The SECRET Component of Your Remote Control: How Quartz Crystal Works
0It is a small, block-shaped or tablet-shaped component, golden yellow or silver in color, soldered onto the remote control board and called a Quartz Crystal Oscillator.
Its function in the remote control is to keep the circuit timing precise and constant.
It provides an extremely precise and stable electrical signal with a wave that oscillates millions of times per second in Hertz.
In synchronization with the integrated circuit, which uses this signal to execute instructions at the exact moment after each button press, thus sending the coded infrared signal to the television at the rhythm set by this crystal.
The most common frequency is usually 455 kHz, although it can vary. This frequency is crucial for the TV receiver to understand the code the remote is sending.
Without the crystal oscillator, the remote control cannot generate the correct infrared signal. It would have no rhythm, and its message would be incomprehensible to the television.
Although the quartz crystal is a very reliable component, it is not indestructible. It can fail, and the most common causes are impacts or a hard fall of the remote control can fracture the delicate quartz crystal inside. Although it may look fine externally, it is broken internally and stops working.
It can experience corrosion from extreme humidity or liquid spills that corrode the crystal's legs or solder contacts, interrupting the signal.
Over time and with use, the solder joints that secure its two legs to the board can crack or come loose, losing the electrical connection. In some cases, over decades of use, the crystal's frequency can deviate slightly from its nominal value, causing erratic operation. Symptoms of a defective crystal include: The controller does absolutely nothing when any button is pressed, or the infrared LED does not turn on. This can be verified with a cell phone camera.
• The controller sends incorrect signals or activates random functions because the microcontroller's rhythm is chaotic.
It's likely that it only works at very short distances, or that it requires very precise aiming.