The TV remote control does not work - common reasons and their solutions

Question: The Samsung, Philips, LG TV remote control does not work - What to do, how to fix the buttons on the remote control.

Today it is difficult to imagine a person who does not have a TV in their home. All TVs are equipped with a remote control (RC), which simplifies their use.

The TV remote control often fails for a number of reasons: the batteries are dead , liquid was spilled on the remote control, the circuit board is cracked , and much more. All this renders the remote control inoperative.

Common problems

The rules for operating the remote control are specified in the technical documentation of the TV or a description of the device can be viewed on the website of the producing brand.

To read the features and characteristics of the control device, just enter the serial number and open the “Manuals and Specifications” section, where you will see the tab responsible for setting up the remote control.

If the remote control is working properly, then when you press the signal indicator at the top of the device, it should flash red. Otherwise, it is necessary to diagnose the device.

Standard problems associated with the operation of the remote control are:

The TV does not respond to the on/off signal.
The light indicator has stopped working.
The LED at the top blinks at a certain frequency.
The volume cannot be adjusted.
The channels stopped changing.

In order to understand the cause of the breakdown, you must:

Remove both batteries from the device.
Press any button on the remote control and hold it for about 20 seconds.
Release the key and reinsert the batteries.

If the remote control does not respond, then there may have been a glitch that was corrected when you turned on the TV.

Many remote controls rely on an infrared signal transmitted over a distance. When it is blocked, you will have to diagnose the area between the remote control and the TV.

This way you can understand whether anything is interfering with signal transmission. This could be furniture, books, things left in front of the TV.

Distance also matters. If the remote control malfunctions, you need to come close to the TV and check the operation of the switch by pressing any of the buttons.

Important! The user manual specifies the required distance from the receiver to the TV. Pay attention to this point if the remote control directed to the center of the screen does not work, while the switch directed to the corner of the monitor catches the signal without problems.

Malfunctions and their elimination

The TV remote control belongs to that category of equipment that exhibits certain malfunctions quite often. Most often, this is due to mechanical damage. After all, it is often dropped, which is why its integrity is compromised, even to the point of losing individual buttons.

In addition to mechanical stress, remote controls from even the most well-known manufacturers experience various internal breakdowns or are found to be incompatible with the TV device. Philips products are no exception.

Most often, consumers have to deal with the following problems with the operation of remote controls:

the TV does not respond to the signal if the product is some distance away;
some buttons do not function;
To ensure functionality and restore pairing, you constantly have to resort to a reboot procedure;
buttons do not function as they are supposed to;
keys stick;
food is insufficient for work;
remote control - defective;
The TV sensor is faulty.

It is these faults that cause inconvenience to most consumers.

There are ways to check that the remote control is working properly by checking to see if there is an infrared signal and if there is power. Thus, the presence of an infrared ray can be noticed using a digital photo or video camera. The one built into the smartphone is also suitable for this. When you point the remote control at the smartphone and press a button, a white light should appear on its tap. As for the batteries, it is enough to insert them into another, obviously working product.

Important! It will not be possible to check the presence of an infrared signal using technology made by Apple - it has a special filter built into it.

A sign of a faulty remote control is the inoperative state of the LED on the product when the button is pressed.

It is worth noting that it is possible to control a Philips TV even if the remote control is not working. You just need to install the Android TV Remote application either on your smartphone or tablet.

The procedure for correctly installing the application and pairing it with TV is as follows:

find Android TV Remote in PlayStore or AppStore;
download it to a smart device;
connect the application to the TV by selecting the desired model from the list that appears;
a code appears on the TV screen, which is entered into the required field of the application;
A message indicating successful pairing appears.

A guaranteed way to troubleshoot problems with the remote control is to contact the manufacturer's official service support.
In particular, this must be done while the warranty is valid, otherwise tampering with the device may lead to its loss. In order for the request to the service to be successful, a number of preliminary steps are taken, preparing basic information:

about the Philips TV model;
model number;
product serial number;
date of purchase.

If repair is impossible, the service department will replace the remote control.

Basic remote control faults

There are many reasons why the remote control may not work.

The main ones are:

The TV itself is broken.
Spilled liquid.
Dust accumulation inside the switch.
Low batteries.
Interference that interferes with the signal.
The device was broken due to impact or fall.
Worn contacts.

