Need help fixing Leap's Phonic's Pond

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BeerCat

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Can anyone help me with this. The "A" button has stopped working and despite taking it apart and cleaning some contacts it still does not worked. Used to perfectly but alas it will end up in the bin if i cant fix it. Sh ones are not available in the UK and its very expensive to ship from abroad. If anyone has any ideas would love to hear them. I can take it apart and upload more photos if its of any help. Alternatively if anyone has one they want to part with.. Thanks.

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£shop sell compressed gas 'air dusters' for keyboards iphones etc, it is in fact highly flammable butane..!! says so clearly on the tin..
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA5PracBpjM[/ame]
however thats a good thing in this case as butane if sprayed long enough so it remains cold enough to flow as a liquid is a very active solvent.

So outside well away from any naked flame and without any batteries in the device squirt a tin or 2 of £ shop air duster over/into the offending key gubbins ( be aware it will get COLD) ..
and if its a case of crud spoiling contacts that should clean it out.. after stripping down as far as you feel 100% confident you can rebuild that is ;)
 
Thanks Fil that's good advice for any dodgy switches. The keyboard on this is just a sheet with buttons that press onto it. When i touch the membrane every key works apart from "A" so i am thinking its a fault in the chip which seems unlikely or a crack on the membrane. I cant see any faults but i dont really know what i am doing. I can solder and replace obviously blown components but that's about it. I guess i could use a meter to check it but cant remember how to use one. Easy enough to find out though so perhaps i should make the effort. I know its an old toy but its very satisfying when you fix something and it has sentimental value.

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ahhh, just happens ive been here ;) sometimes the conductive base of the rubber skin can fail, and this can be cured with a dab of superglue and a tiny cut of kitchen ally foil :) simply glue a small square/circle of tin foil over the back base of the button skin onto the form that will press down onto the circuit board. (cutting the diddy foil is the hardest bit..)

you can test in advance with a finger tip covered with foil pressing down on the circuit board without the button skin. it should work when the foil shorts the contacts..

superglue will fail in a few months needing a re-fix.. i had to do the same with an old toshiba TV which after 30 years was still going strong but its remote had suffered from many years of use.. other glues are too thick, well were with my remote..

another option if skilled with a razor blade might be to attempt to slice off a conductive button base from a doner remote/device and then do the same with the device and swap the good for the bad again with glue..


with reference to the pics its just the round black centre of the back of the A button you need cover with tin foil to make the connection..

ps add superglue to the pad with a needle and a damp cotton bud will pick up the diddy foil cap to place into the glued pad. a magnifying glass lamp also helps me.. a drop straight from the glue bottle will be way too much and flood the area and probably dry on the surface of the foil insulating it if it dosent capture your finger too. .. (i have been there too..)

ppps ;) it is a fidly job that needs speed due to the sub drop volumes of superglue used, but once sussed its a 10 second fix (well just about do-able in an add break if you rush to collect all the gubbins needed..
 
So after a few hours spent it still does not work. It seems to be the membrane. Must have some micro cracks in it. I managed to trigger the a with crocodile clips directly on the circuit board. Possibly when i get my multimeter working i will have another look at it. I suspect that sweat has corroded it causing the problem. Once i put it back together there were other keys not working so gave up. Will look for a cheap childrens learning tablet.
 
just had an idea?? might not float.. but you can get conductive glue sold to those scared of a soldering iron to connect electrical components.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/adhesives-sealants-tapes/adhesives-glues/conductive-adhesives/
m sure ebay will have cheaper versions...

such a glue may allow you to 'paint' a new conductive layer on the back noble of each key in the membrane ??

cleaning off the pcb with isopropanol which im sure you have already done will remove any crud hampering the key connections..
 
just had an idea?? might not float.. but you can get conductive glue sold to those scared of a soldering iron to connect electrical components.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/adhesives-sealants-tapes/adhesives-glues/conductive-adhesives/
m sure ebay will have cheaper versions...

such a glue may allow you to 'paint' a new conductive layer on the back noble of each key in the membrane ??

cleaning off the pcb with isopropanol which im sure you have already done will remove any crud hampering the key connections..

Sorry i think i may have misworded my post. The membrane i was referring to was on the laminated printed circuit for the keyboard. I tested every key by bridging the gap with a magnet and screwdriver. Was a bit tricky though as had to bend it over a little probably exasperating the problem. Will get some batteries and try the meter. I really hate being beaten by something i know is fixable so wont give up yet. Thanks for your help Fil. I will bookmark the paint. Much appreciated.
 

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