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New member Username: FlipzPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-05 | Hey everyone, I'm hoping you can help me. First off I have a Kenwood VR-409 A/V receiver, and I use the remote it came with, an RC-R0809. For probably about a year now (I've had the setup for around three years now I think) I have been having weird problems with the remote. Or it's the receiver... I'm not sure! When I'm watching DVD's, I'll go to turn up the volume and all of a sudden the remote just isn't working. The LCD lights up when I hit the volume button, and it shows the "transmit" icon on it, but the receiver never does anything. I can hit any button pertaining to the receiver, and it never does a thing. However if I send any signals to the TV, DVD player, or any others, they still work fine. This is what makes me think it's the receiver, but I'm not sure. Sometimes if I hit any button (volume, mute, power, whatever) about 50 times it will all of a sudden start working, and then it's fine from then on. Other times it just won't do a thing, and eventually I go to use it later on in the movie and it actually works. It always seems to be once it starts working, it's fine up until I've turned the receiver off and back on the next time. Does this sound like anything to any of you? Any ideas on what it could be? I just reset the receiver like 6 months ago due to a problem I was having with my center speaker (and it fixed that problem) but I've still continued to have the problems with the remote. Just an FYI, I know this isn't a $1000 setup or anything, and I'm not even sure of the quality when it comes to Kenwood stuff these days, but I am a college student and it's what I have! haha. I'm just trying to make it work right. Thanks! -Brent |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 2729 Registered: Dec-03 | How old are the batteries on the remote? I know it sounds simplistic, but it is often overlooked. |
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New member Username: FlipzPost Number: 2 Registered: Feb-05 | Thanks for the response Berny. The batteries are new... maybe 3 weeks old. I actually meant to say that in my post! The remote has an LCD at the top, and one thing that it displays is the battery life, so I always know when to replace it. The remote never acts any different whether it's on full (4 cells), or blinking (0 cells) to have new batteries. I still don't understand if it's the receiver or remote. On the one hand I lean towards receiver since the remote can still control every other component without issues. But on the other hand if I walk up to the receiver all the buttons on the front still work. So I just can't figure out if the remote is having trouble sending the signal, or the receiver is having trouble getting the signal. Any other ideas? |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 2730 Registered: Dec-03 | Try using a different remote. That should narrow down the culprit. |
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Bronze Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 77 Registered: Jan-05 | Do you have any universal remotes?? If I were you, I'd get a universal remote and program it for your Receiver. Only by trying a different remote will you figure out which is the problem. You can get a good basic universal remote at Best Buy for about $10-20. You said you 'can' operate the TV volume, but not the receiver?? Do you press the same buttons when you operate the TV volume, or is there a seperate set of volume controlls for each?? Anyway, pick up a cheap universal and you'll definitely have your answer. |
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Unregistered guest | I have a kenwood vr-507 receiver and I'm having the exact same problem with the remote. The problem is clearly the receiver. During these "episodes" of the receiver not responding to remote commands, neither the Kenwood remote or my universal remote will work. I have not found a solution nor can I find any clear precipitating factors. It will just randomly not respond to remote commands for 10-15 minute periods then returns to normal. |
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New member Username: FlipzPost Number: 3 Registered: Feb-05 | I wish we could figure out the problem here! I didn't have any universal remotes to test with, but considering confinoj is having the same problem while using a different remote, it's obviously the receiver. We can't be the only ones with this problem! |
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Anonymous | I'm having the same problem with the VR-507. Have not tested with another remote. |
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Joseph Mitchell Unregistered guest | I lost remote control of my VR-507 about a year ago. It was intermitent at first but now I have nothing. The RC-R0720 remote works well for all other components. I tried using a universal remote and I get the same results. It appears to be a problem with the IR sensor in the receiver. I sent this question to Kenwood USA hoping for a response. I would suggest you do the same. We should be able to get Kenwood to respond. |
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Unregistered guest | yea I have the VR-515 and my remote has had the same problem, if any of yall have found anything new send me an email |
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Joy Unregistered guest | Hi i'm having the same problem here, but i'm slight lucky then you, just that i cant adjust the Surround setup . My model is KRF-V8882D and the remote is RC0907. I wonder if anyone out there can help me? |
