The Big Issue - UK (2020-08-24)

CULTURE |

REPAIRS

6

Fix and clean your TV remote control

Chance

s^

are

your

TV

remote

control

has

had

more

exercise

in

recent

months.

Even

those

of

us

who

no

longer

watch

old-school

television

still

need

them

to

connect

to

streaming

and

other

entertainment.

So

if

your

remote

control

is

playing

up,

or

simply

too

grimy,

we’re

here

to

help.

If

your

television

has

so

few

buttons

that

you

can’t

even

tell

whether

it’s

your

remote

or

your

television

that’s

broken,

we

highly

recommend

borrowing

(or

buying

then

reselling)

a

universal

remote.

6

Chances

are

you

r

TV

r

Got

a

knackered

sewing

machine

or

slow

laptop?

Don’t

worry

• 
  

visit

bigissue.com

to

read

more

handy

Fix

It

guides

02

+;c+ccY.]ʁBatteries fail when you least want them

to. Look carefully to make sure the batteries haven’t oozed or corroded the compartment. Corrosion of the contacts in the battery compartment is common, caused by leaking chemicals from dead batteries which have ĚĩĩűŦĩǼƷŎűƷʼnĩƢĩůŻƷĩ᠐ ŦĩþűƷʼnĩěŻűƷþěƷƪǜŎƷʼnƪǜŎƷěʼněŦĩþűŎűłǴŦƿŎĢŻƢŎƪŻƟƢŻƟǢŦþŦěŻʼnŻŦ



on a tissue or cloth.

If the corrosion is very bad, you may need to

ƪěƢþƟĩŎƷŻDzŁ᠃ƿƪĩþƟŎĩěĩŻŁƟŦþƪƷŎěƷʼnþƷǢŻƿĢŻűᡒƷmind damaging, like an old credit card.

ǼƷĩƢĢŻŎűłþŦŦƷʼnþƷ᠄ƷĩƪƷŎƷþłþŎű᠃ŎŁŎƷŎƪűŻǜ

working you can give yourself a big pat on the back and ignore the rest of this article.

If the batteries look OK, still check to make

sure they have adequate charge by testing them in something else, or put in some batteries that you know are working.

03

CLEAN IT!If gunk or liquid has made it through

the buttons, this will cause your remote to malfunction. A deep clean is in order.

Open your remote using the required

screwdriver, usually a small Phillips. Check for hidden screws, under rubber pads, or inside of the battery compartment. You may need to use plastic prying tools like plectrums or old credit cards to prise open the case.

Look for catches that you need to carefully

release. If you might forget how to reassemble, take photos to help you remember.

Clean the buttons, and the printed circuit

board carefully using switch cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. Cotton buds work really well, but make sure you don’t leave any bits of cotton behind as they may interfere with the electrical contacts.

If you don’t have any switch cleaner or

isopropyl alcohol, use white vinegar or even dry cotton buds to wipe away as much dirt as you ěþű᠐'ŻűᡒƷƿƪĩǜþƷĩƢŻƢƪŻþƟ᠃ƷʼnĩǢǜŎŦŦěŻƢƢŻĢĩƷʼnĩdelicate metal parts.

Also, while you’ve got it in pieces, check that

there isn’t any more battery corrosion inside. ǼƷĩƢƷʼnþƷ᠄ƟƿƷŎƷĚþěţƷŻłĩƷʼnĩƢþűĢƪĩĩŎŁŎƷǜŻƢţƪ᠆

YOU WILL NEED Mobile or compact digital camera•^ •^ New batteries]ÚöÚ¬õÚÞæʁ •^ Plectrums or old credit cards for prying •^ Cotton buds or a cloth.ÞË×ÚË×ü½½˩˽ Þö¬æ©½ĬĤĉê¬ËÚö©¬æõ¬Ä¤ÚɩʁJDJcêÞöæÚËÚÞË×
01

CHECK THAT THE INFRARED ].&D=.]sJY;.D&ʁ

ȃĩĩþƪǢǜþǢƷŻƷĩƪƷþƢĩůŻƷĩŎƪĚǢŦŻŻţŎűłþƷŎƷthrough a camera phone – if it’s working you’d expect to see a blinking light on the front of the remote (with it pointed roughly towards the lens) ƷʼnƢŻƿłʼnƷʼnĩěþůĩƢþ᠐ᡳ

ȃŎƪǜŻƢţƪŻűŻŦĢĩƢűĢƢŻŎĢƪ᠄ĢŎłŎƷþŦ

compact cameras and phones that do not have þűŎűŁƢþƢĩĢȀŦƷĩƢ᠐tĩǜŎ£ʼnŻűĩƪʼnþǛĩƷʼnĩƪĩȀŦƷĩƢƪand will disappoint you.

If you don’t get a signal from your remote, it’s

űŻƷþŦŦŎűǢŻƿƢʼnĩþĢ᠆

If

you

need

repair

tips

for

anything

with

a

battery

or

a^

plug,

The

Restart

Project

can

help

on

Twitter,

.ÄÞæ¤ÚÃ

ËÚ

% 

Ë˺

ʁ^

therestartproject.org

Image s: Ben Skidmore

FROM 24 AUGUST 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 39

CULTURE |

REPAIRS

6

Fix and clean your TV remote control

s

are

your

TV

remote

control

has

had

more

exercise

in

recent

months.

