Help repairing cats lair

Hi everyone, so I went and left batteries in my cats lair and they've leaked, I know, I know, I'm an idiot. Believe me I know.

Looking for advice from anyone who has successfully repaired their lair electronics.
What worked for them, steps they took etc.

Will post pictures soon.

Sounds like you need to remove the corrosion from the battery terminals to get to working again. Can you remove them from the enclosure or are they wired in? You could try baking soda or something like that to remove the affected parts.

There are numerous websites which give tips and methods on how to clean the battery electronics in toys, radios, etc. This is just one such site: http://iamhardware.com/how-to-fix-toys-or-anything-that-have-battery-corrosion/

You can go through other similar websites to see whose method are you comfortable with. There are also plenty of YouTube videos which show how to remove such acid corrosion and get the electronics to work again. Hopefully one of these will help you to get your Cats Lair working again. Best of luck! :thumbsup

Thanks guys, I already cleaned them up best I could without actually taking the terminals out of the plastic housing, they don't look that bad anymore but still doesn't work. think I'll have to look at replacing one of them as well as part of its snapped off.

Well I've made some progress, looks like the corrosion went further than I thought.


Is it just me or does anyone else think the head looks more like a dog than a cat?

Broken battery plate.


It looks to me like I'll need to find 2 replacement battery plates and solder the power lead back on.

Update: As of today,
It lives! Cats Lair lives! :liono

"ThunderECH, post: 122170, member: 26380" said:

Update: As of today,
It lives! Cats Lair lives! :liono

Very glad to hear that you managed to get the lair working again! :thumbsup

If you want to learn how to turn your cat's head back to its original blue color, I would be happy to share the process. I've done it on mine and it looks amazing.

"krazycp, post: 122196, member: 24991" said:

If you want to learn how to turn your cat's head back to its original blue color, I would be happy to share the process. I've done it on mine and it looks amazing.

Please share the process here (or you can even start a new thread if you like) so that all the members can benefit from the info. :)

"krazycp, post: 122196, member: 24991" said:

If you want to learn how to turn your cat's head back to its original blue color, I would be happy to share the process. I've done it on mine and it looks amazing.

yes please

"krazycp, post: 122196, member: 24991" said:

If you want to learn how to turn your cat's head back to its original blue color, I would be happy to share the process. I've done it on mine and it looks amazing.

Peroxide?

Okay, here is my method. Many people use this with slight variations:

1. You will need a clear container that is big enough to hold the part you want to de-yellow.
2. Place the item in the container.
3. Pour some hydrogen peroxide in the bottom. There is no need to fill it up. Just a 1/2" in the bottom is fine. I use 3% solution I can buy at Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, Etc.
4. The weather outside needs to be sunny with little clouds. It is important that the temperature is not over 75 degrees F. Too hot will cause issues with the plastic.
5. Place the item in inside the container. I used to always let it site in the bottom, but I've noticed any parts in contact with the hydrogen peroxide will de-yellow faster and sometimes lose color. Instead, I will place a small tray inside the container to elevate the piece above the bottom so it isn't in contact with the peroxide.
6. Place clear plastic wrap over the top of the container. It is important you get an air tight seal. If not, it won't work.
7. Place the container out in the sun for 4-5 hours. Make sure the temp doesn't go above 75 F, because your item is inside essentially a green house so it will be much hotter. Don't place it anywhere that could make it hotter, like on top of asphalt.
8. After you are done, give it a good wash with Dawn soap and water.
9. Do just one half of the cat's lair head first to compare it to the other half.
10. Sometimes it might need 2-3 treatments.