Elk Keyfob FYI

[mikefamig]

For anyone who's interested I had an Elk keyfob go dead so I decided to open it up and look inside. I used a utility knife to cut into a corner of it where the front and back halves meet and was able to pry the halves apart and I found that it has a removable battery like pretty much any other device.
 
A volt meter surprisingly showed zero volts on the battery, it's not often that I've seen a battery go stone cold dead like that. I thought that maybe the fob had a short but you can't prove it by me, a new battery brought it right back to life and it has been workign for a two weeks now. i don't remember the battery number but I think that it's common to overhead door openers because the number was familiar to me and I found a replacement at Home Depot.
 
I glued it back together with a little rubber cement called Barge Cement and a dot or two of super glue to hold it in place while the rubber cement set up. I know that the keyfobs are not very expensive to replace but I was curious.
 
Mike.

 

[Del91574]

Non-replaceable battery? That's ridiculous. Even at an anticipated 5 year life, dropping $40 or so for a new unit vs. a $5 battery (assuming something like a 2032 coin cell) unless it's one of the funky custom ones (GE used to have them).
 
While I'm on the skeptical and can't be swayed to Elk wireless, that would be another nail in the coffin for me selling these. Fobs that get commonly used burn through batteries pretty fast.

 

[mikefamig]

Yes it is just a common coin shaped battery and yes it is disappointing that they glued the thing shut so that you can't change the battery.
 
Mike.

 

[jon102034050]

This seems crazy to me.  How could somebody at elk overlook this?

 

[mikefamig]

I don't believe that it is an oversight, i see it as a marketing decision.
 
Mike.

 

[RAL]

Elk claims that by sealing the keyfob case, it is more water resistant.  Personally, I'd rather take the chance that maybe the keyfob will be destroyed if I drop it in a puddle rather than having to toss it in the garbage just because the battery died after 3-5 years.   At twice the price of Honeywell or similar keyfobs, I'm not sure the extra water resistance is worth it.

 

[mikefamig]

Elk claims that by sealing the keyfob case, it is more water resistant.  Personally, I'd rather take the chance that maybe the keyfob will be destroyed if I drop it in a puddle rather than having to toss it in the garbage just because the battery died after 3-5 years.   At twice the price of Honeywell or similar keyfobs, I'm not sure the extra water resistance is worth it.

 
Not to mention that my battery died in less than a year. I'm sure that they would have replaced it under warranty but I wanted to see what was inside.
 
Mike.

 

[RAL]

Not to mention that my battery died in less than a year. I'm sure that they would have replaced it under warranty but I wanted to see what was inside.

 
 
Thanks for proving that it can be replaced!
 
Did you have to cut the seam all away around the case, or was just cutting into one corner enough?  Which corner did you start with?

 

[mikefamig]

Thanks for proving that it can be replaced!
 
Did you have to cut the seam all away around the case, or was just cutting into one corner enough?  Which corner did you start with?

 
I started in the top corner above the 2 button and didn't hit the pc board inside but it might be smarter to cut where the keychain goes just because it is further still from the pc board. After making a cut about 1/4" long I was able to pry it apart with a flay bottle opener that I keep on my key chain but a stiff putty knife would work well. Once open the board popped right out and the battery is held by a metal clip the same as your car keyfob.
 
Mike.

 

[Del91574]

Elk claims that by sealing the keyfob case, it is more water resistant.  Personally, I'd rather take the chance that maybe the keyfob will be destroyed if I drop it in a puddle rather than having to toss it in the garbage just because the battery died after 3-5 years.   At twice the price of Honeywell or similar keyfobs, I'm not sure the extra water resistance is worth it.

Agreed.
 
I've run my company vehicle's fob through the washer.....twice, with no issues besides a battery change (buttons shorted) and drying out. I've dropped my personal vehicle's fob in snow many times not to mention an alarm fob.
 
The part about water resistance is phooey to explain away a poor design/manufacturing choice. The membrane switch doesn't seal perfectly, so it would be the same with a snap together case.
 
If we were talking about a panic button/PERS unit, water resistance would be a valid concern, but then again, as an example, Honeywell's 5802 is a sonic welded case with a removable port that has a gasket/O-ring and how'd they do it when Elk couldn't.

 

[ddennerline]

I recently replaced majority of my GE sensors with Elk 6021 sensors. Several of the batteries were subpar voltage-wise. Having to return/call to get new batteries is a pain. Elk should just pay the extra .50c and get brand labeled (Energizer) batteries. 

 

[Del91574]

Can't comment as far as what batteries they ship with or use, but I know that the larger manufacturers have a list of brands that should be used and those that should not be used, mainly due to the current draw on the same sized battery is not the same. Honeywell, for example, used to be Panasonic or Duracell (and a couple of others) and the performance difference is easily seen.