raymondjiii Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 I have a unit (maybe a few) where I cannot plug the charger connector into it without having the bend the cable a little in order to get it charged. Bending the cable a bit is probably exacerbating the problem. So I'm wondering how to carefully open these units with the four clips so that maybe the connector can be crimped a little. I'm worried about breaking the four plastic tabs.
Brian H Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 There was a thread on the presently gone Smarthome Forums. From a user that changed the battery that would not hold a decent charge. They gently unsnapped the clips and opened it. I have seen reports that some had a small dab of glue on the snaps. The USB connector is a soldered on part and I don't know if you can squeeze the contacts. I have a jpg file of the inside of the remote and I can see if I can get it here.
Brian H Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 (edited) It is a Micro-USB connector. Take a look inside the jack on the remote and you will see the contacts. The plug on the charging cord has the flexible contacts that connect to the contact points inside the jack. The soldered points could be flaky between the jacks contact strips and the solder pads on the board. Though I would suspect the contacts in the charging cord. The photos are in the FCC Database. Including the internal and external photos. SBP Grantee, 23422 product code, in the details tab. https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm Edited August 5, 2022 by Brian H
raymondjiii Posted August 5, 2022 Author Posted August 5, 2022 I tried opening it and I broke one of the four tabs. Small needle nose pliers squeezed the casing of the jack and the problem is solved. I guess a drop of nail polish on the broken tab will help. The tab didn't snap off completely but is being held there by a thin layer of plastic. I had to keep bending the cable where it plugs in and I'm sure that made matters worse. But now - solid red light while charging.
Brian H Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 Glad it is now working for you. I suspect when you squeezed the casing you put some side pressure on the cables contacts and they made better connection now.
Dub Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 11 minutes ago, raymondjiii said: I tried opening it and I broke one of the four tabs. Did you get it open? My experience was I broke all 4 clips. All 4 looked like thin, but attached to both larger pieces of the switch housing. I did experiment with a repair of cutting off the broken tabs with a small serrated blade and using a small layer of E6000 glue....Im not sold on this method. I have 3 that I need to replace the battery.
raymondjiii Posted August 5, 2022 Author Posted August 5, 2022 1 hour ago, Dub aka WHaas said: Did you get it open? My experience was I broke all 4 clips. All 4 looked like thin, but attached to both larger pieces of the switch housing. I did experiment with a repair of cutting off the broken tabs with a small serrated blade and using a small layer of E6000 glue....Im not sold on this method. I have 3 that I need to replace the battery. I bet a tool could be made with 4 metal endpoints like small flathead screwdrivers. You push this tool into the points and maybe just pull the unit apart. Rather than doing one corner, trying to hold, go to another corner, etc.
Dub Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 Am I understanding you did get it open and only 1 of the 4 clips broke? I have one sitting here and my desk too with a small screwdriver and it looks like it would break like the other one I worked on. It looks like it should come apart, but it doesnt seem to want to budge. I used some plastic tools made for opening screw less cases and couldn't make any head way either.... Just wanting to confirm 3 did not break and are still intact after opening.
lilyoyo1 Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 The tabs are glued on as the battery is designed to be none replaceable. 1
Dub Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 Thank you I was starting to suspect that but I couldn't see it really well. I was able to get one pried off but only after I broke the seal. The others I was trying to use a sharp flathead screw driver to break the glue seal. I wasnt sure if OP had actually gotten all 3 off that easily.
