Helicopter Toy Repair

In this Instructable, I will tackle a repair of a helicopter toy that no longer turns on.

The helicopter belongs to my kids and they reported that suddenly they were not able to turn it on anymore.

Tools and materials used in the video:

• Soldering kit - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_9A0lzS
• Multimeter - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_9uJI5e
• Toy switch - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ATnNkC

• Soldering helping hand - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_9HiaNA
• Precision screwdriver set - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AnlHOk
• Helicopter toy - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_9JWeyk

Before opening anything, I wanted to make sure that the remote is OK since it is a crucial part of the operation of the helicopter toy.

As with any IR remote, the easiest way to see if the remote is actually sending IR signals is to point it to a camera and check for visible flashes of the IR diodes.

In my case, I was able to see the diodes flashing so I continued on to open up the helicopter and inspect the inside.

The helicopter is held together by a few screws that I removed using a small screwdriver.

Once all of the screws were removed, I gently lifted one of the sides to expose the inside of the helicopter.

Since this one has a tail rotor as well, I was especially gentle with it since it stayed on the side that I removed.

To rule out any charging issues I checked the battery voltage using a multimeter.

The voltage showed 4V and this is really close to the full charge voltage of lithium cells at 4.2V so I knew that the battery was indeed charged and it should have worked.

Since there were no other obvious faults like burn marks or broken wires, I focused my attention on the switch that actually turns on the helicopter.

These are usually very tiny and also very easy to get destroyed by sudden drops or sloppy handling from kids.

They usually have two positions and three pins where the middle pin is common and it is then connected either to power on the circuit on one side or to connect the battery to the charging circuit on the other.

You can check the switch by moving it to both directions and checking with a multimeter for continuity between the middle pin and the pins to the sides.

In my case, the charging pin was connecting as expected but the on side was not so I continued to figure out a way to replace the switch.

To remove the old switch, I first added some fresh solder to the pads of it and I then used a small screwdriver to gently pry it off the PCB while applying heat with the soldering iron.

I do not own a hot air blower so this removal is usually destructive but it makes no difference since the switch is already broken.

Once the switch is removed I used a bit of solder to reflow the pads and remove any debris from them so I can prepare them for the new switch.

The odds of having or finding an exact switch replacement are almost nonexistent, so I checked my parts drawers and I found a relatively small switch to use.

Since there was no room to add it in the same position as before, I made a notch in the helicopter body behind the rotors and I run small wires from the switch pads to the back making sure to keep the pads to pins order same.

To hold the switch in place, I used a drop of super glue.

With the switch in place, I had to wiggle the new wires to fit in the case but it wasn't too difficult to close it.

To confirm that it now works as expected, I checked the flying and the charging as well and they both worked.

If you found this Instructable to be helpful and interesting then please also check my other ones and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more projects and repairs.