URC-8810w wear and tear help?

ToonGal · Post by **ToonGal** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:11 am

I've been a happy JP1 user for years now, and my URC-8810w is irreplaceable. Literally... That's the problem. The Fwd and FFwd buttons have worn a bit to the extent where they no longer really function well. I've opened up the chassis, cleaned the board, cleaned the rubber part, and reassembled the unit a few times now, but nothing has really helped make the two FF keys work well any more.

Were I able to lay down another $20 at WalMart to get more of this specific model, I'd do it in a minute because it's the perfect remote. (I already own two other ones still in great condition.) Since I can't, it's important to me to do everything I can to keep the one I have working.

Does anyone have any suggestions on anything I can do to make it work again? Visibly, the rubber keypad and the board look in good condition (compared to the other keys), so at least I have hope.

Thanks in advance for any help!

andyross · Post by **andyross** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:38 am

The 8810W was just the WalMart version of the 8811. Other than the model number, they are IDENTICAL.

ToonGal · Post by **ToonGal** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:22 am

andyross wrote:The 8810W was just the WalMart version of the 8811. Other than the model number, they are IDENTICAL.

Yup. I know.

The problem isn't that, as NEITHER model is commercially available anywhere, red or green backlighting. As stated, were either model readily available, I'd plunk down the $20 or so to get another/more from WalMart, Rob, online, or other.

Back to the subject of my original post, does anyone have any advice on what to do to 'restore' a current remote?

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:07 am

You may have already tried this, but what works best for me is cleaning both the contacts on the keys and the board throughly with rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip. Don't rub too hard on the black rubber parts, just enough to clean off the loose bits. Not so for the metal contacts, give 'em plenty of elbow grease. Give everything plenty of time to dry before reassembly. I've been able to squeeze a few extra years out of several remotes this way.

If it's beyond repair, consider the 8910 as a replacement. Far as I can tell it looks pretty much identical to the 8811, with the addition of an LCD display, which I think you'll come to appreciate. They're plentiful online. If Rob can't fix you up, Amazon has them for $25 (used to be $20 a few weeks ago) and free shipping.

Xero · Post by **Xero** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:40 pm

if the electrical contacts have worn off the back of the rubber buttons, they actually sell repair kits that you can use to re-coat them with conductive material...i found a wiki howto here:

http://www.wikihow.com/Repair-a-Remote-Control

MaximusPlank · Post by **MaximusPlank** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:45 pm

Once you've tried the previously mentioned cleaning techniques using alcohol and you've come to the conclusion that the buttons are "not" cleanable, below is a fix method I've come up with that works very well. Keep in mind that there is a commercially available conducting epoxy available but the price has kept me away from trying it. [$25 and short shelf life is "implied".] There's a link on this site somewhere.

Simple button rebuild method:
1. Get a piece of aluminum foil and stick it in a 3 hole puncher to make little round dots.
2. Using the 100% silicone glue/sealer and a toothpick, sparingly wet the glue onto the button(s) that fails to function properly. Wet one at a time until you get good at it.
3. Lick finger tip and pick up dot with wet finger, gently apply even pressure to stick but try to not push out all of the glue. Let sit for at least 12 hours, 24 is better.

Notes:
1. Remote must be cleaned and dried before gluing. Hair blow drier works good for drying.
2. Push any overlapping aluminum down into the button pit.
3. Once dot is in place, try not to mess with it too much.
4. For buttons that are much smaller than the dots, simply trim to approximate fit with scissors. Bit larger is always better. "Under the shelf" buttons usually need the smaller dot [ie: cable remotes].
5. Keep a clean/dry toothpick handy for mistakes/adjustments. Toothpick equivalents can be anything you have on hand or dream up. Those plastic single use floss holders work well (the pick end). The idea is to have something thin enough to fit between the button and it's pit so you can stuff the edge of the dot down there.

Good luck!

Please send any and all royalties to Soupy Sales.

Evan_s · Post by **Evan_s** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:02 pm

A lot of times you can get conductive paint like included in that repair kit for cheaper on Ebay. A quick search showed some for ~10$ shipped. I haven't ever tried it before but it also seems to come up as a common question in over clocking forums.

Xero · Post by **Xero** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:06 pm

yeah they used to use conductive silver paint for overclocking the old athlons, i bet the same stuff would work. for that matter, i think there's even conductive markers you can probably use.

MaximusPlank · Post by **MaximusPlank** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:09 pm

I've never tried "Silverprint" but have used the cheaper "Nickleprint" and it worked good but would not bond to the rubber for long, dried thick and brittle. The "pen" idea may work better.

Another adhesive that I've never tried is the model glue that is water thin. I forget the name but that mixed with copper filings-powder should work too. Have tried super glue with aluminum dots many times and it's just too brittle to bond to flexible surfaces. Pure silicone doesn't have the world's greatest bonding power but in this application it has outlived all else tried so far.