"shake" switch?

Hi,

I've got a programmable remote that has a switch inside that is used to detect motion (i.e., to see when you have picked the remote *up*). It uses this signal to "turn itself on".

Note that it is NOT a (typical) mercury switch. I.e., I can leave the remote in *any* orientation and just "tap" it to get it to turn itself on (it then turns off after a short timeout to conserve batteries).

I suspect this is just a ball rolling across a set of contacts so that any motion causes a *made* contact to *break* or a *broken* contact to *make*.

But, the damn thing seems to stick from time to time. Of course, if it sticks "off" that's no problem -- just wack the thing until it decides that you have "moved it" :> But, if it sticks *on* (i.e., if it keeps signalling "motion" to the electronics inside), then the batteries get depleted in short order (less than a day!)

The switch itself is encased in a metallic jacket. Two terminals (axially). I'd say it is about 1/8x1/8x1/2" (a rectangular prism).

Any ideas how to replace this (i.e., replacement part)? Or, how to *fix* it?

Unit appears to be sealed so contact cleaner isn't a solution... :<

I don't think it is "permanently stuck".

I've tried your solution -- *without* the pillow! -- each time it has refused to shut off. So far, it has worked each time. But, it is very inconvenient -- put the remote down and forget to check it 15 seconds later (to verify it has powered down) and you end up with dead batteries!

What brand/model is it? Most remotes -- at least, those with a high-drain display -- shut themselves off after a user-selected timeout.

Something from Radio Shack (I'll have to get a magnifying glass to read the damn microscopic part number molded in the plastic).

Yes, this shuts down in about 10-15 seconds. WHEN IT WORKS! (I suspect there may be a way to adjust it -- I know I can adjust the brightnes of the lamp -- but regardless of the timie limit, it still suffers from not wanting to *reliably* turn itself off).

I've learned not to give it an *excuse* to stay on. I.e., don't leave it on the sofa as each time you shift your position the thing *wants* to turn on. But, even leaving it on the floor (concrete slab) you have to watch it to make

I may just remove the damn switch and rely on "pressing a noncritical button" to wake the thing up (though you can't see where the buttons are with the light off!!)

You might want to look at the X-10 universal remote. I got it about two months ago for $50 and free shipping, though it's not currently available at that price. (Quite a products -- it also controls X-10 modules.) It shuts itself off reliably.

Wasn't that a Vincent Price movie?

Wasn't it the Tingler? The essence of fear taking on the form of a lobster / section of spine, as it is that creature that gives the tingling. Complete with one on a string, run over the heads of the audience in the cinema

Yes. I was being a wise-ass.

That was actually a skeleton, in "House on Haunted Hill", dubbed "Emergo".

Thought a William Castle production, the movie is quite so bad as you might think. (It's generally considered Herr Schloss's masterpiece.) It's also the first movie with a reference to LSD.

Rent "Matinee" if you can find it. It's a spoof of Castle and his ilk. The movie itself is a bit slack and lacks focus, but is worth seeing for John Goodman's performance as Castle -- and even more for his latest film, "Mant!", a perfect send-up of '50s sci-fi/horror flicks. (It even has William Schallert as a libidinous dentist, plus cameos from other veterans of that era.)

I LOVE that movie! That was the first movie to give me a real scare when I was a kid - When that old ladies ghost came floating through the wall in the basement I practically pissed myself.

I suspect doing so will run a good risk of breaking the thing. Perhaps a small "dremel" drill would be delicate enough.

But, I am not sure that even cleaning solution would work. E.g., it's *sealed* so contaminants shouldn't have been a problem. It could just be the "ball" (if that is what's inside) has worn the "lands" on which it rides such that there isn't a reliable contact anymore. Low voltage contacts are notorious for this sort of problem (and I seriously doubt the assembly uses any precious metals to alleviate this!)

On Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:46:36 -0700, D Yuniskis put finger to keyboard and composed:

Could it be a piezo shock sensor? Is it mounted at 45 degrees on the PCB?

- Franc Zabkar

Doubtful. I *really* suspect it is just a metal ball with lots of opportunities to make and break a circuit (and these *differences* are what the processor uses to determine if the device is "being moved")

No.