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nharder Unregistered guest | I have a VR-407 and the same remote (RC-R0809), and have experienced similar problems with the volume and system power buttons. I was able to correct the problem once by cleaning the contact points between the rubber buttons and the circuit board inside with nail polish remover. The thing worked well for a while and then the same problems arose again. After attempting to fix it the same way, I found that I couldn't get it to work again. Oh well. Any other suggestions? |
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Only Mike Unregistered guest | Do you have the receiver in a spot where it will pick up stray sunlight or reflections from outside? The receiver IR detector may be reducing it's sensitivity or getting conflicting signals. mz |
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New member Username: Flight_levelPost Number: 1 Registered: Mar-05 | I have a VR507 with the same problem. I heard that you can verify the remote is working properly by pointing it at a digital camera and pushing buttons. If you get blinking lights from the remote through the camera, the remote is fine as in my case. I called Kenwood and they did not act all that surprised about the problem. I'm less than pleased about the Kenwood as I've heard about this problem before. I'll put a plug in for the Pioneer 1014, its great. |
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charlie_and_a_half Unregistered guest | hello to all, reading all these posts here really makes me wonder. see, i have an old kenwood reciver (KRF-V6030D) with a RC unit (RC-R0609) and I have the exact same problem! the remote just stopped working, at 1st it was only for a few minutes and then it kept working good, but now, it hardly ever works at all! and the volume knob is not great as it used to be. I'm supprised that kenwood knows about this problem comming up on all the recivers and does nothing about it. anyone knows if a universal remote will solve this problem? |
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Unregistered guest | I am fairly new at all of this home theater stuff and Im starting off with some fairly cheap products. I bought a used kenwood vr-306 and new digital research DR 2800. After setting up the system and speakers, it worked fine and the volume wasnt too loud. But after a minute or so, the receiver just shut off. So i was wondering do i need to get an amp for the speakers or just get a better receiver, and also on the back of the speakers, there are four slots to plug in wires and I wasnt sure if i was hooking it up from the speakers to the wires right either. I know its probably cheap stuff, but like the other guy said, i am also a college student and our budget doesnt go too far. Thanks |
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MasGaster Unregistered guest | I have a vr-407 with the same problem. When it stops responding to the remote, if you rap on the clear plastic by the model number it will work again temporarily, then go out after a while again. It's not the remote, and it is not in any sunlight. |
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Unregistered guest | i have a kenwood receiver kra4080 that shuts itself off when you turn it on.it stays on for two seconds after you turn it on,anyonehave any ideas? |
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mls Unregistered guest | I have a Kenwood VR-507 and RC-R0720 remote with the same problem. It was intermittent at first, but now seldom works at all. Anyone with info on who to contact at Kenwood? Thanks. |
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Bob Audlee Unregistered guest | I had the same problem- the RC-R0809 worked with my cable box, tv, and dvd player, but not the Kenwood reciever it came with! I tried the 'whack the faceplate' trick, no luck. New batteries, no luck. 'cleared' the remote's memory, and no luck HERE'S WHAT WORKED: 1- I reset the remote to factory defaults - you need to hold down a peculiar button sequence (check your manual), and reinstall batteries. 2- AFTER clearing, take the batteries out. wait a day or two. 3- reinstall the batteries, and re-clear the memory. That worked for me. My suspicion is that the wee bitty microprocessor in the remote was in a funky state, and the usual 'clear' procedure wasn't actually clearing EVERYTHING. A day or two without batteries, and now its fine. Hope this helps!! -bob |
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Unregistered guest | i to rececently purchased a Kenwood 5.1 surround amp VR505 with a RC RO511 remote (on e-bay).Same as lopes.I had my remote tested at a electronics shop for $20.00,and the man "ran his solerding iron over suspect solder points-known as dry solder points"My unit worked great for the fisrt 6 months,but now only really works when i first turn it on. KENWOOD KRAP REGARDS GREG |
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Unregistered guest | I too have a VR-507 and the remote works intermittently. I will try Bob's suggestion and let you know how it works. I've also just emailed Kenwood's tech support. It would be nice if Kenwood would post some solution to this problem that they obviously must be aware of. |
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Unregistered guest | I too have a VR-507 and the remote works intermittently. I will try Bob's suggestion and let you know how it works. I've also just emailed Kenwood's tech support. It would be nice if Kenwood would post some solution to this problem that they obviously must be aware of. |
