Help for the Logitech Harmony 880
I am quite fond of my Logitech Harmony 880 remote, which I have used for a few months now. It is very easy to use and extremely easy to program given the number of components in my home theater.
The only problem I've run into (on two separate remotes) is that it will frustratingly reboot itself while in the middle of using it. After some searching, it appears this is caused by a problem with the way the battery sits in the compartment. Folding a small piece of paper and placing it between the battery and the bottom of the remote keeps the battery attached to the contacts and has eliminated the problem completely.
posted by Matt @ 4/19/2006 08:24:00 PM
32 Comments
32 Comments:
Really? I've had no problems with mine at all. I know some people were having some issues with the unit not sitting in the cradle and charging properly. Guess i got off lucky.
My 880 will not charge in the cradle, and changing the battery position does not help. Logitech support is useless.
I am in complete agreement with Mr. Anonymous. I've been unable to get the battery to charge no matter the battery position, unable to find a replacement battery, and unable to get any information from Logitech help either on the phone or on their web site.
Consequently, the 200 bucks I paid for this thing last fall is now a complete waste.
Pity. I've had good luck with Logitech before, but not on the Harmony 880.
The problems you may be having may not be with the remote/battery, but with the cradle itself. There is a known problem with the early releases of it.
The contacts within it are recessed in the unit too far and do not make contact with the remote to charge it.
You can try and contact Logitech and have them send you a new one. Or you can try and fix yourself (to be safe, try both ;) )
Unplug it first, then use a flathead screwdriver to take off the soft rubber pads on the bottom, thus exposing 4 screws.
Unscrew the 4 screws with a philips screwdriver. Then, with a small flathead, you should be able to pry it open.
Place some non-conductive material under the base of the contacts to raise them. I used thick paper folded over, myself. Make sure the contacts still float, so when you place the remote back on, it will make contact w/ all three of them.
Snap the unit back together, and see if it charges your remote.
If it does, put the screws back in, and then put the sticky pads back on, and you should be good to go!
If not, maybe try raising the contacts a bit more. If that doesn't work, then well, it very well could be the battery or the remote.
Even after doing this, I've found I needed to put a weight on top of my remote so it makes contact with all three of the contacts.
I am going to try and contact Logitech to see if can get a replacement (should be under warrenty). But at least in the meantime it will charge up.
Best of luck.
I have two 880s and both have BOTH battery issues -- a piece of rolled-up cardboard fixes the one issue of the battery being the wrong shape for the battery bay within the remote, but the other problem (with the remote not charging because the connection points don't touch) can only be solved by them sending out a replacement dock. Prepare to be on hold for an hour or more. Their customer service isn't very well managed.
Bought one at a garage sale this morning for $7, had to get a new battery for $37 and not it looks like we're in business.
Where in the world did you find a replacement battery?
From the hundreds of other people that did buy the Harmony 880 remote it only seems that 10% were unhappy. I have read hundreds of articles and reviews online recently and the Harmony 880 remote control seems to be making things alot easier and more comfortable then ever before.
To see a review by my visit
10% is still a lot. 10% problems is unacceptable in most business..
I love the remote it is absolutely great but.. the battery life sucks and there are issues with placing the remote on the cradle which I have not been able to solve with and without logitech support.
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement battery other than on ebay ?
I have 2 880 remotes and they all have had the battery contact problem. The customer support is useless if you have ever tried calling them. When you outsource the service you don't know what you're getting.
Th e 880 works well, very convenient but I'm desperately looking for anew battery. Where can I find one.
The Nokia BLB-2 Lithium battery is rated at 3.6V but the Harmony states 3.7V under the cover... would this be an issue?
The Nokia BLB-2 Lithium battery recommended as replacement states it's a 3.6V, but inside the harmony 880 states 3.7V... would this be a problem?
Logitech tech support is fantastic, just call them and they will send you a new base...if all else fails, do it yourself, you can use electrical tape (since it is non-conductive), cardboard has dust particles that ARE conductive, so you dont want to short out the remote.
Cheers.
my problem seems to be the same as everyone else. However i found the reasoning not to be the connections being recessed in the base — but crappy conductors on the remote itself. seems as only after one year of use the conductors that connect to the base have worn - one looks almost like black plastic underneath - i mean i couldnt imagine them using plastic coated in a conductor... or could they... perhaps to save a dime.... anyways my fix is fairly simple .... i put a couple of small pieces of aluminum foil on the conductors on the base.... ( this gives them a greater surface area) .. this seems to get around the worn area on the remote and bingo bango its charging once again. - hope this helps.
