Sigmo
lvl.4
United States
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Something I've learned from 40+ years of electronics troubleshooting is that 95 or more percent of all so-called "electronic" problems are actually bad connections. This is true even inside of integrated circuits where we've found that when an IC fails, and there was no external source of the damage, the failure is often a failed lead-bond at one of the bond wire welds connecting the die to the lead frame. Honestly, always suspect connections and connectors first when you're dealing with any electrical/electronic problems.
Anyhow, it's possible that the USB connector on your remote control has a bit of dirt or grit lodged in it, preventing it from mating properly. Or the contacts are not completely clean.
First, try a few different cables.
My RC doesn't connect well to one my many cables. I have to hold or prop that cable at the correct angle with respect to the RC's connector to get it to make contact. Clearly, the contact pins in that cable are recessed somewhat and do not make good contact on their own.
The connector on the RC is a "type A" micro connector. It's a type A because the RC is a "host" device. When you look carefully at this connector, you can see that it's not shaped like the usual micro USB connector. And that makes it a bit tricky to know which orientation to use when mating it with a typical Type B micro USB connector (the usual cable end). If you have tried to mate it too forcefully in the wrong orientation, that may have damaged the connector on the RC.
Check carefully inside of the RC's connector. A tiny bit of grit or dirt can get stuck inside and prevent the contacts from being able to mate correctly. I've had tiny pieces of sand get into the USB connector on my phone on several occasions that prevented me from being able to fully mate the connectors. It's always hard to get the bit out of the connector. Heck, it's hard to even see them because everything is so tiny. But with a very fine piece of piano wire, I've been able to pick the small stones out. Always be careful mating these tiny connectors. If it seems like it's taking too much force, there's probably a reason.
And finally, there is a product I've used in one form or another for many years that is extremely good for treating and preserving contacts, and I recommend it over anything else. This is NOT a contact cleaner in the usual sense. Most contact cleaners are nothing more than solvents.
This is a contact cleaner and conditioner. It helps dissolve oxides and it leaves an oily residue behind that coats and protects the contacts. But it is not a conductor. It won't create leakage paths across insulators, so you can use it even on high voltage connections. I've used it on thousands of high voltage connectors, circuit boards, switches, potentiometers, etc., even in photomultiplier tube circuits operating at voltages up to 2000V, and it has never caused any leakage. And believe me, you'd notice even a minute amount of leakage current in a PMT circuit!
Anyhow, this stuff is amazing. And I use a TINY amount of it to treat all manner of connectors and contacts. Use it SPARINGLY. I use tiny paintbrushes or cotton swabs, etc., to apply it. But I've also just sprayed it into contacts that I can't reach easily. If you can, try a bit of this on the suspect connectors.
The main version of this that you can now get easily is called "DeoxIT D5". It's made by Caig Laboratories. Read and follow the directions. This is an offshoot of the original product called "Cramolin Red" that we began using back in the 1970s. Give it a try.
Your RC might be bad and need to be repaired. But you may well just have a bad connector that will work if cleaned.
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