s the IR emitter? Could be the processor, could be the keymat, could be…
If it can’t be fixed by carefully opening the thing up and washing the contact area on the PCB and the keymat itself, toss the thing.
My bet’s on soda or dog drool.
My problem was the emmiter was broken from the pcb. try to heat the joints up again till the solder reflows.
I have a remote that was flaky for a while (shaking it would fix it sometimes). When that stopped working I had to re-solder a capacitor that had broken off.
Remotes get dropped a lot so checking for loose parts is a good idea, especially if you have hard floors like I do.
I’m thinking I should get a cheapo universal remote for day-to-day use and pulling out the OEM only for doing the special things the universal doesn’t handle.
Well, before you take a soldering iron or any other tool to your remote, make sure you know precisely what repair needs to be made.
Rules of thumb for troubleshooting any inoperable electronic device, in order:
- Check the settings.
- Check the power.
- Check the connections, including internal connectors, jumpers, solder joints, and IC sockets… anyplace where electrical continuity depends on a mechanical junction between two conductors.
First, check all the obvious things… not because anyone thinks your dumb, but because if it does turn out to be one of those things, and you go chasing a more complex problem, you’ll sure feel dumb when you realize there was grape jelly stuck on one of the battery terminals… :smack:
Is there a mode switch on the remote? They’re usually labled “TV, VCR, DVD, Cable, Satellite” etc. Make sure your remote is in the proper mode to operate the intended device.
You’ve already verified the satellite receiver works with another remote? If not, and you don’t have another DirecTV remote, find the IR detector on the front panel and make sure the clear front panel is clean and that there are no obstructions.
Do you have a camcorder or a digital camera? These can see IR remotes, although they may be relatively insensitive compared to visible light.
Darken the room and look thru the viewfinder of your camcorder while you activate the remote, aimed at the camera lens. Or, snap a digital still picture while activating the remote. Snap a few, just in case you managed to catch the remote between blinks.
This will verify that your remote is the real problem… but just because the LED isn’t shining, doesn’t mean the LED itself is broken. It could be any number of things inside.
Open the battery compartment and double check the batteries are oriented correctly. Are all the contacts making contact with the battery poles? Are there any foreign objects or substances on the contacts?
At this point, I’d call DirecTV and see what it takes to get a new remote. They may provide one for free… if there’s some reason you don’t want DirecTV’s direct attention… ahoy… then, well, consider eBay or some other used source. It may be easier and cheaper just to replace the thing.
But if it’s not, or you just want the challenge, then the next thing to do is check connections. You’re on your own opening the thing up… every remote is different.
Once you figure out how to expose the innards, trace all the wires that go from the circuit board to other stuff. Make sure their connections are solid at each end of each wire.
Next look for jumpers or connectors on the circuit board. Reseat them if necessary.
Are there any IC chips in sockets? Press on them firmly with your thumb… but don’t take them out. The circuit resistance will protect them from static discharge, but if you take them out of their sockets, they are very susceptible.
Next check all the solder joints. You may need a magnifying glass. The solder should be shiny and form little cone shapes around wires sticking out of the circuit board, or nice circular arcs between surface mount pads and the component leads. Bad surface mount joints will be fairly obvious under good magnification.
If you find a bad solder joint do not go poking around with a soldering iron just yet, you could melt or delaminate something important.
Poke around the web and google on “soldering techniques” and read up before you start.
But at this point, I’d want to just replace the dang thing…
Err… correction… if I didn’t see any bad solder joints, then at this point I’d want to just replace the dang thing…
If all else fails, a new Tivo remote isn’t more than $30, tops. But I like taking things apart and tinkering with them. I second the other advice in this thread - clean the keymat. Look for anything that’s broken loose and resolder it. Failing that, replace the IR emitter.
I got a new remote. It was $29. And it’s always nice to have an extra. I hadn’t checked the contacts on the batteries terminals, but that’s a thought to check. I believe that it’s the intensity of the signal – I have to be inches away for the remote to work. That’s why I think it’s the IR LED. An intermittant key pad would still give a full strenght. Is there a way to check the intensity without a cam-corder? I have a digital camera – do i look through the display while pressing the remote buttons?
Thanks for all the replies thus far.
If it’s an intensity issue, it’s almost certainly a driver circuitry issue. LEDs either work or they don’t. I’ve never heard of one “getting weak” and losing output intensity when driven at the same voltage and current. Most remotes are run by a single ASIC (application-specific IC) which has all the circuitry in it, save for a few external components. If anything in this chip goes, it’s a tosser. I’d wager that’s the case here.