Here we are again folks. More probs with the old keycard! I have written quite a bit in various posts about keycards. No doubt there will be more....
This particular problem comes complete with resolution!
The car was unlocked using the keycard (NOT hands-free type), driven about 2 miles and parked. It was then found that the lock/unlock facility would not work at all. The card would enable the car to start. Checked card battery - no difference. Spare card was at home 208 miles away. (Note to self, always take spare card you imbecile!)
This was very inconvenient as car had to be left parked by the roadside for several days unlocked. Getting into the boot to load luggage etc was awkward. Blasted Renaults! Verdammte keycards!
Upon return home tried the spare card and lock/unlock worked fine. Phew. Card is the problem, not the car.
Once again I opened the card - getting the hang of this now having done it so often. Extreme care needed. Not so easy as cracking open a crab shell!
Could find nothing wrong inside. Dry joints can be a problem. Went over them all with a fine soldering iron, thin solder and a steady hand. No good. The switches sometimes play up but all three worked OK - confirmed by operating and checking continuity. These simple items are small copper discs that make use of the "oil-can effect", very common in electronics now.
Out of desperation I examined the PCB using an eye glass and compared it to a spare card I bought from ebay last year. I was amazed to find a resistor missing!! With care (and the fine-tipped soldering iron), I removed the resistor from the spare card and fitted it to my original. Eureka - it worked!! But where had the resistor gone? I can only guess that because of bad joints, it dropped off and fell out when I opened the case. Perhaps it received a knock which helped to dislodge it. Whatever, the replacement will not be coming off!
I attach a couple of photos. The red lines show the offending item. The card on the left is normal card. Card on the right is hands-free. Latter contains many more components than the former. I was told at the Renault garage that all cards are the same which was clearly not accurate. However there is nothing on the case to distinguish between normal and hands-free so perhaps the error is understandable. It is very unlikely that any Renault technician has actually opened a card. Only us "Freds in sheds" would spare the time to do that!
Back in my early days of electronics (1956!), PCBs were covered with chunky resistors and capacitors, pushed through and soldered from the back. The modern miniscule items are called SMD (Surface Mount Devices) and sit on the board. If you already knew that, apologies.
I mentioned ebay earlier. Because of rising prices, it is almost impossible now to get a bargain spare card. Some sellers claim they can be reprogrammed. They cannot. They are only useful for spares ie coil, switches ( and resisitors....)
Wish I had bought more... The immobiliser parts of the cards are the same ie the coils.
Is this post of any use or interest to anybody?
Mike
https://img839.imageshack.us/img839/1332/keycard1.jpghttps://img859.imageshack.us/img859/9930/keycard2.jpg
