Lifehacks Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people looking to bypass life's everyday problems with simple tricks. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I lost a battery cover for my TV remote control. It is similar to the one in this photo.
It is a very old model TV so I don't think replacement parts are available. What would make a good substitute battery cover?
Ideally something which is easily removable and replaceable when the batteries need to be changed.
My initial thought was tape but I am not sure this would work as the batteries wouldn't be kept secure and would likely lose contact with the terminals.
Fold a piece of cardboard to the required size, and make sure it is thick enough to put some pressure on the batteries to hold them in place. Then secure the cardboard into position with some cloth tape.
I cut up an old plastic gift card. Fit it into the space and secured it with paper tape. It works great and holds the batteries in place.
I used a piece of craft foam for the back of the TV remote control. Cut to size which moulds into the slot.
The misgivings I have with "use XYZ and tape it in" type answers is that over time taped items that are held or handled tend to go sticky / gooey as the adhesive rubs off /becomes contaminated with skin oils and gets on other things
Using [the blue/white sticky stuff that adheres posters to walls] (whatever your country calls it) to stick the batteries in (put it under the batteries so you don't touch it) may suffice
You may be able to source a replacement "universal" remote control that does have a battery door, these are usually only a couple of dollars
Try seeing if anyone is selling a second hand remote on eBay. If you often lose battery doors, consider drilling two small holes in it, and another in the remote then using wire/thread looped through the holes to attach the door to the remote, tucking most of the thread inside the remote when the door is fitted
Just use duct tape to hold them in. Make sure the duct tape is double-sided or rolled into a tube. Also, the tube can't be too thick.
Even easier than the cardboard mentioned by Adam is paper, because that's always available. By folding a sheet of paper enough times you can get any thickness you want, by folding creatively you can even get different thickness in different places.
Use tape to secure it. Make sure to cover the entirety of the paper with tape, otherwise any part of the paper that comes into contact with skin while holding the remote will start to crumble and make a mess after a few months. Normal scotch tape (transparent adhesive tape) will do.
Keep in mind that ripping at the ends of the tape seems to be part of human nature, so you may need to replace it occasionally.
My thought was to adapt the plastic gift card idea by taking the gift card, cutting it to size, then put gorilla tape over the card and on the sides of the device then apply velcro on both sides of the tape and whatever device you're applying it on, that way you have a reusable solution to a missing battery cover so you don't have to replace the tape.
You can put a rubber band around the whole remote securing the batteries in without affecting any buttons.