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Anonymous | Just my two cents. I also have the VR-507 and have the same problem. The remote often works to turn the receiver on but after a few minutes is unresponsive. Sometimes a few good whacks on the reciever would get it to respond, but I figured that if I kept that up I'd do more damage than good. I've written Kenwood a number of times and have never gotten any response. They don't make them like they used to. I have a 20 year old Kenwood amp that still works great, but the new Kenwood stuff seems a little lacking in the quality department (unless you willing to shell out $1000 for the soverign line). If anyone gets a promising lead on how to address this issue it would be appreciated. |
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Bandman Unregistered guest | Gotta share with the group....I am having the same problem with the VR-507 (RC-R0720) remote. I went through the manual, tried every code in the book, tried the new battery thing, all to no avail. I would love to try Bob's idea, but I'm not quite sure what the default code is...especially since I've tried them all. Please share the digits. |
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A. Cole Unregistered guest | I have a VR507 with the same problem. I got this receiver about 4 years ago and for at least the last 2 years I have this same problem with the remote. I was beginning to think it was just me, but I see I'm not alone. I have tried to use different universal remote's but the same thing happens. If you leave the receiver on for a whole day and pick the remote up it is fine. If you turn it off, it won't respond to the remote. I suspect a receiver problem. You can reset the processor on the 507 by unplugging it then plugging it back into the wall while depressing the power button, but that didn't help either. I would appreciate any feedback as well as to how to solve this problem. |
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Mike M. in COS Unregistered guest | This is a problem with the receiver itself -- check out this page. Someone has posted a fix for the VR-507 which involves re-soldering some joints. The circuit board looks a little different on my VR-409 so I'm not quite sure how to fix it. http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-theater/thread.cgi?3016,3 |
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Vander Unregistered guest | Wow. I just pulled the front cover of my VR-507 and soldered the 3 pins that the didn't get soldered at the factory. Here is a quick link to the picture. http://home.comcast.net/~apastuszak Don't be scared to try this yourself. It took me less than 5 minutes. Thanks to Plazman30 for finding a solution. And a big F*** off to Kenwood for not telling people over the phone about an obviously known problem. |
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Bandman Unregistered guest | Hello good people. I wrote to Kenwood with our complaint and here is the response that I received: Thank you for writing to us at Kenwood USA Corporation. In regards to your inquiry, first try replacing the batteries if you haven't already. If that doesn't help, try resetting the receiver. Simply unplug the receiver, then press and hold the power button on the receiver while you plug it back in. Turn the unit on, and the display should say 87.50 to confirm the reset. If the remote still does not work, use a digital camera as an eye, face it towards the IR of the remote control. Depress any of the remotes buttons; you should see IR flash each time a button is pressed. If not then the problem is with the remote. If the remote works fine, then the problem is with the receiver. In order to determine the cause of the problem, I suggest you take the defective unit to a Kenwood authorized service center for evaluation. You can find information for authorized service centers in your area by visiting our website at www.kenwoodusa.com. If you have any further questions or need help with anything, please feel free to contact us again. I hope that this helps someone. |
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Bob Audlee Unregistered guest | Sorry I didn't post the key code- its really tough to describe. In the manual for my RC-R0809 the instructions are in the top right-hand corner of page 9. Here's my best attempt to describe what the pictures indicate. 1- remove batteries. 2- holding down the UP-ARROW key in the TOP RIGHT of the keypad (right under the LCD), AND the LEFT SEMICIRCULAR BUTTON*, reinstall the batteries. You may need three hands. * the LEFT SEMICIRCULAR BUTTON is tough to describe, and it doesn't have a name in the manual, just an icon of a large left arrow above two smaller left arrows. Take a look at your remote. You know that odd array of four semicircular buttons around an enter button? They seem to be labelled "Tuning", and they're just beneath the "Listen Mode", "Sound", and "Subwoofer" buttons. Well, its the semicircular button on the LEFT that you need to hold down. Good luck! Mine still (mostly) works again. I'd be interested in hearing if the cold-solder-joint fix works for anyone else! -Bob |
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tvron321 Unregistered guest | had the same remote problem with vr 407. the solder joint fixed it. thanks all. |
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Jimbo_COUS Unregistered guest | My VR-505 has the same issue, and I can confirm in my case it is the receiver rather than the remote, since I have a universal remote and neither unit will work. In my case, after 30 minutes or so after power-on the IR receiver starts working. Interesting comment above about cold solder joints on the VR-507 at the IR receiver; wonder if the 505 has the same issue. Hmmm. |
