Just found out my old TV remote uses a light I can't see to work

So my TV remote stopped working last night, and I was ready to take it apart. I grabbed my phone to look up the model number, and I saw a tip online to check if the infrared light was still blinking. The post said to point the remote at your phone camera and press a button. I tried it, and sure enough, I could see this little purple flash through my phone screen that was totally invisible to my eye! I had no idea that's how they worked. I always thought it was just a radio signal or something. Turns out the sensor on my TV was just dusty. A quick wipe with a cloth and it's good as new. Has anyone else fixed a remote this way, or found other simple fixes for electronics that seem broken?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt_green19d ago

That's a neat trick, but it's kind of a basic electronics thing. Most remotes have used infrared for decades. The real question is why we're still using tech that needs a clear line of sight and gets blocked by a coffee cup. It seems like everything should be Bluetooth by now. They just don't want to change it because the old way is cheap to make. Fixing the dust is easy, but the whole system feels outdated.

charlie_fisher4519d ago

Right? Why are we still stuck with this ancient tech, @wyatt_green? It's like they're allergic to making things actually work better for people. You hit the nail on the head, it's all about saving a few cents per unit while we deal with the hassle. How many times have you had to point your remote like a lightsaber just to change the volume?