How can I re-attach the 'OK' button on the HDR's remote control?

DelftBlue

Member
I think the gremlins got into our house the other night.

First the big TV failed (picture suddenly reduced to the narrowest horizontal line middle of the screen) ... TV repair man says the Vertical Field chip is kaput, probably an arc fault, is unrepairable. :(

Secondly, and more relevantly to this forum - the 'OK' button dropped out of the HDR-FOX-T2 remote control. :rolleyes:
If it is popped back in the hole, it still works fine - but it is totally un-attached now and would drop out continually and likely get lost.
So a thin strip of 3M Magic Tape is now stuck across from side-to-side and is holding it in place.
Useable but not ideal.

There seem to be vestiges of some sort of adhesive substance visible ... What sort of 'glue' was used to fix it in originally? Special 'electronics' glue?

Any advice gratefully received.
 
You can pick up a replacement remote on ebay for around £20.
I've bought 2 over the past couple of years and they are fine. Can't tell them from the originals.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone.

Not sure a brand new one is justifiable when the old remote control is still entirely useable. It's just somewhat 'aesthetically challenged' now ... (Appearance = 7/10, Function = 10/10)

Besides any spare £ round here will have to go towards a replacement TV, as the old one is now entirely useless. (Appearance = 10/10, Function = 0/10) :(

I would think Super-Glue would do the job as the OK button is stuck to rubber

picture HERE

Interesting picture Ezra ... doesn't seem to quite tally with what I'm seeing ...
this 'OK' button here seems like a totally separate component; if it sheared off from a continuous rubber layer it did it very very neatly. It sits into the hole directly onto part of a green 'circuit board' with the code K37 above it. TBH, I can't see how it is fixable, and glue might be fatal ... probably a case of IIABDTTFI.

Ah well, the Magic Tape is working OK, so I guess I'll stick with it ... ;)
 
Cyanoacrylate ("superglue") doesn't stick rubber (officially), but it might be sufficient to hold the button in place. I would be inclined to use a contact adhesive like Evostick, applying it with the tip of a fine craft knife.

One of my handsets needs taking apart to clean the pads for the OK button.

this 'OK' button here seems like a totally separate component; if it sheared off from a continuous rubber layer it did it very very neatly. It sits into the hole directly onto part of a green 'circuit board' with the code K37 above it. TBH, I can't see how it is fixable, and glue might be fatal
Take a picture and post it up. If it is separate, there must be a flange or something.

EP: are your pictures based on the early (4-digit code) or late (3-digit code) handset?
 
Cyanoacrylate ("superglue") doesn't stick rubber (officially), but it might be sufficient to hold the button in place.
Cyanoacrylate adhesives are generally excellent at bonding synthetic rubber compounds, and there are many varieties sold specifically for bonding rubber.
 
But what is DelftBlue going to glue to what?

Indeed.

If, as Ezra's picture showed, the button was originally attached to a continuous thin rubber layer, it will be very very difficult to re-attach successfully.

Well, at least I know a little more now ... and sticking with the Magic Tape solution is probably optimum. :)

Thank you everyone for your replies.
 
The full set of pictures are HERE, it is a RM-F04 MDB1.3 (3 digit). I think the two picture are the same, mine also has 'K37' under the O.K., it looks to me like the loose O.K. button is part of the rubber sheet and is broken around the edge, so to glue it back on you would have to apply glue to the very thin 1mm or so walls around the edge of the button only (See Picture), not easy

ok-ring.jpg
 
Ah well, the Magic Tape is working OK, so I guess I'll stick with it ... ;)

You can have a
groan.gif
for that.

On the basis of what I can see from the pics and feeling the action on one of ours, I'd try putting a tiny spot of CA on three or four places around the rim of the 'bottom' of the button, just to stick it round the perimeter, and put it back in (making sure the lettering is correctly oriented).
 
The full set of pictures are HERE, it is a RM-F04 MDB1.3 (3 digit). I think the two picture are the same, mine also has 'K37' under the O.K., it looks to me like the loose O.K. button is part of the rubber sheet and is broken around the edge
I think you are absolutely right.
At first sight it was deceptive because the button has sheared off so very very neatly - there's no clue it was ever attached!
But the excellent set of pictures on the Wiki make the construction clear. Apologies that it didn't occur to me to look there before I originally posted.
Thank you for all your help.

Meanwhile it seems the gremlin is still in the house, as my laptop has just died :eek: This is a calamity, that makes the failed TV and buttonless remote control pale into insignificance!
 
I have an idea. Disassemble the remote using the wiki guide to help. Cut a disc (or square) of double-sided tape (carpet tape is good as it is very sticky) larger than the OK button. Stick this to the back of the button and then push it through the membrane from the reverse side, with the 'OK' text correctly oriented from the front. Use the excess tape around the button to reattach it to the membrane, being careful that the tape does not encroach any of the nine surrounding buttons. Take off the tape backing and use a hole punch or scissors to cut a disk of aluminium foil and stick this to the back of the OK button where the 'waffle' contact is. Then reassemble.
 
Cyanoacrylate adhesives are generally excellent at bonding synthetic rubber compounds, and there are many varieties sold specifically for bonding rubber.
I was curious about this because it has not been my experience. I took two hose washers (flexible rubber of unknown composition) and applied a non-specific cyanoacrylate (ie what a non-specialist would be trying to use), and left them for a good 15 minutes.

Result: failure.

So have I by chance hit on a poor test case, or is Brian claiming knowledge he doesn't have?
 
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