More recently, in order to switch the channel on the TV or turn down the volume, you had to get up from the couch and go through the whole room. Often children were used for these purposes, who reluctantly broke away from their classes to press a button. Today, the need for this has disappeared, and remote control of almost all devices in the house has firmly entered our lives, making it even more convenient and comfortable.
How to check if the remote control works
The remote control is a small device equipped with an infrared LED, a transmitter and a keyboard. Designed to control various electronic devices at a distance. In order for it to work, it needs a power source and a functional "filling", consisting of special microcircuits. Among them, there must be a transmitter that sends a signal to the receiver. You also need a working LED, with which the signal is sent to the device. If, by clicking on the buttons, it is not possible to get a response from the receiving gadget, many begin to suspect that the remote control is broken. But before proceeding with the repair, it is necessary to find out the cause of the breakdown.
Important! If your remote control stops working, the first thing to do is to check whether the device you are trying to control is connected to a 220V network.
The remote control works in tandem with a device equipped with a receiver that picks up only the frequency transmitted by the remote control. If for some reason the gadget does not receive a signal, then the remote control may seem broken, although in fact it is not. To make sure that the problem is really in the remote you need to follow the following instructions:
- Make sure that the receiving device is plugged in.
- Make sure there is voltage in the outlets. Knocked out plugs or preventive maintenance on the line often serve as a lack of voltage in the network.
- Check the operability of the device itself by turning it on directly from the control panel. If the check showed that everything is in order, we proceed to testing the console itself. To do this, you need to know what is most often the cause of the malfunction of the little assistant.
- The first thing to check is the power source. It is possible that the batteries in the remote control have run out of battery and simply changing them will return it to working condition.
- The next step is to check the operability of the LED and the transmitter.
Advice! Even if you recently changed the batteries in the remote control, this does not guarantee their serviceability. Cases when brand new power sources do not give out the declared voltage are not rare. Ideally, having an ordinary voltmeter, you can measure the voltage in the batteries - it should be at least 1.5V for alkaline and 1.2V for rechargeable batteries.
How to check for infrared signal
The IR signal coming from the remote control can be checked using any digital video or camera, even the simplest camera from a mobile phone will do. Its lens is capable of picking up a much larger color spectrum than the human eye. By directing an imaginary ray coming from the remote control into the lens of the camcorder, and pressing the button on the remote control, you can see a pale purple glow in the area of the LED. If there is no glow, the device does not work. A low light intensity may indicate a low battery level.
Important! Some modern smartphones, such as the iPhone 4s, have special filters that can filter out the infrared spectrum of light and not display it on the screen. That is, the simpler your lens - the better it is suitable for checking the remote control for performance.
When checking in this way, you need to know for sure that your remote works by transmitting an infrared signal. Although IR remote controls are by far the overwhelming majority, scientific and technological progress does not stand still, and the remote / device pairs "communicating" using a radio signal are already being produced.
How to determine what is broken in the remote
The LEDs used in the remote control, as a rule, rarely fail, but still this sometimes happens. If the LED does not work, then you can see the glow using the camera lens will not work. In this case, to check the serviceability of the remote control, you can use a conventional radio. To do this, you need to set the frequency free of the AM radio stations on the receiver, and raising the remote control to the receiver, just press the buttons on its keyboard. If there is a signal, the radio will emit a distinctive crackle when you press the remote control key. Of course, there are special devices for checking infrared signals, which are used for professional purposes to repair and configure complex devices. However, at home, their use is not advisable.
If checking the remote control for operability gave negative results, then its repair should be carried out by a specialist. Due to the relatively low price of the remote control and the high cost of qualified repair work, it is economically viable to buy a new signal transmission device at a distance suitable for your gadget. But if the remote control is working properly, but the device still does not respond to the signal, the likely cause of the breakdown is in the receiver. In this case, you should contact a specialist in the repair of household appliances.
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