How to Revive a Dead Remote Battery

Your remote is getting weaker and weaker, and you forgot to buy batteries. (Or maybe you just don't want to get off the couch.)

Finally you press a button, and nothing happens. What's a couch potato to do? Don't worry. Here are some tips to get anywhere from a few more clicks to months more service out of your remote batteries.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your fingers
• Laziness

1. First be sure that the remote batteries are the problem: If your remote has options to run several different appliances (i.e. "vtr/dvd" or "sat/cable") it could have been accidentally set to the wrong device. Press the "tv" button again to be sure. (Or if you are trying to get it to run another device, press the appropriate button for that.)
   
   If it still doesn't work, go to step two.

2. Remove the cover from the remote's battery compartment. Look to see if the batteries are corroded. (If they are, you're out of luck.) Leave the batteries in place (or if you had to remove them to check them, put them back in place).

3. Use your fingers to roll the batteries back and forth. This creates a little friction and cleans off the terminals, which improves the connection.

4. Put the remote battery cover back on. Try the remote again. If it doesn't work, you can pull the remote batteries out to "rest" for a while and try again later.

Tips & Warnings

• If the remote batteries are corroded, remove them at once. They can damage the connections on your remote. (And you don't want too much contact with those heavy metals either.)

Resources

• The Official Couch Potato Handbook

[eliptica]

on 3/2/2009 Well I will give it a try and see if this works. Thanks for the heads up.

[sunshine11219]

on 2/5/2009 very good tips for batteries

[00Analana]

on 2/5/2009 I've never tried this before. Great tip!

[ljbinkop]

on 2/5/2009 I do this all the time, and it really does work. I still don't know why. Good tip.