This is the set-up I'm having trouble with:
- I have 2 set's of button's. They consist of three buttons each.
- A "rocker" (Up/Down) and a center push.
- Each button requires two of the remote's contacts to meet eachother...



^ The contacts need to come from thows blue outlined circles
(That's 12 wires needed to be "extended" from the remote.)

I already figured out every set of connection's needed...
Except I dont realy know how they should be soldered.

Thats where I meet trouble...
Whats the best way this can be done, so the contacts will stay in place?

- DirtyDozen

Not sure I understand your question. Are you asking how to solder the wires to the PCB?

The picture looks like the PCB of the Rio remote; how did you crack it open? Is it still possible to re-assemble back to original? (I'd hate to screw up my remote...)

I'd say scrape a bit of the laquer off that covers the PCB and track,clean and then solder onto the tracks. You want to be very careful, as it may well be possible for the tracks to come loose; potentially rendering the entire thing useless.

when I solder wires onto thin pads/tracks like that I usually also try to find a spot to glue the cables onto the PCB. That way the straints will not be that bad on the actual soldering point.

"how did you crack it open? Is it still possible to re-assemble back to original?"

Yes, that picture is of the, stock, Rio remote.
The picture was taken from the riocar.org in the FAQ, and then edited.

The Empeg remote is rather simple to "crack" open...
If you peel off the button pad, or "sticker", it reveals the circuit.
Four little screws will allow you to completely take it apart.

"I'd say scrape a bit of the laquer off that covers the PCB and track..."

The PCB = The "blue ring"/board, correct?
The track = ?:


Does anyone know where to find a circuit diagnostic view of this remote...
(or the Kenwood KCA-R6A remote??)

Thanks for the help...
- DirtyDozen

"I'd say scrape a bit of the laquer off that covers the PCB and track..."

The PCB = The "blue ring"/board, correct?
The track = ?:

PCB = Printed Circuit Board, the board with copper traces and components
The track = The copper traces/tracks connecting the legs of components

Between the blue dots are darker green patterns. Beneath the greenish laquer there's a copper layer. Where the green is darker there is copper making the connections), where it's lighter the copper has been removed (forming the connections).

Where the blue dots are looks like "vias" (connections going through to another set of copper tracks on the other side of the board). I doubt that the card has more than 2 layers (any additional ones would be invisible as they're buried inside the board, but might be detectable with a strong light behind the board...)

What does the other side look like? I'd expect bare copper tracks/pads for the buttons of the remote to connect across if the remote uses a conductive pad (or does it use small mechanical switches?)...

You need bare copper to solder to - if you don't want to solder to the bare pads on the other side (if there is such) you need to follow the copper tracks from the pads of the buttons you want to "remote activate" (I'd guess VolUp/Down, FForward/Reverse and maybe Menu and Cancel) and then carefully scrape away the laquer layer without cutting through the copper layer and then solder the wire onto that. You might be able to heat the vias and insert the wires there, using the premade hole (depends on how the via was made though)

Glueing down the wires to relieve pulling stress on the solder connection itself is a good idea. If there's an unused part of the board along an edge you might drill a hole there and run the wires through and make a knot around strip separating the hole and the edge...

I'd use a temperature controlled soldering iron on fairly low heat, with a fine tip. Prolonged/excessive heat can make the traces separate from the board.

/Michael

If I were you, I'd get a cheap, easily replaceable remote on which to do your soldering/hacking. Not one of the rare and never-to-be-made-again Rio remotes.

Remember that you can use Hijack to program just about any cheap remote to do what you want to do on the car player.

Hi, on a similar note,what would it take to have someone build some new Rio remotes?I dont know but it seems that with all the projects going on ( tuners and sleds and harnesses and digital out boards and faceplates etc.etc.)that it shouldnt be to hard to put together a kit or the whole remote.Cant we just get ahold of the original maker and have them put out some more or get the components?Please feel free to correct me or educate as to the reality of this happening.

"...just about any cheap remote to do what you want to do on the car player."

Tony: So any remote that is intended to send frequencies to a car deck will work?

I mention this because, I am forced to use a 3V adapter, in this "project".
This adapter is giving me more problem's, except I have to use it.
(The only power supply available is a 12V line.)

Is there a "cheap remote" that could handle 12V?

So any remote that is intended to send frequencies to a car deck will work?

Yes. There are some newer high-frequency remotes, so those won't work, as mentioned here.