The remote control has firmly taken its place in consumer electronics, becoming an indispensable assistant. This device is used to equip a wide variety of equipment: televisions, air conditioners, record players, stereo systems, and many other common equipment. Such widespread use also affects the breakdown of the remote control, so it is important to know how to check the remote control.

Verification methods

Sometimes remotes stop working, and it's difficult to understand why. But there are several simple ways to determine whether a device is transmitting a signal.

Using the camera

Infrared light is not visible to the human eye. But this is what most remote controls use to transmit a signal. And to understand whether the device is transmitting a signal, turn on the camera on your camera, laptop or phone. Point the remote control towards the lens, just like you would at a TV, and press any button. Hold it and look at the camera screen. You can turn off the light to better see the IR signal. It is advisable to hold the on/off button; it will activate the signal in any remote control model. If you see a bluish light, then the remote control is transmitting a signal.

IMPORTANT!

Do not use the main camera on iPhones starting with iPhone 4s and above. This smartphone has an infrared filter, so it will not allow you to see the signal. If you have an iPhone, you can use the front camera, which does not have such a filter.

Using radio.

If you have a radio that can be turned on to the AM band, you can also check for a signal. To do this, set a frequency where there are no radio stations, and simply press the remote control buttons while you are nearby. If the signal is transmitted, a crackling sound will be heard.

What to do if there is no signal on the new remote control?

If you bought a remote control and checked using one of the above methods, but there is no signal, do the following:

• Make sure you install the batteries correctly. Check and inspect carefully whether the polarity is correct - the plus and minus symbols. They are indicated inside the compartment and on the batteries themselves. If suddenly there are no polarity symbols, then install the battery with the flat side on the spring.
• try other batteries. If you installed previously used batteries, simply purchase new ones. It often happens that a certain model of remote control does not have enough voltage from almost dead batteries, even though they work on another device.

When ordering a remote control, you always need to explain whether your remote control is lost or does not work. If the remote control is available, but you think that it does not work, then first you need to check the functionality of the remote control. The testing procedure outlined below allows you to identify malfunctions of the remote control with a probability of more than 95%.

We are talking about all types of wireless remote controls (infrared, IR) for all types of equipment. Using this method, you can check the remote control for an air conditioner (split system), remote control for a TV, remote control for a DVD player, remote control for a VCR, remote control for a music center, remote control for a receiver, etc.

Preliminary check of the equipment itself: Before we start checking the remote control, we first make sure that the equipment itself (air conditioner, split system, TV, VCR, etc.) is operational and is turned on by the corresponding buttons on its control panel. The split system has a button to switch to automatic operation mode. This button is usually located under the front panel of the indoor unit (see the instructions for the split system). If you do not have instructions for the split system, then you can find them on the page of our website. If the equipment does not turn on from the buttons on the control panel, then do not rush to call the service center, but first remove the plug from the socket and after 20-30 minutes, insert it again, preferably turning the power over. fork 180° from its original position.

If you are convinced that your equipment operates from the buttons on the control panel, then we proceed to checking the control panel.

Checking the remote control:

1. External inspection of the remote control. Mechanical damage is detected, including darkening of the screen (complete or partial).

2. Lack of moisture inside, incl. traces of alkali that can leak from an old depressurized battery in the remote control compartment. That is why we do not recommend using alkaline batteries R03, R6. It is better to use alkaline batteries LR03, LR6, etc. Alkaline batteries do not leak and can be stored for up to 5 years. If the remote control has traces of moisture and alkali, then you need to remove and throw away the batteries (recycle), wash the remote control several times with water, and dry it (on a central heating radiator, with a hairdryer, etc.). After making sure that the remote control is dry, insert new alkaline batteries into it and turn it on. If the screen does not light up, then the remote control could not be restored. It is faulty and there are three options left:

Option 1: Take the remote control to a service center (waste of time, it is not a fact that it will be possible to repair it, the cost of repair may exceed the cost of a universal control remote control).