ALUMINUM FOIL on the contacts on the cradle. Battery came back to life. BRILLIANT!
Its Dec 2007 and my remote had the same problems. I was able to deal with it by shimming a credit card between cradle and remote. Recently it just hasn't worked. called tech support, phone answered by human within 3 rings. troubleshot my issue and within 5 minutes the issue was escalated. about 10 minutes later I received an email that a replacement cradle would be sent. very smooth experience for me.
You can order replacement batteries through Best Buy's website
I find in eBay an external charger with 2 batteries for $39 or only one battery for $24.99
That is the best solution!
Search:
Logitech Harmony 880 890 720 Remote Battery w/Charger
or
Logitech ~ Harmony 880 NEW Li-ion Rechargable Battery
To the person who posted instructions to fix the charging station, just wanted to thank you immensely. It worked perfectly. Now everytime i put the harmony on the charger, it connects properly (I get the confirmation beep).
We've had this remote for 2 years now. We love this remote, and would buy another if it dies. We did have issues with the charging cradle, our answer was to put a small shiny rock on it, to weigh it down. Later, we found that having the cradle at a slight incline(+ degrees at the top of remote), no more charging issues.
I've had an issue with the cradle not charging, done the paper trick with the battery, tried different angled, weights etc, nothing worked. So I called Logitech support and they're sending me out a new charging cradle even though mine is waaaay out of warranty. Big kudos to Logitech for customer support!
Solution for Remote not charging on cradle.
Take off the four rubber feet. Take out the four phillips screws. Bend up the three gold contacts. Reassemble.
Cost - $0
Time - 1-2 minutes
If the remote contact points look black or dirty, use a Q-Tip and alcohol to remove the grime. The contacts are gold plated metal.
Worth a try.
Just do what Devilish and others said -- works like a charm for me. The 880 worked for just over a year without a glitch before I encountered the same problem. I love the capabilities of the remote, but am a little disappointed with the cheap plasticy quality of the unit. I'll think twice before buying another (unless they come out with something that also works with my PS3...then I'd be first in line).
dont go searching for and/or buying a replacement battery- my harmony 880 worked great for almost two years and then would not charge- luckily I went to the internet and found this blog! just take apart the charging base as described by others here and put some paper, cardboard etc under the contacts to make them stick up through the cover. my remote immediately charged and I am back to loving my 880 again. no sweat. thanks Matt and others for saving me money and aggravation!
I tried to take the cradle apart but it will not come apart. fells like i will break it if I pull any harder. The two ends come apart but the center seems to be connected somehow.
FINALLY! the paper in the battery compartment worked for a few months and then back to a dead $200 remote! Tried the suggestion of opening the base and tweaking the contacts up and viola! charging again! to the previous poster, there are 2 tabs holding the base at the middle, use a small Flathead screwdriver and apply pressure to the outer shell and it will pop right off. its still ridiculous that you can buy a remote that can set the temperature of your refrigerator but cant connect to the charger!!!
Sears on line has replacement batteries. I also tried opening the base and putting paper under the contacts. Seems to be working.
I also had the charging problems with the cradle. Logitech refuses to send replacement cradles....just for all of you to know!
Q-Tip and alcohol did the trick for me!!
I just got off the phone with a tech person for Logitech/Harmony. I have had all the same problems and my remote is about two years old. Their customer service line is really useless and they have not answered my email support questions--so I called and got some on the phone right away. He listened to everything I have been through, put me on hold and then came back and offered me 75% off a 900 Harmony but I told him that there were 3 websites now talking about this problem and it seemed to me that this a manufacturing defect in their remotes and they should own up to it and do a recall. He said he would elevate this issue up the ladder and get back to me in a couple of days. I told him that I can get the remote at half price on amazon.com without shipping charges-which is better then his offer.
I went down the same rabbit hole everyone else did new battery, new charge base and when I read about the foil trick--tried it and that worked on the old battery and old charge base--definitely a defect in the harmony remote and for this price we shouldn't have to do these type of fixes. I suggest folks call the Logitech folks at 510-795-8500 and start telling them about their problems, maybe the company will own up to the defect.
It was the contacts...The cardboard trick to prop up the contacts works like a charm
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