Fixed a garage remote by breaking it












1












$begingroup$


I have a garage remote that stopped working. I changed battery and it worked again, but only for a few days.



I measured the resistance between the poles of the battery terminals and it was about 760ohms. My assumption is that it should be much greater (ideally infinite). So I noticed that what it seemed to be a capacitor (a surface mounted spec, with a yellowish band) and it had exactly the same resistance, so I thought that either that was not a capacitor or it had failed (because the resistance should be also zero).



To complete the picture that capacitor was just after the battery terminals). I decided to remove it.



The end result is that the remote keeps working and resistance between battery terminals is now off the scale. Hopefully it will not discharge as fast.



What was the purpose of that capacitor? (If it was a capacitor in the first place)










share|improve this question









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    why downvoter why?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Repair questions are off-topic. Without a schematic, impossible to answer. You ask about a component and you're not even sure what type of component it is. How are we supposed to provide a proper answer then?
    $endgroup$
    – Bimpelrekkie
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You would be well-advised to read the FAQ's available before posting.
    $endgroup$
    – Solar Mike
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well this is not the first time I see a capacitor between battery terminals so I assume it's well known what they do. Also it's not a repair question I do not ask how to repair stuff.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    @SolarMike I always read the FAQ I just like to give a little context to my questions.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago
















1












$begingroup$


I have a garage remote that stopped working. I changed battery and it worked again, but only for a few days.



I measured the resistance between the poles of the battery terminals and it was about 760ohms. My assumption is that it should be much greater (ideally infinite). So I noticed that what it seemed to be a capacitor (a surface mounted spec, with a yellowish band) and it had exactly the same resistance, so I thought that either that was not a capacitor or it had failed (because the resistance should be also zero).



To complete the picture that capacitor was just after the battery terminals). I decided to remove it.



The end result is that the remote keeps working and resistance between battery terminals is now off the scale. Hopefully it will not discharge as fast.



What was the purpose of that capacitor? (If it was a capacitor in the first place)










share|improve this question









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    why downvoter why?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Repair questions are off-topic. Without a schematic, impossible to answer. You ask about a component and you're not even sure what type of component it is. How are we supposed to provide a proper answer then?
    $endgroup$
    – Bimpelrekkie
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You would be well-advised to read the FAQ's available before posting.
    $endgroup$
    – Solar Mike
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well this is not the first time I see a capacitor between battery terminals so I assume it's well known what they do. Also it's not a repair question I do not ask how to repair stuff.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    @SolarMike I always read the FAQ I just like to give a little context to my questions.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago














1












1








1





$begingroup$


I have a garage remote that stopped working. I changed battery and it worked again, but only for a few days.



I measured the resistance between the poles of the battery terminals and it was about 760ohms. My assumption is that it should be much greater (ideally infinite). So I noticed that what it seemed to be a capacitor (a surface mounted spec, with a yellowish band) and it had exactly the same resistance, so I thought that either that was not a capacitor or it had failed (because the resistance should be also zero).



To complete the picture that capacitor was just after the battery terminals). I decided to remove it.



The end result is that the remote keeps working and resistance between battery terminals is now off the scale. Hopefully it will not discharge as fast.



What was the purpose of that capacitor? (If it was a capacitor in the first place)










share|improve this question









$endgroup$




I have a garage remote that stopped working. I changed battery and it worked again, but only for a few days.



I measured the resistance between the poles of the battery terminals and it was about 760ohms. My assumption is that it should be much greater (ideally infinite). So I noticed that what it seemed to be a capacitor (a surface mounted spec, with a yellowish band) and it had exactly the same resistance, so I thought that either that was not a capacitor or it had failed (because the resistance should be also zero).



To complete the picture that capacitor was just after the battery terminals). I decided to remove it.



The end result is that the remote keeps working and resistance between battery terminals is now off the scale. Hopefully it will not discharge as fast.



What was the purpose of that capacitor? (If it was a capacitor in the first place)







capacitor circuit-analysis antenna decoupling-capacitor remote-control






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked 3 hours ago









gurghetgurghet

13216




13216












  • $begingroup$
    why downvoter why?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Repair questions are off-topic. Without a schematic, impossible to answer. You ask about a component and you're not even sure what type of component it is. How are we supposed to provide a proper answer then?
    $endgroup$
    – Bimpelrekkie
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You would be well-advised to read the FAQ's available before posting.
    $endgroup$
    – Solar Mike
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well this is not the first time I see a capacitor between battery terminals so I assume it's well known what they do. Also it's not a repair question I do not ask how to repair stuff.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    @SolarMike I always read the FAQ I just like to give a little context to my questions.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago


















  • $begingroup$
    why downvoter why?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Repair questions are off-topic. Without a schematic, impossible to answer. You ask about a component and you're not even sure what type of component it is. How are we supposed to provide a proper answer then?
    $endgroup$
    – Bimpelrekkie
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You would be well-advised to read the FAQ's available before posting.
    $endgroup$
    – Solar Mike
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Well this is not the first time I see a capacitor between battery terminals so I assume it's well known what they do. Also it's not a repair question I do not ask how to repair stuff.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    @SolarMike I always read the FAQ I just like to give a little context to my questions.
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago
















$begingroup$
why downvoter why?
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
why downvoter why?
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago




4




4




$begingroup$
Repair questions are off-topic. Without a schematic, impossible to answer. You ask about a component and you're not even sure what type of component it is. How are we supposed to provide a proper answer then?
$endgroup$
– Bimpelrekkie
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
Repair questions are off-topic. Without a schematic, impossible to answer. You ask about a component and you're not even sure what type of component it is. How are we supposed to provide a proper answer then?
$endgroup$
– Bimpelrekkie
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
You would be well-advised to read the FAQ's available before posting.
$endgroup$
– Solar Mike
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
You would be well-advised to read the FAQ's available before posting.
$endgroup$
– Solar Mike
3 hours ago