Option 2: Buy an original control panel. It is expensive and usually takes a long time to find.

Option 3: Buy a universal control panel. It costs less. Fast delivery. Shipping by cash on delivery is possible. Money back guarantee within a month, without explanation.

3. If your remote control has no mechanical damage, as well as traces of moisture and alkali, but its screen does not light up, then first of all replace the batteries with known good ones. When replacing, be careful not to reverse the polarity of the batteries. If there are several batteries in the remote control, always use the SAME batteries. If the screen does not “light up”, then the remote control is faulty. See three options for your actions.

4. If the remote control screen “lights up” and icons and symbols change when you press different buttons, then move on to the next check point. If there is no change on the screen when you press different buttons, then remove the batteries. If the screen “continues to glow”, then this means only one thing - you see symbols that reflect light. These symbols are found in some remote controls and do not say anything about its performance. So, if you see the SAME symbols or letters when the batteries are inserted and when they are removed, then replace the battery with a known good one (see point 3).

5. If the characters or numbers on the remote control screen change when you press buttons, and the air conditioner, TV, DVD player, etc. does not react in any way to your actions, then first of all you need to check whether there are any obstacles between the photodetector window on the controlled equipment and the LED of the control panel. We've seen LEDs on the remote control covered with chewing gum, plasticine, bread crumbs, paint or nail polish. There have been cases when the photodetector window (usually dark red or almost black) was covered with paint, whitewash, covered with translucent or opaque tape, chewing gum candy wrappers, etc. In some such cases, it was possible to turn on the equipment only by bringing the remote control close to the photodetector window. In some cases, the remote control only works at a distance of 2-3 meters, even when installing new batteries. This happens quite rarely and is possible if there is a source of interference in the room. So, we eliminate the obstacle, if it turns out to be one, and if the equipment does not respond to the remote control, then we proceed to the procedure described at the beginning of this instruction in the section “Preliminary check of the equipment itself.”

6. If you cannot turn on the equipment this time, then check the operation of the LED on the remote control itself. If the remote control is working, then the LED should blink when you press buttons on the remote control, but the fact is that the LED blinks in a range not visible to the human eye. To see this blinking, we need to look at it through the camera built into the mobile phone (of course, you can also use a digital camera, video camera, web camera, etc.).

Point the camera lens at the remote control LED. The LED is located on the front of it and can be hidden by a translucent dark red panel. Turn on the photo or video mode on your phone and, having found the LED or remote control window on the phone screen, press the “on” button on the remote control or another button. If you see that the LED is lit or blinking, then the remote control is working (99%). If you don’t see a glow on your phone’s screen, then don’t worry, you may have set the shooting mode incorrectly. Check your actions on a known working remote control for any of your equipment and only after making sure that the diode lights up on a known working remote control, proceed to checking the “faulty” remote control. It is better to check on the on/off button, because there are buttons that produce a very short pulse and you simply may not notice it by accident.

Modern stationary household appliances, televisions, stereo systems, home theaters, air conditioners, etc. are controlled, in addition to the buttons on the device itself, using a remote control (RC). A faulty remote control makes the device ineffective and causes a lot of inconvenience to users, not to say that it turns life into a nightmare. In this article we will look at how to do it using a video camera, camera, built-in camera of a tablet, smartphone or other mobile device.

Just a little theory, in an accessible form.

How does remote control work in modern household appliances?

A modulated infrared signal is used to transmit commands. A digital code sent by the remote control in the form of a series of “flashes”. Each “flash” contains a sequence of short pulses, the duration and frequency of which depends on which button is pressed.

The signal sent by the remote control is received by a photodetector built inside the device.

Before you begin troubleshooting the remote control system, you need to decide where the fault is located - in the remote control or in the device itself. Since the remote control emitter operates in the infrared spectrum of light waves, invisible to the human eye, checking its functionality without special instruments or devices, at first glance, seems to be very difficult...

