Broken Remote Buttons? How to Fix

Remote control buttons can be fixed sometimes by cleaning with alcohol, coating the pad and pcb with pencil markings, or sometimes by replacing a worn out conductive pad as shown here.
Spudger tool to help pry open the remote:
Amazon.ca: amzn.to/43MEF2C
Amazon US and others: amzn.to/43HUUOv
Button pad repair kit:
Amazon.ca: amzn.to/3VRAIYi
Amazon US and others: amzn.to/4aAK6ni
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[@DVToxico]

So I just stuck some adhesive aluminum duct tape underneath the button and it reestablished the conduction, i dont know how long this will last but it works for now atleast thanks for educating me on how these buttons work.

[@pileofstuff]

Great simple repair. I gotta get me a box of those replacement pads - there's a couple of remotes around here that haven't responded to just cleaning them.

[@gadgetsideload]

Definitely start by looking at the IRLED in the camera to confirm the buttons are not responding because I still have one remote for a receiver from the 90s where the power button stopped responding in the past week, but the LED is actually transmitting. I tried gluing a new pad on just to see and it did not change anything so I’m not even sure what’s going on with that one, the power button on the receiver works but just not from the remote for some reason.

[@BusyElectrons]

I've had good luck with the ButtonWorx repair kits (on Amazon). They're self-adhesive and they stick to the PCB instead of the button. They have a thin spacer built in that keeps the conductive pad just above the surface of the PCB. Remotes I repaired around 2 years ago are still working fine under daily use.

[@bobnine]

Best to check the battery and check your camera can film infra red leds first 😂

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

Just a thought, superglue might be a bit brittle for this kind of use. I might try some form of rubber contact glue it's a bit more flexible Superglue is no good in shear type force, so any flexing could lead to the joint parting ways.

[@gadgetsideload]

I was considering contact cement but the small tube I had was all dried up, I probably bought it 15 years ago and used it once for whatever I bought it for at the time so I’ll consider this an ongoing experiment for type of glue. It will at least only get gentle use around here.