Harmony 880 Remote - battery problems
I recently bought a Harmony 880 remote control. Harmony is a Canadian company recently bought by Logitech. I bought my remote from Dell for about CAD$190 delivered. It’s a great unit. There is one problem I had: battery charging.
As long as the remote remained on the charging cradle, it would work. As soon as the remote was removed from the cradle, it stopped working. The problem was battery charging. The battery does not touch the charging contacts properly. In fact, the battery is too loose within the battery compartment. I solved this with a piece of paper. The battery needs to be forced towards the charging contacts.
This image should explain all (click on it for a larger image):
As you can see, I put the paper only in one corner. That made the battrery cover easier to close.
I got a hint for this paper-solution at Audioholics forum. The problem I encounted was not quite the same as the ones mentioned there. My conversation with Harmony support staff indicated the problem was new to them too.
Hope this helps other Harmony owners.
February 8th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
Thanks for the great tip! I thought my 880 was a victim of the defective cradle too, until I tried your solution. It worked immediately. One further piece of advice. DO NOT attempt to pry the battery cover off! Slide it out with a moderate amount of force, by hand only.
February 8th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
James!
Yes, a very valid point. Be careful when removing the battery cover. It slides…..
BTW James, what led you to this tip? Google?
February 11th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Yep, Google! via this webpage:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=120058
Thanks again!
February 11th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Ahh good, thanks. I posted this URL there.
March 1st, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Thanks for the solution. I was just about to return my remote when I came across this page. The paper solved the problem, but I can’t say I’m all that pleased with having to make this modification on a $250 remote. It’s like buying a new dining room set and having to put a matchbook under one of the table legs because the manufacturers messed it up.
March 1st, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Derek: it is a manufacturing defect. It could be as simple as a slight change in spec for the battery.
At least the matchbook is out of sight.
April 11th, 2006 at 11:38 am
Thanks for the help on this. I just got a new 880 ($141) from Comp-U-Plus and I thought it had been charging overnight. No such luck. Frist hit on Google was the audioholics forum thread, which contained your first.
April 11th, 2006 at 11:43 am
Rob: glad it helped!
June 16th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
I’m so glad that you made this post. I recognized that this was probably a battery issue, since it functioned fine in the cradle. Having just received the remote yesterday, I was frustrated with the thought of having to go through the hassle of doing a return with Amazon. Now I can just make the fix myself. Many thanks!!
June 16th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Dennis: Glad it helped. There’s nothing so frustrating as getting a new toy and being disappointed with it.
July 13th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Great tip. I thought my problem was the cradle, since my remote worked flawlessly otherwise. I added the paper behind the battery and now it charges without fail. I was on hold with Logitech when I came across this web page and tried the paper. By the time a rep had picked up the phone, my problem was solved. He said they now have a rubber spacer they will send you to use instead of the paper. I am now awaiting that spacer. You can contact them at 866-291-1505 to get a spacer yourself.
Darren
July 14th, 2006 at 6:19 am
Darren: Actually, I discovered the paper spacer solution while on hold with Logitech…
When you get the rubber spacer, can you post some photographs of it? I’m curious. I don’t know if I’ll call for mine or not. It’s a time thing…
September 9th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Great tip. My 880 however is suffering from a failure of setting properly in the cradle to provide the charge. By shimming betwen the remote and cradle I can get it to charge. Very poor for a $249 remote. The matchbook shows.
September 9th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Bob: I had that cradle setting problem after we went away for a week and left a 16 year old at home…. Symptoms: unit beeps twice when you place it in the cradle. The first means: I’m charging. The second means: I’m not charging any more. I found that cleaning the cradle, remote, and contacts cleared up that problem.
Can you take a photo of your shim solution, and I’ll post it here so others can use that solution.
cheers
October 23rd, 2006 at 7:57 am
There is a known issue with certain early cradles not charging properly. If you call Logitech support, they will check the s/n of your cradle and see if it’s in the “bad” batch. They sent me a replacement and… problem solved!
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:37 am
Thanks John.
It sounds like Logitech support is very responsive in terms of these two problems (the battery positioning, and cradle recharging).
November 7th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
English USA 1-866-291-1505 press 1 for tech support
press 2 for returns
November 7th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Dan, Thank you!
December 12th, 2006 at 2:22 am
Our Harmony 880 remote quit charging. My husband was in a full leg cast so getting up to change the channel was not an option. I was searching on the internet for a battery replacement when I found your website. Your solution worked perfectly. Of course I told my husband that the remedy was very “high tech”.
Thanks, you made our day.
Megan
December 12th, 2006 at 8:13 am
\o/
January 7th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Is every one otherwise happy with the 880
January 15th, 2007 at 7:51 am
OK, now that you boys have gotten to know each other, where the ell can I get a replacement battery for my 880?
I got two 1000s, four 890s, four 880s, and three 720s (all brand new, except for the one 880 that I thought I wou;ld use. It’s only three months old). But I need ONE replacement battery for ONE 880. Can someone help me… Please?
Respond to the following (read the directions afterwards…
880jcmorgan1@123hotmail.com ….—->>> remove the first “880″ and the “123″ and you have the correct email address).
Please let me know. I really want to use it, but I left the unit on the charger for two mponths before I decided to give it a try.
Thanx
January 15th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
hey THANKS so much, I’d have gone and bought a replacement without your post.