Next, we will consider each point separately.

Damaged batteries

This malfunction is easy to notice and check. To do this, you need to use a tester, multimeter or voltmeter.

The power supply needs to be checked. The lowest value should be 1.3 -1.4 V. When the tester showed a figure below the norm, then you need to buy new batteries.

If you don’t have a special device at home, you need to check the batteries on other equipment. When changing batteries, pay attention to the “+” and “-” sockets; if you mix them up, the remote control will not work.

It is worth highlighting separately the category of people who are accustomed to using batteries several times, periodically infecting them. This application is extremely controversial.

You should take into account that the contents of the battery may “float” inside the remote control and this will drain them even faster.

Ingress of moisture, dust

The weak point of all electrical devices is water. Even accidentally spilled liquid can reduce the life of the device.

The remote control consists of many microcircuits that burn out when interacting with water. It is possible that the device does not work due to excessive dust accumulation.

Important! Some users, not knowing how to fix the remote control, begin to press hard on the keys. This is a fundamentally wrong decision that will lead to broken buttons.

To fix the problem, you need to disassemble the remote control. If a large accumulation of dust or liquid is detected, you must act according to the following algorithm:

Using a lint-free cloth soaked in alcohol, you need to wipe the board from dust; you can also use a small hand-held vacuum cleaner.
You need to remove the water with paper napkins or a cotton swab and try to dry the device. To do this, leave it to dry for one day or use a hair dryer.

Mechanical damage

They can be caused by:

Cracked board.
Broken connecting contact.

To identify the problem, you need to disassemble the remote control and perform the following steps:

Remove batteries.
Unscrew the mounting screws with a screwdriver.

As a result, you will be left with two parts of the remote control. All microcircuits are connected to each other by thin cables, so do not forget to check them for cracks.

When hardware elements are moved, they are soldered again. When the board is broken, the broken traces are soldered with thin wires.

Important! If you decide to do the work yourself, then you must take into account that the wires must have appropriate mating elements, otherwise a short circuit will occur and then you will have to buy a new remote control.

Mechanical breakdowns

The TV remote control may not respond to buttons as a result of wear of the layer located on the surface of the rubber band. You can correct the situation as follows: (If the remote control is branded and expensive).

You need to buy a special repair kit for the remote control. It consists of round contacts that allow you to carry out repairs yourself. They need to be installed in a special place.
If you were unable to purchase a repair kit, you can use plain foil. It must be glued to the place where the conductive layer was located.
Upon completion of the repair, all parts of the remote control are assembled and the device is tested for functionality.

Extraneous interference

This malfunction is often confused with a breakdown of the TV itself, although they are in no way related.

The remote control transmits the signal in two ways:

Using a signal that emits red color.
Infrared radiation.

Important! This problem is faced by users who have a TV installed in the kitchen. This is where cookers and LED lights can interfere with the signal. Make sure that there are no things between the TV and the remote control that interfere with signal transmission.

Causes of failure of the TV remote control

If the remote control does not function, then you need to find the reasons for its failure. Each person will be able to understand the problems associated with the operation of the TV program switch. You can even repair the remote control yourself. Repairing a remote switch will cost less than buying a new one.

The main reasons for the remote control failure:

the batteries are dead;
LED burned out;
the graphite coating under the buttons of the rubber button pad has worn off;
the printed circuit board is cracked and the tracks are disconnected;
the ceramic resonator or capacitor has failed;
solders near the resonator, capacitor, and LED have oxidized;
the circuit board and rubber base are covered with sticky dirt;
oxide deposits appeared on the battery contacts.

Restoring remote controls

First you need to disassemble the remote control. This process will be the same for different devices.

You need to remove the batteries and unscrew the screws located under the factory stickers. New models may not have them, then you need to immediately start disassembling them.

All remote control panels consist of two halves, and to separate them, you can use two methods:

Any suitable object is inserted into the connecting seam - a knife or a plastic card.
They need to be carefully inserted into the slot, and begin to separate all the halves of the case until a click appears.