Simple and reliable check the remote control possible using photo and video cameras. You just need to point the remote control at the lens of the photo or video camera and press one of the buttons on the remote control. On the camera display you should see a glowing infrared LED of the operating remote control in the visible spectrum of light waves. See photo at the beginning of the article, No. 1 button on the remote control is not pressed, No. 2 one of the buttons is pressed, as evidenced by a glowing emitter (infrared LED).

If, after pressing the button on the remote control, you do not see any changes on the camera display, then this indicates a malfunction, to eliminate which you should first replace the batteries.

Modern stationary household appliances, televisions, stereo systems, home theaters, air conditioners, etc. are controlled, in addition to the buttons on the device itself, using a remote control (RC). A faulty remote control makes the device ineffective and causes a lot of inconvenience to users, not to say that it turns life into a nightmare. In this article we will look at how to do it using a video camera, camera, built-in camera of a tablet, smartphone or other mobile device.

Just a little theory, in an accessible form.

How does remote control work in modern household appliances?

A modulated infrared signal is used to transmit commands. A digital code sent by the remote control in the form of a series of “flashes”. Each “flash” contains a sequence of short pulses, the duration and frequency of which depends on which button is pressed.

The signal sent by the remote control is received by a photodetector built inside the device.

Before you begin troubleshooting the remote control system, you need to decide where the fault is located - in the remote control or in the device itself. Since the remote control emitter operates in the infrared spectrum of light waves, invisible to the human eye, checking its functionality without special instruments or devices, at first glance, seems to be very difficult...

Simple and reliable check the remote control possible using photo and video cameras. You just need to point the remote control at the lens of the photo or video camera and press one of the buttons on the remote control. On the camera display you should see a glowing infrared LED of the operating remote control in the visible spectrum of light waves. See photo at the beginning of the article, No. 1 button on the remote control is not pressed, No. 2 one of the buttons is pressed, as evidenced by a glowing emitter (infrared LED).

If, after pressing the button on the remote control, you do not see any changes on the camera display, then this indicates a malfunction, to eliminate which you should first replace the batteries.

Infrared remote controls have firmly taken their place in consumer electronics. Any equipment that is not equipped with this very convenient device includes televisions, stereo systems, microwave ovens, car CD/MP players, chandeliers and many many other things familiar to us.

Such a widespread use of remote controls could not help but affect their frequent breakdowns. Since it is sometimes difficult to purchase a new remote control needed for a specific device, they are sent in for repair.

How to quickly check the remote control?

The simplest and most effective method is to check remote controls using digital cameras. Nowadays, almost every cell phone has a digital camera.

Many laptops have a built-in webcam. For netbooks, a digital web camera is generally a mandatory attribute. Digital photo and video cameras are also suitable for testing remote controls. In general, any device that has even the simplest digital camera is suitable for testing the remote control.

To check the remote control, you only need to point the emitting infrared LED at the camera lens. On the digital display, when you press buttons on the remote control, periodic flashes of purple light will be visible. This indicates that the remote control is working properly.

The photo shows the flashes of an infrared LED captured by the camera of a Sony Ericsson K810i mobile phone.

If you don’t have devices with a digital camera at hand, you can use the following method.

Instead of an infrared LED, it is necessary to temporarily solder in a regular light-emitting diode. The LED can be of any color: red, green, yellow, white, in general, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that the LED is 3 volts.

When you press the buttons on the remote control, a temporarily soldered ordinary LED will emit flashes of light. It should be noted that the brightness of the radiation will be low.

In the photo - a regular white LED, soldered in instead of an infrared one.

The remote control can be tested using an infrared photodiode and an oscilloscope.

In this case, an infrared photodiode is connected to the input of the oscilloscope. When the remote control is operating, pulses of short bursts will be visible on the oscilloscope screen. It is important that the photodiode is connected to the open input of the oscilloscope.

This is how simple and easy it is to check the functionality of any infrared remote control. To do this, it is not at all necessary to collect any sample circuits and clutter up the resulting overloaded workshop, because all the necessary tools are already at hand, especially a mobile phone with a camera