January 15th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Keith: you are quite welcome. Glad to help.
January 19th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
I need a battery for a Harmony 720, does anyone know a web site for this, I am not having much luck with google (found this site looking for battery)
January 29th, 2007 at 12:51 am
Thanks a bunch! I put in the shim, wouldn’t work still. Cleaned the contact, still no luck. Finally wiggled the remote around in the charging cradle the charging light stayed on. Without your mesage i would have thrown the d____ thing out! I have had it for about 16 months but havent used it lately. Thanks again!
January 31st, 2007 at 1:19 am
Wonder of wonders Logitech is going to send me a new charging cradle and a new battery. Thanks
January 31st, 2007 at 8:11 am
FWIW, when I first contacted Logitech regarding the problem (Nov 2005), they were ready to send me a whole new unit. Perhaps things have evolved since then.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Hello,
The tip with the paper in the battery is a good one. However it now appears the battery on mine has failed. The device fails to charge and after taking the battery out and putting back in the unit will no longer function because there is not enough battery life (I’m guessing?) The unit has served well for over a year now but I think I will need a new battery. I’m sure Logitech won’t send me a battery for an old unit
February 6th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Cory: Do you hear a beep when you place the remote in the recharging cradle?
I hear a single beep when the remote is placed on the cradle, and two beeps when it is removed. The single beep indicates that the unit is now correctly positioned for charging.
February 14th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
I have been getting by recharging my 880’s battery by cleaning/wiggling/etc the remote and charging dock followed by placing a ~1/2 pound glass drink coaster on the remote to get it to charge. Recently, though, despite this routine it is no longer working. Any other ideas?
February 15th, 2007 at 8:31 am
I would contact Harmony support. Try this URL:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/utilities/contact/US/EN
March 27th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
had the same problem and the paper trick worked like a charm.
thanks a lot.
April 7th, 2007 at 9:53 am
I had problems with charging on my 880 too. I needed to wiggle the unit before it would start charging, and often it would stop by itself.
the problem was not with the fit of the battery.
finally I solved it by taking some sandpaper and sanding down the area around the contacts on the back of the remote. now it charges immediately when I drop it into the cradle.
however, I have a second 880 with no battery because it was lost. I have tried everywhere but cannot find a replacement…
April 7th, 2007 at 9:56 am
What have Harmony/Logitech said regarding a new battery?
May 4th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Thanks for the tip. The internet is great.
June 12th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
thanks so much! I thought I was going to have to wait weeks for a new cradle but your tip worked right away! You the man!!!
June 18th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
I got this remote via justdeals.com for 109$ + shiping, this “deal” e-bay merchant has a poor customer support… they simply never reply for a credit verification problem. The remote was USED, and the serial number removed with a black marker!!! I will never buy from them again, By the way, my positive rating on e-bay is 100%, the goods are always great, except this USED remote from Justdeals.com
Anyway, I did try the battery fix since it look quite loose, the cradle seems to have problems too. I will see tomorrow if the remote is charged. Tks for the tip Dan!
June 18th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
The battery problem is solved, GREAT, I used the same method as on the pic. I removed it from the cradle and the remote was working. The cradle issue is still there, I wrote to Logitech about it but I will try to find a solution that could be some sort of small metal pins that I could fix with a soldering tool. Feel free to come back to me with other solutions.
Maxims
June 21st, 2007 at 7:21 pm
I purchased my replacement battery on ebay, searching “Logitech 880 battery” from Seller: “the_sellution”. Fast shipping and works like a charm, under $25. It is a generic replacement battery for the Logitech Harmony 880, 890 or 720.
June 29th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Splasher - I bought two of those from the same seller. Mine won’t charge, but the replacement I bought last year from a guy in Australia charges fine. What model are you using it in?
I’ve tried the paper shim, raising the pins on the charge stand, sanding the plastic off from around the pins on the remote, cleaning pins, etc… One battery charges fine, the other two do not. I have two stands and two remotes - same results with all combinations so I really think the battery is not compatable. I have a pair of 880s - is your battery working in an 880?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Thank you very much for this excellent advice! We have had our remote for about 2 year. About a month ago it stopped working properly. It seems impossible to buy a battery that will fit the unit, so we were forced to use all the various remotes that we have laying around the house. Since we had passed the warranty deadline, I was choking at the thought that I would have to drop another bunch of cash on a replacement. Works like a charm now.
October 24th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Hey guys, not sure how all your battery issues are going. Had my 880 for over a year now after trading it in with one that would not charge
Never did put the new one in service though, but left it on the charger all this time. When I finally tried it, no battery power. The battery cover was difficult to remove and the battery was badly swollen. The tech at Logitech agreed that the battery overcharged and is sending out a free (yes free) replacement. Meanwhile, through the conversation, I asked him if he was familiar with the BLB-2 battery used in the Nokia phones. He said he had heard of customers using that battery but had been ‘instructed’ by Logitech not to recommend it. If you check that battery out on eBay, 2 things.
1) you can find it rated at the same 950 mAh and 3.7 volt and
2) It is dirt cheap since it is for a non current phone.
Happy thoughts
January 11th, 2008 at 9:55 am
All I can say is you just saved me $400 plus trying to explain to the wife how a remote got lodged in the plasma panel. Thanks!
February 29th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I also hace a 880 remote and it will not charge. The battery logo is red and has a question mark through it. Any ideas.