Important! When using a knife, scratches may remain on the remote control, so it is better to use a plastic card. It is not necessary to take a credit or bank card; in supermarkets or pharmacies after purchase, sellers offer plastic bonus cards. When a click is heard, this is a signal indicating that the latch has opened. Now let's look at the most popular repair questions from users.

Replacement of boards and conductive coating

Rubber is a dielectric, but all the buttons on the remote control have a conductive coating. Its condition can be checked with a tester.

Over time, all contacts wear out. In this case, a repair kit or foil may come in handy. As mentioned earlier, the repair kit is sold together with silicone glue and conductive rubber bands.

Important! It is not necessary to buy foil in the store; you can cut a small piece from the packaging of an eaten chocolate bar or from a pack of cigarettes. The foil is glued to the rubber pads and the structure is placed in place of the worn contact. This method cannot ensure the functionality of the switch for a long time.

To restore the operation of the keys on the remote control, an unused film keyboard is also useful. It includes three films that are glued together.

You need to cut out the contact with the insulator and stick it on the remote control board located above the graphite contact. By pressing the keys on the switch, the contact will be closed through the contact pad from the keyboard.

Only some buttons do not work

This defect is common among owners of old switches. Modern devices with touch controls have a different design and therefore the device buttons break less often.

After 3 years of operation of the remote control, the rubber wears out, and a viscous substance begins to appear in the area of the buttons on the device. It interferes with normal contact of the conductive coating.

The reason for the appearance of a sticky substance may be hidden in the accumulation of dust on the device, dirt, or spilled liquid. All these elements remain between the buttons and contacts of the board.

You must disassemble the remote control and clean the areas where thick matter has accumulated.

A damp cloth will help remove dirt, after which the remote control should be wiped and dried.

Note ! It is not recommended to use alcohol wipes, as they will erase the protective layer of the board.

TV malfunction

In addition to the switch, the TV may also be faulty. To check your guess, you need to:

Replace the remote control. If, when changing the switch, the TV still does not respond to the signal, then it is broken.
Use the remote control on another device. If the equipment works properly when changing the remote control, then the breakdown should be looked for in the TV panel.

Important! It is not recommended to repair the TV yourself, as this can only aggravate the problem. If the TV is under warranty, you can use the services of a service center. You will not have to pay for such repairs. When the warranty card has expired, call a specialist to your home. Despite the fact that his services are paid, repairing a TV will cost less than buying a new one.

I recommend reading: Diagnosing and repairing a TV on your own

Checking the remote control without a TV panel

This method is only suitable for remote controls that operate on infrared radiation. To check, you will need a mobile phone, any brand, and its camera.

A digital camera will also work if you don’t have a smartphone at hand. Place the switch under the phone's camera that is turned on. This must be done so that the infrared LED located at the top remains visible.

Next, just press any button and repeat the action on your smartphone camera. If the switch is working properly, an infrared signal will appear on the screen, displayed in purple.

This means that the batteries are working and the remote control is working. When the batteries are half discharged, the signal brightness will decrease.

Some of the remote control buttons do not work or do not work the first time.

Every owner of a remote control sooner or later encounters this defect. The only exceptions are modern remote controls with touch controls, due to a completely different design.

Over time, after 2-3 years of use, the quality of the rubber decreases (apparently some kind of chemical reaction occurs due to temperature or something else). An oily substance begins to leak out from under the buttons onto the board, interfering with normal contact of the conductive coating with the graphite elements of the printed circuit board. In addition, remote controls become clogged with dust, oily or wet hands, and other household dirt. It is not uncommon for all kinds of liquids to be spilled on them.

All this beauty remains between the buttons and contacts of the board. Having disassembled the remote control, on the side of the circuit board at the contact points, you will probably notice a thick layer of adhesive mass. It is this fatty layer that prevents contact between the graphic coating of the board and the conductive layer on the rubber base of the buttons.

Conductive rubber buttons on remote controls cannot be wiped with alcohol or solvents, as The conductive layer is washed off!

You can remove oily dirt with a damp cloth, but it is better to use dishwashing detergent, which easily breaks down grease. Just as you wash dishes, we wash the rubber band with the buttons, the remote control body and the board itself (you can use a toothbrush for this). After that, we thoroughly wipe and dry everything (it’s faster to dry the board with a hairdryer). After this procedure, the remote control becomes like new.