[RE-wrenches] Repairing malfunctioning Mate buttons

[Nick Lucchese]

Has anyone had any success or advice on how to replace the dying buttons on
old classic Mates? I still have many systems out there that have the issue
and replacing with a $500+ Mate3-s isn't a good option even if I could
easily find them or want to give the new owners of Outback my money. I was
able to pull out the soft silicone button yesterday and get a single press
out of the INV button with two small screws on the contact tabs but was
still problematic. The other buttons took about 30 presses to get a single
response. Seems that sites that never utilize any of the features and don't
regularly exercise the buttons are worse off than those that see frequent
use.

Is there a good way to perhaps repurpose buttons from old MX/Flexmax
controllers? How deep into the disassembly of the Mate do you need to go to
get access for a fix? I observed four small phillips screws but it appears
it requires going much deeper to get to the front side of the body. What is
the actual point of failure, corrosion or dust covering the two little
points? Is there a document that exists somewhere on how to resolve this?
Would love to be able to remedy this for my clients.

Thanks Wrench wizards, Nick
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