Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for June 30, 2024

There’s a difference between frugality and insanity. This is it.

This is exactly us but I took it further. We were walking across a parking lot and met a neighbor who was having car trouble. The starter just wouldn’t grind. I told her to turn on her headlights and try it again. Wouldn’t you know it, it started right up. She just stared at me. I said “It’s a male thing. You wouldn’t understand.”

I wonder how vulgar Arlo gets with his profanity

If you have an AM radio handy, tune to a blank part of the dial and hold the remote near it while pressing a button to hear if there’s any life at all in the remote. These days the noise floor from wi-fi may make it hard to find a blank part of the dial, or completely defeat the purpose of having an AM radio in the first place.

Try pushing the buttons harder. That sometimes works also. The new batteries Janis speaks of are in her toys. She doesn’t really want to use those for the remote anyway.

Doing that with batteries is part of the Advanced Replacement Notification System built into remotes. ;-)

At my house, it’s the Kool Ade pitcher. One inch of Grape left, and NOBODY says, “Oh, time to make more”. Oh, no, it’s “There’s some left!”

I have a box of AA batteries who read 1.1 volts with a multimeter. From the many remotes around the house.

I do the same as Arlo as my first line of troubleshooting.

See?

Dear Arlo, Thank you for reminding me to put AAA batteries on my shopping list!

Darlin’, he’s a guy – asking for help is like asking for directions; we can’t do that! Just come back and hand him the new batteries, and ask him to put them in for you!

He’s not wrong, it usually does work – the first time!

One of my favorite Christmas stocking stuffers is a hand-held battery tester. I’ve bought a lot of them.

Oh Arlo, just change the batteries.

Take the batteries out, lick their ends, put them back, and enjoy. A simple quick-fix for the lazy.

Many remotes are destroyed by people pressing harder on the buttons when the battery of cells is weak. As my old 1970’s electronics teacher would say, a single AA, AAA, etc. is actually called a cell. A group of cells is called a battery. A 9 volt is actually a true battery because it contains six individual cells. Batteries are multiples of a battery.

Works every time!

My solution is even simpler. I don’t have a TV, or any other gadget that uses a “remote”.

(I admit, however, that I do have other, more “local”, items that use batteries.)

I’ll try just “rotating” the batteries, before taking them out. In both cases, what you are doing is “refreshing” the connections. I have actually fixed Computer problems by “re-seating” the offending add-on card…

“…. Sometimes long enough to get by while getting the replacements.”

I do this. No TV but the mouse scrolling.

We have this same discussion with both the remote and the garage opener remotes. I just replace the batteries when he’s out golfing.

Arlo has turned into his father.

Delaying Tactics of replacing the batteries.

Let it go, Arlo. Batteries are recyclable!

I recycle my batteries into the land fill.

I am the same with flickering lightbulbs. Tap ’em a few times, they might light up.

Anyone else notice how the remote changed color in panel 2? It’s white there, but not in any other panel.