Just as The_Cheat says, I was able to figure out how to fix my VR-409. It works perfectly now! I whipped up a web page like plazman30's that shows what to look for, so that no matter which Kenwood receiver you have, you should be able to figure out how to fix it. This board and the people who posted the solution saved me from spending $250 to replace my stereo! Thanks!

www.moerk.org/kenwood

i have a VR-5700, RC-R0913 2-way com. NO TROUBLES well maybe a little,like after i ir data base it, lean it ,macro it , it crashes or no mem.changing batterys either. custum remotes TRY POINTING AWAY FROM THE RECEIVER or another room (put on walking shoes) RF on or off works fine! but all kenwoods seme to be trouble some when in a custom setup i.e. not mutch asigning! LIGHT! OR THE SUN that big i.r. we ALL HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY in some way or another custom remotes programer NIGHTMIRE! try blackout or stay clear of POOLS!

I also have a 507 and am having problems with the receiver accepting commands from the remote. I've taken the face off of the unit but I'm having problems seperating it from the circuit board. I've removed the screws yet it still seems to be secured to the plastic face of the unit. Are the knobs holding it in place?

Walt

Try the input selector knob on the front of the unit (on mine it's the big knob with the little dimple). Pull it out, and then you should be able to separate the circiut board from the bezel.

Thanks, I finally got it off. Had a friend solder it and it works perfectly now.

Glad I found this thread! Only problem is, I know jack about soldering. I bought a soldering iron kit and I think I have what I need to do it...I just don't even know where to start.

Is this easy enough for an amateur to do? (Or explain to an amateur over a forum thread?) Would love to fix this thing myself if it's possible. Any help is appreciated -- thanks in advance!!!

FOUND THE SOLUTION AND MY VR-505 REMOTE IS WORKING FINE.

I have Kenwood VR-505 since 2000 working fine. Last 2 yrs ago the remote for the receiver stopped working tried everything at last i broke it. Again after seeing the posts here in this wonderful forums bought a replacement remote for the same. I went to this site [Link: moerk.org] and found the solution. I did open the receiver and re-soldered the 3 points of the IR now its working fine. I guess the machine soldering breaks the points from the board and the IR doesnt receive the signals from the remote. Atlast i got it done. Thanks to this wonderful forum and thanks to the person who found the solution. Solder-iron can be bought from Radio Shack for 3 dollars with lead to solder. Easy and cheap solution. I guess Kenwood is not interested in providing after sales support unless you buy premium receivers from them. Shame to Kenwood.

Regards
Kendude

It's not hard at all, really. Have you found the correct pins on the circuit board, and looked closely enough to determine that there are indeed cracks? If so, you really don't even need any solder to do this job, just the soldering iron. Plug it in, give it 5 minutes to heat up, and touch it to the tip of the pin on one of the joints that is cracked. Watch the base of the joint, and when the metal melts (it will change consistency--you'll know it when you see it), you take the iron off. When it cools, the crack will be gone. Do that for all three joints, just to be safe (there's a chance that one of them will be cracked and you just can't see the crack). I wouldn't recommend an amateur adding any solder in this project, since you risk adding too much and your joint might overrun onto an adjacent joint, shorting out a circuit. Hope this helps. Be sure to post your results, and feel free to ask any followup questions.

i have a vr-209 using a rc-r0607 remote.the remote hasn't worked for about a year,so i tried the circuit board fix .opened it up and found tiny fractures around the three pins put it back together and now it all works like it's supposed to.so basically this thread saved me either 90$ for a new remote or 75$ to get the ir sensor replaced(i hadn't figured out which i was going to do next). on another note,i've been researching this for about a week and this is apparently a problem with all of there receivers from the 207 onup until very recently.anyway thanks for the help.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the info here. I also had the remote problem with my VR 507 and have been dealing with it for 2 years. Im kicking myself now for not looking for the solution earlier because it only took me about 20 minutes to fix. I am very happy to have this done!

For those of you that are worried about soldering I am an amatuer at soldering electronics so figured I would do a little searching first. Heres a good page to check out for basics for soldering electronic components.

[Link: epemag.wimborne.co.uk]

Good luck and enjoy kicking back with your FUNCTIONAL remote!

Happy to report that this fix also works on the VR-414, as I applied it last night and am now enjoying a fully functional receiver for the first time in about three years!

Thanks to eveyone who helped figure this out!

Andre

I have a RC-R0607, and it sometimes works, the light on the remote only comes on sometimes, I have changed the battries a few times and thats not it. Does anyone know how to take this thing apart or have any advice on a fix?

Thanks for the solution. I called Kenwood support and they offered no solution. I just sent this information to them requesting a solution for a possible recall item. I will see what they say in a couple of days.

This was an excellent help. Even as a novice in the skill of soldering, I was able to use this information to get my IR back up and running.

My problem is, now, that the default receiver device code has been removed from my remote, due to multiple attempts at getting the right one. Does anyone have the default 4-digit code for the Receiver button on the RC-R0720? Or, can someone do the code retrieval function (hold setup until LED blinks twice, then press 9-9-0, then keys 1, 2, 3, and 4, counting the LED flashes)for me and tell me what the default is?

Thanks a bunch, folks!

This message was edited by jamesi on 08/29/05 17:43 ET.

Thanks plazman30 (Andy) for the post and the pic. We had the same problem. I took the cover off the unit, removed the face plate (being careful not to disturb the ribbon), located the three points, and soldered them. The kids used the system during the day and that night my husband used it a couple of hours before I asked if there were any problems. No problems!! Thanks so much. I was dreading taking the unit to a 'certified repair' place, dropping big bucks, and the thing still not working. It's always nice to be able to fix things on your own.
Maureen