URC-8910 Modem Faulty? How to Test?

[g4macmaniac]

This isn't exactly a JP1 question, but it's leading in a JP1 direction... My nearly new URC8910 appears to have a broken modem (having tried the popular WAV updates unsuccessfully, and even OFA tech support's code chirping over the phone didn't take).

I'm building a JP1 cable now. But does anyone know how to verify if the remote itself has a bad modem, and where is it, and how can I simply see if it's broken?

Thanks!

[The Robman]

Open up the remote, you can't miss the modem, it's the big round circular thing stuck to the PCB using hot glue. The hot glue often comes loose letting the modem go free. There's too small wires that make the connection and if the glue gives way these will almost certainly break also.

To fix it, just solder them to the two small globs of solder and hot glue the modem back into place.

To test it, try loading one of the WAV files from the new file section on this site, then download using your JP1 cable to verify that the load worked.

[g4macmaniac]

I believe the problem is the modem, because (1) it doesn't appear to work, and (2) something rattles when I shake the remote.

However, opening the thing up is a little scary. Does anyone know if there's a guide to opening remotes without cracking the shell? I'm not sure how to find all the hidden tabs.... I guess I'm asking for an inside view of the URC-8910 and URC-6012 (the two models I have to open up).

Maybe there's a general guide out there... If so, I can't find it here or with google.

Thanks!

[g4macmaniac]

Ah, nevermind! I just found it... here!
http://www.hifi-remote.com/jp1/disassemble/
This is just what I needed! I wish it was indexed in Google though.
Cheers!

[g4macmaniac]

That was it!

After getting the remote open (which wasn't so hard after all), the large circular coil (transducer, or whatever it is) was unglued, and the tiny wires were disconnected.

I'm not sure if it matters which wire goes to which pad, but I guessed (longest wire to furthest away pad), glued it back in, and then I ran a .wav I had created for my CyberHome DVD player (which doesn't have a code in the URC-8910), and it worked perfectly.

Thanks for all the help!

[The Robman]

I don't think it matters which way round to solder the wires.

[irontip]

I know this is an old post but still a problem today with 8910 where the modem coil has broken loose.
I've recently bought 2 of these remotes (A month apart) and both had the coil broken loose.
Looks like the glue (maybe was a HOT Glue) is not holding the coil in place and they break loose (Maybe throwing it at the wife to many times).
You can hear it rattling around inside.
Can be repaired easily, soldering the small fine wires is a bit tricky for those with little soldering experience.
If you buy a new one and hear rattling inside, send it back for a replacement, or if you don't want to part with it until you get a replacement, fix it yourself like I did. Also use a good hot glue gun.

New to this forum. I'm enjoying playing with this new adventure.

IT

[The Robman]

This is a very common problem with these remotes. I don't know what it is about the hot glue that they use, but it does tend to become brittle and break away.

Fortunately, the fix is pretty easy.

First you need to open the remote (preferably without damaging it):
http://www.hifi-remote.com/jp1/disassemble/

The modem coil will be obvious, it's a white plastic circle with very fine copper wire wound around it. It sits in a marked circle on the upper portion of the remote (behind the LCD screen).

First, you need to determine if the wires have actually broken away from the solder spots. If they have, you will need to re-solder them.

Then, clean away any remnants of the factory hot glue, position the modem in it's spot and re-hot glue it into place.

If you try returning a URC-8910 for a replacement under waranty, there's no guarantee that you'll get a URC-8910 back, you may get a more modern JP1.2 remote instead.

Once you've performed the repair once, and are comfortable that you know what you're doing, you may decide to do a preventative repair on any new URC-8910's that you buy, as it's easier to hot glue a modem that's already where it's supposed to be, rather than having to re-solder the wires, etc.