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Unregistered guest | This is definitely a helpful thread here. I have a VR-507 that started intermittently not being able to respond to any remote, and now only responds for about 5 minutes before being "stuck". I don't know where my soldering iron is, but I'll find it soon and try to post to the list to see if it helped. I did investigate professional repair, and it seems as if it will cost a significant portion of the price of purchasing something close on ebay. |
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Unregistered guest | OK, I didn't find the soldering iron, but just bending the unsoldered points into the metal to make contact fixed the problem. The key is to be a little careful removing the case. First remove the four screws to the side of the front panel, and then the four screws in the back of the unit. The whole chassis can be pushed upwards from the back (gently) and then pulled backwards a little to take it off, then the front panel can be removed by unclasping a metal clasp from the little catch it's on on each side of the front panel. You'll also have to remove a couple thin (fragile) parallel wire sets. Anyway, I'm excited, things seem to be working well. I'll have to do it all again when I have an iron, but this is great! Thanks for sorting this out! |
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Hiredthug Unregistered guest | VR-409 Soldering worked on mine & it did not even look like it needed it i just redid it over what was there by the way COLD HEAT gun works just as discibed. but stays a little hot longer than they say either way took me about 5 min total start to finish... just like "Vander" shows for the 507 |
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New member Username: LenjiaPost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-05 | Message: I thought I was having a problem with my remote and or receiver last week when it woiuldnt turn on. The remote I was useing at the time was a universal remote that came with our cabel. It had been working fine until about 1 week ago when it wouldnt turn on the power on the receiver. I finally had to start turning on the power by hand and then the remote wouldnt change the volume level. I got the remote that came with the receiver and tried that, it worked for a few times, then quit working. The remote that came with the unit wont do anything. The remote is fine, new battries are in it. I called a tech support person on the 9 of this month and talked with him and he told me to reset the unit, I did this and it still doesnt work. I looked on the Internet for the problem and found a website called https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/122836.html and found that quit a few people are having the same problem with there units. I also found on this site a soluti on to the problem, it involves cold sodering a point in the receiver. This I know nothing about doing and would never try it to the receiver because of fear of hurting the receiver more. Once I had went through this site, I called another tech support person and he pretty much told me the same thing, reset the unit. He also said that they were not familar with this problem to theses units. I find it really hard to beleive that you dont know anything about this and are not willing to pay for this defect to these units. I have had my unit for about 4 years so all of the warrinties are pretty much out dated on it. I have never had a problem with the unit at all, as a matter of fact I love he sound of it and have always had Kenwood products, please dont let me down on this issue. Take a look at the web site that I sent and see for youreself the problems that people are having and what they are having to do to fix the problem themselves. ________________________________________________________ I am waiting to hear from them, I sent this today and also called them twice, got the same response you guys did. When I find out something from them, I will post it on here. |
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Unregistered guest | I have a VR-407 and experienced the same problems many of you are describing. The remote worked intermitently and hitting the front of the receiver would temprorarly fix it sometimes. I opened up the unit, and discovered a bad solder connection on the IR module. It sounds like a significant design flaw since some of you have had the same failure with the IR receiver. My suggestion is to open the beast up and reflow the 3 solder joints on the IR module. |
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Unregistered guest | Thanks for this thread I just fixed my VR-507 using the info provided and the remote is working like a charm! I bought mine as an open box special back in summer of 2002, and in the last couple years has been having troubles with the remote. I did the digital camera trick to verify it wasn't the remote, but considering all the other devices just worked, I figured it was something in the receiver. And thanks to you guys, I fixed it. It'll be great to finally be able to adjust the volumn and change inputs w/o having to get up. I decided to document (Fixing Remote Control of Kenwood VR-507) how mine looked as I fixed it. Some of the photos out there weren't too great. Unlike others, I had to add a bit of solder to keep the pins completely surrounded. |