DIY car alarm keychain button repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of car alarm key fob buttons from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Many car enthusiasts know that breakage of an alarm key fob is a fairly common case. As a rule, due to the ingress of moisture and its frequent use with an effort above the norm, it leads to breakage of buttons and plastic surfaces, as well as structures of printed circuit boards with radio components.

Often, such keychains are not repaired at all in the workshop, many craftsmen are so arrogant that they consider it a trifle and do not undertake such repairs, or, say, they may ask for 1000-1500 rubles for repairs - almost like a new car alarm.

But it is difficult to get a key fob for some car alarms, especially if it is not available in the city, and custom-made price tags start from 2,500 rubles and up to about 4,000-5,000 rubles at a standard price, and the new key fob will still be of little quality and not original, just sewn under the needs of this order.

Let's go back to our instance. In this keychain from StarLine, they ditched the button, completely crushing it to such an extent that all the insides were crumpled.

I took a new button from the DVR board (in the photo above), which I soldered out carefully using a special flux and solder, and there was also a difficulty in the fact that the output of button 4 is the attachment points, this is the plate itself, two points, and two outputs of the button, so that soldering with a soldering iron even with a thin tip is still a mission.

We put the button in place of the dismantled one, rinse it with a degreaser. We also clean the jumper jumpers between the two boards, the main one and the transmitter - they often oxidize in moisture conditions, everything must be dried after cleaning, and then you can collect and turn on the alarm.

Video (click to play).

Checking such a key fob can be performed both visually - pressing a button is visible by the reaction on the display and by sound, and with the help of a simple HF detector that will catch the signal transmission from the key fob.

Using this technology, it is possible to restore the functionality of almost any remote control and buttons. The repair was carried out by redmoon.

The car alarm system is a complex electronic mechanism that can sometimes malfunction. Most often, problems arise due to malfunctions of alarm key fobs. If the security system is under warranty, in the event of a malfunction, it is better to contact the service or the installer, in other cases the problem can be correctly identified and try to fix it yourself.

If there are problems with the power supply, the keyfob buttons may not respond to pressing or perform independent actions, for example, opening-closing without pressing the button. As practice shows, in 90% of cases, a faulty battery is to blame. A malfunction of the latter is also indicated by a dim glow of the power LED of the key fob or a complete absence of a signal. To check, you should use a tester. At this stage, it is better to replace the battery with a new one, perhaps the problem will be solved by itself.

Image - DIY car alarm keychain buttons repair

On some models of car alarms (StarLine, Pantera, etc.), after replacing the battery in the key fob, it is necessary to program it. As a rule, this process is described in detail in the instruction manual. Under the sound of a screaming siren, you need to find the Vallet service button. With the help of it there is an emergency shutdown of the alarm and automatic synchronization of the system with the memorization of various functions and key fobs.

Sometimes the key fob can freeze even with a working battery.This happens when the alarm is in the range of radio transmitters, the so-called car alarm jammers. In addition, the operation of the key fob also depends on the state of charge of the car's battery. In the first case, it is necessary to perform an emergency unblocking of the car alarm and leave the range of the transmitters, in the second, replace the battery and reconnect the wiring.

Image - DIY car alarm keychain buttons repair

On some vehicles, connecting the alarm system involves supplying a separate positive cable from the battery and output to a separate fuse for the system. Then the tester checks that the fuse is working properly. At the same time, it is recommended to check other car fuses that can affect the signal malfunction (dimensions, sound signal, etc.). In some cases, you need to reboot the security system power supply, that is, remove the connector from the contact, remove the terminal from the battery, wait a few minutes and connect everything in the reverse order. After that, a sound signal will work, and the key fob can “come to life” and work normally. Otherwise, the problem lies in the microcircuit and the contacts of the key fob itself.