JP1 Remotes

varaonaid wrote:Definitely want to try it! Either we'll get longer life out of them for us OR we can sell them since they are JP1 IR/RF remotes and we'll be giving the buyer a fully working remote. Would love to know how to do it and how likely it is to brick the remote doing it!

I would recommend keeping them, once you have fixed them, as the 15-2117 is really an excellent remote. If you are finding that you're running out of available memory, I would recommend posting a copy of your IR file, along with an explanation of what everything is that's in it, and we might be able to offer some tips on how to use the memory more efficiently. (But I would recommend starting a separate thread for that).

As to whether you can brick the remote by cleaning it, I suppose anything's possible but I've not heard of anyone damaging their remote before doing this.

So, to clean the remote, the first thing you need to do is open it up. The tools that I would recommend are a very small screwdriver and a plastic putty knife. If you don't have a plastic putty knife, you can use an old credit card instead, but make sure that it's an old one because you will trash it in the process.

Step one is to remove the screws in the battery compartment.

Step two is to take the small screw driver and use it to separate the upper and lower casing. To do this, insert the screwdriver into the crack close to either the PAUSE or RECORD buttons. The idea is to pop open the clip that's closest to that spot. Next, insert the putty knife (or credit card into the gap that you've just created, and then slide it around the edge of the remote to open the rest of the clips.

Once the remote is open, the next step is to remove the PCB (printed circuit board). To do this you will need to remove the 4 screws that hold the LCD screen in place and the 2 screws at the other end of the PCB that support the backlight transformer.

Once the screws are removed, lift the PCB out of the casing. The LCD screen will most likely still be stuck to the PCB. You can gently pull it away from the PCB and then place it in the casing for safe keeping. Be sure to keep it the right way up.

There are two sheets on the PCB, one is a thin plastic sheet, this is backlight, and the other is a much thicker transparent sheet. Remove both of these.

Next, remove the button sheet from the upper casing. You should now wash this using soap and water (but no solvents). The idea is to remove any grease or other build up that might exist on the underside of the buttons. Once it's washed, dry it with a paper towel and, if necessary, use a hairdryer to get rid of any water that remains, or just let it dry naturally before putting it back in the remote.

Next, clean the PCB itself and this time you can use a solvent if you like. Again, you're looking to clean any grease or other build up that might be on the parts of the PCB where the buttons press down.

I recommend the following contact cleaner:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/200-040

Once all the cleaning is done, reassemble the remote in the reverse order of how you took it apart. First, put the button sheet back in the upper casing. Put the screen in the casing too, then the rubber strips. The screen needs to be aligned the same way that it was when it came up, as it won't work upside down. It doesn't matter which way around you put the rubber strips that go between the LCD screen and the PCB, but the black stripe should be facing up. Put the transparent sheet in place in the casing. (There are holes and pins that ensure that it will only fit one way, so if you get it the wrong way around, it won't sit properly). Next, put the backlight sheet in place. Next, put the PCB in place and add the screws. The screws that hold the PCB in place need to be tight. If once re-assembled you find that some of the pixels in the screen don't work, it's most likely because you didn't tighten these screws sufficiently. Finally, put the lower casing back in place and add the final screws.

Thanks Rob! I really, really appreciate you taking the time to write out such detailed instructions. I'll definitely try that when I get out of the hospital. It'll be great to have the remote fully working again!!!

Woa Rachel. backup a second there, what are you doing in hospital? Just trying out your JP1 remotes on the in-room TVs, I hope!

I recently found out that I have a rare genetic disorder that affects my connective tissue & it's causing a whole host of problems for me. The most pressing is that my airways are collapsing completely. I had major surgery about seven weeks ago that involved cutting through my back and reinforcing the airways with mesh. The problem is that it didn't work. So now I'm having to go back into the hospital for some experimental treatment. You know you're in for a rough time when four doctors at Harvard tell you that they've never seen a case like mine before. You never want to be unique when it comes to medicine! Don't know how long I'll be in there because it just depends on how I respond to the treatment.

Wish I was there to setup their JP1 remotes!

Thanks for asking.

Ouch, sounds like a case for Dr. House and his team. My fingers are crossed for you.

Ditto from all of us!

Thanks. I wish Dr. House and actually existed. You're not the first who's mentioned that's what I need!