Fixing Anderson buzzers

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cottonmouth
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Fixing Anderson buzzers

Post by cottonmouth »

Does anyone have any experience with opening the cases of the actual buzzer that players hold to fix lights on the Anderson buzzer system?

I know that sunken lights is a common fault of this buzzer system, but the lights on my set have jostled, leaving it very difficult to see the light. I'm hoping that opening the buzzer up and realigning might fix the issue, but I'm worried that the case might be soldered in a way that would cause further damage if opened.
Lucas Sun
Wayzata '15
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dwd500
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Re: Fixing Anderson buzzers

Post by dwd500 »

You're fine, there's no soldering to the case or anything like that.

What's likely busted is the little plastic retainer that holds the LED up in place. I've never been able to find a suitable replacement for that. One time, I tried CA glue, but that failed after somewhat moderate use. Bending the leads of the LED won't help it stay, either.

Also, the rubber feet that you remove to get to the screws will not want to stay reattached after that. They're easy to replace, I'm just lazy and never remember to buy new feet.
Last edited by dwd500 on Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Fixing Anderson buzzers

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Yeah, I've done this a bunch of times (during tournaments, even!) and David is basically right. Bending the LED leads so it's pushed up further through the hole on the box can help restore the light to basic usability, and is generally better than nothing, but it's not a permanent solution.
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cottonmouth
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Re: Fixing Anderson buzzers

Post by cottonmouth »

Great, thanks! This should be a good fix for now, and it's not too much of a pain to do if it comes up again.
Lucas Sun
Wayzata '15
Minnesota '19
Wayzata High School Head Coach
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