What is this stuff?

I don't think I'm capable of feeling enough curiosity to taste a substance I found inside someone else's remote control.

I'd bet on something like a spilled drink of some kind, KFC/pizza grease, or some other such residue from someone's movie-night snacks.

The liquid (I think) is a plastic component intended to keep it flexible; a 'plasticizer'. Lots of plastic formulations 'sweat' this stuff, and isopropyl is a good solvent for it. Glycerine, too, should work.

DeOxit formulations DO enhance contact, it's worth applying after cleaning.

micky wrote

That's pretty common with older remotes.

They are normally gold plated so don't oxidise.

Likely someone managed to spill something on the remote.

Likely because it has been there a while.

Likely someone spilt something on the remote.

Wash it off.

Not surprising that it didn't.

More likely spilled drink. Finger oil isnt sticky.

They weren't that either. Everything was black, but not solid black. Lines in some pattern that filled the cirular area that matched the button.

I didn't like tasting it, expecially since I was sick two nights ago but I figured a little bit couldn't kill me. The guy who gave it to me seems like a very clean guy!

I went back and put that in brackets after I figrued out what to do. ;-0

Before I took it apart, I figured DeoxitIT was what it needed, and I was a slow to change plans.

But as to something spilled on it, I don't see how that could be since the buttons affected were at 4 corners of the remote with lots of buttons in between, unblemished rows and columns in between.

Only the controls people use a lot, plus Mute, were dirty. It must have to do with normal use.

I've always assumed so, combined with whatever gets spilled on remotes, I'd never taste my own remote juice, let alone someone else's, yesh alcohol usually works (vodka if necessary and doing it for a favour when away from home)

Correct. Some silicone-rubber contact pads seem to contain a silicone oil as a plasticizer... I'm not sure what the non-silicone rubbers use. Isopropyl on a Q-tip has always gotten it off the board and buttons.

I've had some success in rejuvinating flaky contact pads by cleaning the rubber with isopropyl, and then applying a thin coating of Neolube No. 2 (sold by Micro-Mark). It's a graphite and collodion solution in alcohol, and dries to form a somewhat-conductive film.

It's silicon grease, exudated by the silicone keys due to a bad fabrication process. Pressure on the keys make this grease flow, then the contact begins to fail needing more pressure, more grease flows... That's why the keys used more often fail more than those seldom used.

You can clean it with ethanol, it will work for some months before needing another cleaning.

Exactly. I've services quite few of these and used 80% isopropal or ethel alcohol. Just wash the entire silicon keypad in the solvent. I've found it usually last about a year before it needs to be done again. I had a small panasonic TV that sat on our kitchen table that had its remot e control sit next to it. Had to wash the key pad about every 9 months...i t was usually in the sunlight from the skylight which I think the UV light accelerated the release of the grease. Good luck J

The technical name is "Grot" also not recommended for consumption.