Even

those

of

us

who

no

longer

watch

old-school

television

still

need

them

to

connect

to

streaming

and

other

entertainment.

So

if

your

remote

control

is

playing

up,

or

simply

too

grimy,

we’re

here

to

help.

If

your

television

has

so

few

buttons

that

you

can’t

even

tell

whether

it’s

your

remote

or

your

television

that’s

broken,

we

highly

recommend

borrowing

(or

buying

then

reselling)

a

universal

remote.

6

Chances

are

you

TV

Got

a

knackered

sewing

machine

or

slow

laptop?

Don’t

worry

• visit

bigissue.com

to

read

more

handy

Fix

It

guides

02

+;c+ccY.]ʁBatteries fail when you least want them

to. Look carefully to make sure the batteries haven’t oozed or corroded the compartment. Corrosion of the contacts in the battery compartment is common, caused by leaking chemicals from dead batteries which have ĚĩĩűŦĩǼƷŎűƷʼnĩƢĩůŻƷĩ᠐ ŦĩþűƷʼnĩěŻűƷþěƷƪǜŎƷʼnƪǜŎƷěʼněŦĩþűŎűłǴŦƿŎĢŻƢŎƪŻƟƢŻƟǢŦþŦěŻʼnŻŦon a tissue or cloth.

If the corrosion is very bad, you may need to

ƪěƢþƟĩŎƷŻDzŁ᠃ƿƪĩþƟŎĩěĩŻŁƟŦþƪƷŎěƷʼnþƷǢŻƿĢŻűᡒƷmind damaging, like an old credit card.

ǼƷĩƢĢŻŎűłþŦŦƷʼnþƷ᠄ƷĩƪƷŎƷþłþŎű᠃ŎŁŎƷŎƪűŻǜ

working you can give yourself a big pat on the back and ignore the rest of this article.

If the batteries look OK, still check to make

sure they have adequate charge by testing them in something else, or put in some batteries that you know are working.

03

CLEAN IT!If gunk or liquid has made it through

the buttons, this will cause your remote to malfunction. A deep clean is in order.

Open your remote using the required

screwdriver, usually a small Phillips. Check for hidden screws, under rubber pads, or inside of the battery compartment. You may need to use plastic prying tools like plectrums or old credit cards to prise open the case.

Look for catches that you need to carefully

release. If you might forget how to reassemble, take photos to help you remember.

Clean the buttons, and the printed circuit

board carefully using switch cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. Cotton buds work really well, but make sure you don’t leave any bits of cotton behind as they may interfere with the electrical contacts.

If you don’t have any switch cleaner or

isopropyl alcohol, use white vinegar or even dry cotton buds to wipe away as much dirt as you ěþű᠐'ŻűᡒƷƿƪĩǜþƷĩƢŻƢƪŻþƟ᠃ƷʼnĩǢǜŎŦŦěŻƢƢŻĢĩƷʼnĩdelicate metal parts.

Also, while you’ve got it in pieces, check that

there isn’t any more battery corrosion inside. ǼƷĩƢƷʼnþƷ᠄ƟƿƷŎƷĚþěţƷŻłĩƷʼnĩƢþűĢƪĩĩŎŁŎƷǜŻƢţƪ᠆

YOU WILL NEED•Mobile or compact digital camera•New batteries]ÚöÚ¬õÚÞæʁ•Plectrums or old credit cards for prying•Cotton buds or a cloth.ÞË×ÚË×ü½½˩˽ Þö¬æ©½ĬĤĉê¬ËÚö©¬æõ¬Ä¤ÚɩʁJDJcêÞöæÚËÚÞË×
01

CHECK THAT THE INFRARED ].&D=.]sJY;.D&ʁ

ȃĩĩþƪǢǜþǢƷŻƷĩƪƷþƢĩůŻƷĩŎƪĚǢŦŻŻţŎűłþƷŎƷthrough a camera phone – if it’s working you’d expect to see a blinking light on the front of the remote (with it pointed roughly towards the lens) ƷʼnƢŻƿłʼnƷʼnĩěþůĩƢþ᠐ᡳ

ȃŎƪǜŻƢţƪŻűŻŦĢĩƢűĢƢŻŎĢƪ᠄ĢŎłŎƷþŦ

compact cameras and phones that do not have þűŎűŁƢþƢĩĢȀŦƷĩƢ᠐tĩǜŎ£ʼnŻűĩƪʼnþǛĩƷʼnĩƪĩȀŦƷĩƢƪand will disappoint you.

If you don’t get a signal from your remote, it’s

űŻƷþŦŦŎűǢŻƿƢʼnĩþĢ᠆

If

you

need

repair

tips

for

anything

with

a

battery

or

a

plug,

The

Restart

Project

can

help

on

Twitter,

.ÄÞæ¤ÚÃ

ËÚ

%  

Ë˺

therestartproject.org

Image s: Ben Skidmore

FROM 24 AUGUST 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 39