J
Jeff Wisnia
This one happened with on one else looking, thank goodness...
SWMBO complained that her car's key fob door unlocker/horn blower gizmo
was getting "weak". ('98 Oldsmobile) I snapped it open, noted the
battery number and picked up a replacement at Rat Shack the next day.
I popped the new battery in and gave it a try....................."Nada"
I took it back into my workshop, checked that the battery was oriented
the same way the old one, and then started examining the little circuit
board with a loupe, hoping to discover a cracked joint. Nothing visibly
wrong there, so I peeled off the rubber keypad and found some not
unexpected greenish goop inside.*
I said to myself, "So that's what's wrong!" and cleaned the crud off
with alcohol.
Took it back outside again. Still nothing!
Back inside once more, opened it up hoping for a miracle, whereupon my
eye fell on some tiny "black on black" raised lettering on the inside of
the little devil's back cover reading, "After changing battery, place
near car and press Lock and Unlock buttons for 7 seconds".
Followed the instructions, and at the count of seven the car's horn
blipped once and all was well in River City again.
RTFI !!!
Now, I wonder what the hell that did? Could it have been programming the
car's receiver/decoder to match the xmitter? If so, it sure doesn't seem
a very secure system, does it?
_________________________________________________________________________
*The oily stuff I often find under the rubber keypads of our TV remotes
and similar gadgets when they start getting antsy about responding to
the keypresses. I was told years ago that it's oil from peoples fingers
which migrates right through the silicone (??) rubber, but I'm inclined
to think it's plasticisers coming out of the material. Anyway, wiping it
off with alcohol always seems to make them work like new again. Anybody
know more about this subject?
Jeff
SWMBO complained that her car's key fob door unlocker/horn blower gizmo
was getting "weak". ('98 Oldsmobile) I snapped it open, noted the
battery number and picked up a replacement at Rat Shack the next day.
I popped the new battery in and gave it a try....................."Nada"
I took it back into my workshop, checked that the battery was oriented
the same way the old one, and then started examining the little circuit
board with a loupe, hoping to discover a cracked joint. Nothing visibly
wrong there, so I peeled off the rubber keypad and found some not
unexpected greenish goop inside.*
I said to myself, "So that's what's wrong!" and cleaned the crud off
with alcohol.
Took it back outside again. Still nothing!
Back inside once more, opened it up hoping for a miracle, whereupon my
eye fell on some tiny "black on black" raised lettering on the inside of
the little devil's back cover reading, "After changing battery, place
near car and press Lock and Unlock buttons for 7 seconds".
Followed the instructions, and at the count of seven the car's horn
blipped once and all was well in River City again.
RTFI !!!
Now, I wonder what the hell that did? Could it have been programming the
car's receiver/decoder to match the xmitter? If so, it sure doesn't seem
a very secure system, does it?
_________________________________________________________________________
*The oily stuff I often find under the rubber keypads of our TV remotes
and similar gadgets when they start getting antsy about responding to
the keypresses. I was told years ago that it's oil from peoples fingers
which migrates right through the silicone (??) rubber, but I'm inclined
to think it's plasticisers coming out of the material. Anyway, wiping it
off with alcohol always seems to make them work like new again. Anybody
know more about this subject?
Jeff