raymondjiii Posted August 5, 2022 Author Posted August 5, 2022 38 minutes ago, Dub aka WHaas said: Am I understanding you did get it open and only 1 of the 4 clips broke? I have one sitting here and my desk too with a small screwdriver and it looks like it would break like the other one I worked on. It looks like it should come apart, but it doesnt seem to want to budge. I used some plastic tools made for opening screw less cases and couldn't make any head way either.... Just wanting to confirm 3 did not break and are still intact after opening. Yes. I tried two different small flathead screwdrivers. I stuck them in the slots (the two were slightly different sized heads) and then twisted them to get them away from the body - maybe I broke the glue bond if they were glued. I was able to get one side almost free and then went to other side (short side) and that’s where I broke the tab. But I do think a small drop of clear nail polish would work. Reminds me of when I used to have to adjust the alignment of tape deck heads - get it where you want and use nail polish. 1
raymondjiii Posted August 5, 2022 Author Posted August 5, 2022 4 minutes ago, Dub aka WHaas said: Thank you I was starting to suspect that but I couldn't see it really well. I was able to get one pried off but only after I broke the seal. The others I was trying to use a sharp flathead screw driver to break the glue seal. I wasnt sure if OP had actually gotten all 3 off that easily. I think they did come relatively easy. One didn’t. 1
Dub Posted August 5, 2022 Posted August 5, 2022 49 minutes ago, raymondjiii said: Reminds me of when I used to have to adjust the alignment of tape deck heads - get it where you want and use nail polish. I love these tidbits that I pick up on these posts about how to repair something like this and love that I know what a tape deck is!! Glue would definitely explain the inconsistent experience between your 3 and the 4th one and what I saw. Ironically only 1 of my clips seemed to where I could get it to come open. The other 3 were tight. I tried using small plastic pry tools and then small electronics flat head screw driver and could only break one seal. But getting confirmation from you and lilyoyo1 I can try to change my approach. Any tips on breaking glue would be appreciated. I hope Insteon updates this design in the future to make it more field serviceable….I think the corporate buzz phrase is “sustainable design”🤣 Where I don’t need a direct link like Insteon I have already moved to A Zooz device that is similar but has a standard CR2032 replaceable battery and the case opens and closes securely.
Brian H Posted August 6, 2022 Posted August 6, 2022 (edited) I will see it I can find the battery number. Used by a poster on the presently off line Smarthome Forums. The exact battery in the remote was not available so they found a close replacement. That seemed to work fine for them. I too have seen different posts on tabs glued or not. May have been a production change. The internal and external photos of the remote are in the FCC Database in the link in this thread. Edited August 6, 2022 by Brian H Add information
Dub Posted August 6, 2022 Posted August 6, 2022 (edited) EDIT: Order this not what I posted originally. This link is based off @Brian H post below. Searching Amazon seems to give inconsistent results. When searching just the battery number like I did originally I could only find something close. Searching "LiPo 302545" gets the right battery linked below. I verified 302545 matches the battery I removed from the remote. Order this: https://a.co/d/0PVYmo7 Don't order this below in my original post. 3.7V 150mAh 302530 Lipo Battery Rechargeable Lithium Polymer ion Battery Pack with JST Connector https://a.co/d/aF8tM92 I can confirm this battery fits in the case. It’s a little smaller but about the same thickness as the original battery. It is less mah…the original is 300 mah. So would have half the capacity. I can’t confirm my repair process is the best because ultimately I broke all 4 clips. I tried to scrap and cut the glue seal but it seemed the glue was underneath the clips too. I cleaned up what was left of the clips off the case. Soldered in the new battery. Used E6000 glue on top of my solder to help insulate and keep stress of the solder points. Also used E6000 glue on the case to hold it back together. I’m waiting for it to set now. I pushed the glue into the cracks with my fingers and then wiped the excess off. I have a couple of small wood working clamps lightly keeping the case in position together as the glue dries. I have only opened 2 of these but this one had a button arrangement under it that could be for the 4/8 way scene. The other one just had enough to be the single switch. So I definitely have 2 revisions but the clips on both mine I opened so far broke. Edited August 7, 2022 by Dub aka WHaas Added link to the exact product Brian H mentions. Searching Amazon different ways gives inconsistent results. Edits in Bold.
Brian H Posted August 7, 2022 Posted August 7, 2022 (edited) This is part of the Smarthome Forum message. They thought a 302545 may just fit. "For what it is worth, the battery in the Mini Remote is accessible and looks like it can be replaced fairly easily. The LIPO (3.7v) battery has a capacity of 300mAh and measures 3mm tall, 25mm wide and 45mm long. For search and id purposes these dimensions are typically denoted as "302545" Clearances within the mini are fairly tight so I'm not sure how much variance from these measurements is tolerable." Edited August 7, 2022 by Brian H 1
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