A button that no longer works has likely led to the destruction of several remotes over the years. Luckily (pescado99) shared a beautifully simple post remedy for dead or dying remote control buttons: dry graphite lubricant.

Most remote controls work by pushing a conductive carbon coating on the back of the button over a pair of contacts on the PCB. Unfortunately, this conductive coating can wear away, leaving you with a dead or dying button. The video after the break (pescado99) shows how to use a cotton swab to apply powder. graphite on the back of the buttons to make them conductive again. A soft pencil can also be used, but graphite works best.

This beautifully simple hack is too good not to share and could save many remotes from landfills. If you are more interested in upgrading remotely, you can build your own universal remote Or replace it with a web browser.