1




1




$begingroup$
Well this is not the first time I see a capacitor between battery terminals so I assume it's well known what they do. Also it's not a repair question I do not ask how to repair stuff.
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago






$begingroup$
Well this is not the first time I see a capacitor between battery terminals so I assume it's well known what they do. Also it's not a repair question I do not ask how to repair stuff.
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago














$begingroup$
@SolarMike I always read the FAQ I just like to give a little context to my questions.
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
@SolarMike I always read the FAQ I just like to give a little context to my questions.
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















3












$begingroup$

It's a reservoir capacitor, the lithium button cells used in remote control have a high internal resistance, the capacitor (if intact) has a low internal resistance and can supply surges of current. this the remote to operate transmit stronger signals than without it.



I recommend replacing the broken capacitor with a new capacitor 10uF is probably about right.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    This is probably more correct
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago



















1












$begingroup$

this could be radio frequency suppressor capacitor to avoid radio interference to other sensitive gadgets nearby.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    your answer is correct!
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SteveG similar to Jasen's?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago












  • $begingroup$
    Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    1 hour ago











Your Answer





StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");

StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("schematics", function () {
StackExchange.schematics.init();
});
}, "cicuitlab");

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "135"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});














draft saved

draft discarded


















StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2felectronics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f418845%2ffixed-a-garage-remote-by-breaking-it%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









3












$begingroup$

It's a reservoir capacitor, the lithium button cells used in remote control have a high internal resistance, the capacitor (if intact) has a low internal resistance and can supply surges of current. this the remote to operate transmit stronger signals than without it.



I recommend replacing the broken capacitor with a new capacitor 10uF is probably about right.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    This is probably more correct
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago
















3












$begingroup$

It's a reservoir capacitor, the lithium button cells used in remote control have a high internal resistance, the capacitor (if intact) has a low internal resistance and can supply surges of current. this the remote to operate transmit stronger signals than without it.



I recommend replacing the broken capacitor with a new capacitor 10uF is probably about right.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    This is probably more correct
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago














3












3








3





$begingroup$

It's a reservoir capacitor, the lithium button cells used in remote control have a high internal resistance, the capacitor (if intact) has a low internal resistance and can supply surges of current. this the remote to operate transmit stronger signals than without it.



I recommend replacing the broken capacitor with a new capacitor 10uF is probably about right.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



It's a reservoir capacitor, the lithium button cells used in remote control have a high internal resistance, the capacitor (if intact) has a low internal resistance and can supply surges of current. this the remote to operate transmit stronger signals than without it.



I recommend replacing the broken capacitor with a new capacitor 10uF is probably about right.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 hours ago









JasenJasen

10.2k1428




10.2k1428












  • $begingroup$
    This is probably more correct
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago


















  • $begingroup$
    This is probably more correct
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago
















$begingroup$
This is probably more correct
$endgroup$
– gurghet
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
This is probably more correct
$endgroup$
– gurghet
1 hour ago













1












$begingroup$

this could be radio frequency suppressor capacitor to avoid radio interference to other sensitive gadgets nearby.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    your answer is correct!
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SteveG similar to Jasen's?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago












  • $begingroup$
    Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    1 hour ago
















1












$begingroup$

this could be radio frequency suppressor capacitor to avoid radio interference to other sensitive gadgets nearby.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    your answer is correct!
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SteveG similar to Jasen's?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago












  • $begingroup$
    Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    1 hour ago














1












1








1





$begingroup$

this could be radio frequency suppressor capacitor to avoid radio interference to other sensitive gadgets nearby.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$



this could be radio frequency suppressor capacitor to avoid radio interference to other sensitive gadgets nearby.







share|improve this answer








New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer






New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









answered 3 hours ago









Avadhoot GaikwadAvadhoot Gaikwad

111




111




New contributor




Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Avadhoot Gaikwad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    your answer is correct!
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SteveG similar to Jasen's?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago












  • $begingroup$
    Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    1 hour ago














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
    $endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    your answer is correct!
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SteveG similar to Jasen's?
    $endgroup$
    – gurghet
    1 hour ago












  • $begingroup$
    Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
    $endgroup$
    – Steve G
    1 hour ago








1




1




$begingroup$
This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
$endgroup$
– Marcus Müller
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
This is more of a comment than an answer. I know that you, as a new user, can't post comments to questions yet – but you will be able to, in short time. Ask a few good questions, write a few answers (which actually are answers, not just comments), and you'll easily have the points necessary.
$endgroup$
– Marcus Müller
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
your answer is correct!
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
your answer is correct!
$endgroup$
– gurghet
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
@gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
$endgroup$
– Steve G
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
@gurghet how do you know its correct? I was just about to write a very different answer.
$endgroup$
– Steve G
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
@SteveG similar to Jasen's?
$endgroup$
– gurghet
1 hour ago






$begingroup$
@SteveG similar to Jasen's?
$endgroup$
– gurghet
1 hour ago














$begingroup$
Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
$endgroup$
– Steve G
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
Yes. The internal resistance increases as the battery ages so the associated problems get worse. Your new battery will have a low internal resistance and so appears to work, but without the capacitor it may stop working prematurely. Replace the cap and you should be Ok.
$endgroup$
– Steve G
1 hour ago


















draft saved

draft discarded




















































Thanks for contributing an answer to Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange!


  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid



  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2felectronics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f418845%2ffixed-a-garage-remote-by-breaking-it%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







Popular posts from this blog

How to label and detect the document text images

Vallis Paradisi

Tabula Rosettana