Author Topic: Button contacts dirty or ?  (Read 1864 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline fixit7Topic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 216
  • Country: us
Button contacts dirty or ?
« on: July 04, 2019, 12:39:11 am »
I am having to press down multiple times on some of the buttons to get that function to activate, especially the memory button.

There is a thin film of plastic over those "silver things" that activate the various functions.

Any ideas as to why it is happening?

Thanks,
             Andy

I am curious as to how the lcd display is used as there are no wires 


« Last Edit: July 04, 2019, 12:59:51 am by fixit7 »
 

Online ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11905
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2019, 01:20:08 am »
Sticky tape is just there to hold them for assembly. If you remove it, the silver dome will fall out and you will be able to clear the dust from underneath. 

LCD is connected using a zebra strip - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastomeric_connector.
Alex
 

Offline fixit7Topic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 216
  • Country: us
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2019, 01:59:48 am »
Sticky tape is just there to hold them for assembly. If you remove it, the silver dome will fall out and you will be able to clear the dust from underneath. 

LCD is connected using a zebra strip - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastomeric_connector.

As far as I can see, that plastic is needed to keep those contacts in position.

I am reluctant to take it off for cleaning and then having a non-functional timer.

 

Online ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11905
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2019, 02:02:15 am »
There are multiple variants. some have alignment pins, others do not. If there are no holes in the PCB, then yes, yours do not.

It is really not that scary and hard to disassemble. There is nothing precision about them.

But if you do not want to clean them, then why post a question in a first place?
Alex
 

Online Gyro

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 10174
  • Country: gb
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2019, 09:11:50 am »
I've had good success injecting contact cleaner into the contacts from the rear of the PCB. The problem tends to be contact oxidation, either the PCB centre contact or the stainless steel dome itself, probably both.

The button centre contact always goes through a PCB via behind the centre of the dome, this is always an open (non-tented) via to allow air in and out as the dome is pressed. Just put a drop of your favourite contact cleaner/conditioner, Electrolube EML in my case, but probably Deoxit something in the US. Exercise the dome and you will see an air bubble appear when you press it and the cleaner drawn in when you release. Do this a couple of times and then wipe off any excess.

I've done this on several dome contact remotes with long term success, in fact they tend to improve with time.
Best Regards, Chris
 

Offline cvanc

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 675
  • Country: us
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2019, 12:07:48 pm »
Remove the tape and the metal buttons
Clean the PC board contact area under the buttons
Clean the buttons (remove all old tape)
Re-install the buttons using fresh tape (the tape is there just to hold the buttons in position)

HTH.
 
The following users thanked this post: fixit7

Offline fixit7Topic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 216
  • Country: us
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2019, 03:31:41 am »
Remove the tape and the metal buttons
Clean the PC board contact area under the buttons
Clean the buttons (remove all old tape)
Re-install the buttons using fresh tape (the tape is there just to hold the buttons in position)

HTH.

I did as you suggested.

Formerly, the memory button needed to be pressed hard to work.

Now, after using the contact cleaner, it no longer works.

Working with those small metal buttons is not non-trivial.

I had to use a very fine pointed tweezer to manipulate them and put them back into the correct positions as they used 3 sharp points
to make contact with the board.

I just cut the tape from around the memory button and used contact cleaner on it as that was the only troublesome button.

I learned a lot.

 

Online ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11905
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2019, 03:58:45 am »
Well, obviously there are ways to screw up anything. But on a grand scheme of thing those buttons are not that hard to work with.

Contact cleaner won't do much here. Just use regular alcohol on both the button and the PCB.

Also there is a chance that the problem is not with the contacts, but wit some track on the board.
Alex
 

Offline fixit7Topic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 216
  • Country: us
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2019, 06:46:03 am »
Well, obviously there are ways to screw up anything. But on a grand scheme of thing those buttons are not that hard to work with.

Contact cleaner won't do much here. Just use regular alcohol on both the button and the PCB.

Also there is a chance that the problem is not with the contacts, but wit some track on the board.

I believe you are living in la la land.

With no evidence, you make statements that only criticize.






« Last Edit: July 08, 2019, 07:15:34 am by fixit7 »
 

Offline mikerj

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3382
  • Country: gb
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2019, 09:05:33 am »
Well, obviously there are ways to screw up anything. But on a grand scheme of thing those buttons are not that hard to work with.

Contact cleaner won't do much here. Just use regular alcohol on both the button and the PCB.

Also there is a chance that the problem is not with the contacts, but wit some track on the board.

I believe you are living in la la land.

With no evidence, you make statements that only criticize.

Judging someone's level of incompetence from their opening post is often difficult, cleaning this style of switch would be considered absolutely trivial by the vast majority of people on this forum, you don't even need to pick up a soldering iron.  If you are having problems using sticky tape then perhaps electronics isn't for you?
 
The following users thanked this post: tooki, Ysjoelfir

Offline fixit7Topic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 216
  • Country: us
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2019, 11:19:04 am »
Well, obviously there are ways to screw up anything. But on a grand scheme of thing those buttons are not that hard to work with.

Contact cleaner won't do much here. Just use regular alcohol on both the button and the PCB.

Also there is a chance that the problem is not with the contacts, but wit some track on the board.

I believe you are living in la la land.

With no evidence, you make statements that only criticize.

Judging someone's level of incompetence from their opening post is often difficult, cleaning this style of switch would be considered absolutely trivial by the vast majority of people on this forum, you don't even need to pick up a soldering iron.  If you are having problems using sticky tape then perhaps electronics isn't for you?

I enjoy electronics and you will not dissuade me from continuing in my pursuit.

:-)

 

Offline fixit7Topic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 216
  • Country: us
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2019, 01:14:13 pm »
Well, obviously there are ways to screw up anything. But on a grand scheme of thing those buttons are not that hard to work with.

Contact cleaner won't do much here. Just use regular alcohol on both the button and the PCB.

Also there is a chance that the problem is not with the contacts, but wit some track on the board.

I believe you are living in la la land.

With no evidence, you make statements that only criticize.

Judging someone's level of incompetence from their opening post is often difficult, cleaning this style of switch would be considered absolutely trivial by the vast majority of people on this forum, you don't even need to pick up a soldering iron.  If you are having problems using sticky tape then perhaps electronics isn't for you?

braggart noun
brag·​gart | \ ˈbra-gərt
\
Definition of braggart

: a loud arrogant boaster thinks he's a loudmouth braggart
 

Offline tooki

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 13157
  • Country: ch
Re: Button contacts dirty or ?
« Reply #12 on: July 10, 2019, 11:25:02 pm »
No, he’s not. Your posts consistently indicate that you are working on things well beyond your level of understanding. When we try to correct you, it’s not out of pride, but concern.
 


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf