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[joe s.]

My wife and I use HR12A palmpads quite a bit - and they're getting older as time goes on.  Lately the two or three most commonly used buttons on a couple of the palmpads have to be pressed really hard for them to work.

They're really cheap enough to replace I suppose, but before I attempt surgery without a plan - has anyone pulled one apart and "restored" the button's effectiveness and eliminated the sore finger feature of aging palmpad buttons?

[dhouston]

has anyone pulled one apart and "restored" the button's effectiveness and eliminated the sore finger feature of aging palmpad buttons?

I have not experienced the sore finger phenomenon (my spinal cord injury has left my fingers rather insensitive, anyway) but, while you have them apart, you might notice a circular outline silkscreened on the PCB. If you insert a 310MHz SAW resonator and apply molten solder to the appropriate pads on the bottom of the PCB, you'll have a more frequency stable remote. However, this may hinder rather than help if your LC controlled RF transceivers are not tuned to the vicinity of 310MHz. Transceivers of recent vintage use superheterodyne receivers which have a narrow bandwidth when compared to earlier models with super-regenerative receivers but the superheterodyne models still use LC tuning which may exacerbate the misalignment.

[joe s.]

Thanks for the note.  I use WGL whole house transceiver - as long as the little red LED is flashing on the palmpad (indicating RF output) - it works from 3 houses away, so range is definitely not something I have issue with.  I have every belief that the issue with these is more of a mechanical degradation than circuit degradation.  If I push normally...no LED - but if I push hard, LED works and so does the target device.

[bkenobi]

As I recall, these are thin metal buttons covered by a non-conductive plastic tape/sheet.  If you take the unit apart, you can press the buttons and see if the problem ones feel different when clicked.  If so, I don't know of any way to repair them.  If they are ok, it's possible that the plastic button pusher (the part that falls out when you take the unit apart) could be gunked up.  If so, a little soap and water should get you going again!

[joe s.]

these are thin metal buttons covered by a non-conductive plastic tape/sheet

Maybe I'll pull one apart on the weekend and see what I can come up with.  They're currently selling for 15 bucks - so even If I wreck one...no loss.  Plus, I do have a new-in-box one in my X10 stuff/stash box if I do muck it up.

[Brian H]

I can't find a Date Code on my intermittent button HR12A. Yours may vary if older or newer.

Mine has the rubber buttons with the carbon pads on them.
That contact two spiraled PCB runs under each button, on the bottom {solder side} of the PCB.

I found the following to be a good way to get my HR12A apart.

Turned it upside down on a table with the buttons, House Code Dial and 1-8/9-16 Unit Switch down.
Removed the four screws in the corners.
Both sides have two small catches on the rear case that snap over tabs on the front case.
I used a screw driver to gently pop the back off.
The Red and Black battery wires are on the back case battery contacts. So don't pull it too far away from the front cabinet.
The PCB can then just be pulled out of the front case and the buttons, House Code Dial and 1-8/9-16 Unit Switch should stay in the front case.

If memory serves me. The small carbon contacts and the PCB runs can get dirty and sometimes a gentle cleaning improves things.

[joe s.]

I figured Brian, that you above all - must have pulled one apart at some time or another (as a kid, I had to see how stuff worked so dismantling was pretty much job-one when I got a new toy).  Thx for the tips on dis-assembly.  I have had some success "renewing" carbon/contact surfaces with isopropyl alcohol which does both clean and de-grease (plus it evaporates almost instantly, so no issues with residual liquid).

I'll update this thread when I attempt the refurb.

[dave w]

If your Palm Pad has the old "Popell" switch (a tape covered bi-metal dome which shorts across PC board contacts when pressed,  as bkenobi described) there isn't much hope. Fractures develop in the bi-metal dome so it does not make contact correctly. Also I have seen the interior plating of the dome flake off, also preventing good contact. In that event, you can try peeling up the tape and cleaning the PC board contacts and inside of the little metal dome with isopropyl. Sometimes it works.

If you have the rubber pad style switch where a carbon impregnated silicone pad is shorted across carbon contacts on the PC board, clean the pad and the PC board contacts with isopropyl as you said you have had some luck with in the past. Then take it one step farther.  Get a bottle or tube of DRY graphite lubricant and put a TINY spot of graphite powder in the rubber pad cup where it contacts the PC board. Use a q-tip to pick up any excess graphite. Too much graphite will make a permanent short across the contacts until you re-clean them.

Bang! Button works like new. This same technique works great on TV remote controls. I found my graphite at a hobby shop where it is sold as a lubricant for the wooden axles on model soap box derby racers. It is a lot cheaper than the carbon "Remote Control Rejuvenation Paste" I have seen advertised.   

Good luck

[joe s.]

OK - took a while to get to it - but finally opened my palmpad.  Inside its dead-easy - carbon/rubber pads contact a little "z" carbon disk below each button.  BUT alcohol - and then vinegar cleaning (opened it twice), only improved functionality of the dead buttons about 50%.  I have read a tip written about TV remotes that I'm going to try.  There is an adhesive aluminum/metal product made to patch holes in ductwork.  I'm going to use a hole punch to create a conductive disk and adhere to the carbon rubber pads on the buttons, and see how that works.  Will let you guys know the result.

[dhouston]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/X10-HR12A-Palm-Pad-Remote-Control-Factory-Fresh-/160650317269?hash=item2567814dd5:g:zH8AAOxyk99R0JFr   

[Tuicemen]

Ordering from x10 is currently the same price, actually cheaper if you add shipping
http://www.x10.com/x10-home-automation/controllers/hr12a.html

[dhouston]

Ordering from x10 is currently the same price, actually cheaper if you add shipping
http://www.x10.com/x10-home-automation/controllers/hr12a.html

The one I linked to has free shipping.

[joe s.]

Since I live in Canada - none of them have free shipping.  In fact, my cost incl shipping (in Cdn pesos thanks to world oil prices) is about $35 for ONE.  Of course If I bought four it would drop to about $25 (Cdn pesos) incl shipping.

[bkenobi]

Ouch.  But that means I need to take a vacation up north then.   

[joe s.]

Ouch.  But that means I need to take a vacation up north then.

You would be among hundreds who have that idea.  Our ski resorts in the Rockies are heavily populated by tourists this year, who are getting great bang for their buck.  And I'm among dozens that I know, who skipped their winter vacation in Phoenix this year!