The word projector conjures some pretty painful images—shots of grandma’s adventures in botany, awkward silences and averted eyes in health class. The remote control is clearly a powerful tool. Use it compassionately, friends—and wisely by following these five tips:

1. If you will not be using the projector remote control for a long period of time, remove the batteries. Do not place the batteries upside down. Some remotes will wear down the batteries even while the projector remote control is stored and not being used. A solution to this problem was to put the projector remote's batteries in backwards so they wouldn't lose power. It does save power, but it also is a hazard since the batteries could overheat and rupture.

2. Avoid heat. Avoid leaving the projector remote control in an environment of excessive heat or humidity.

3. You can aim the remote at the screen surface instead of the projector. This trick works from a standard distance of less than 15 feet, but with a distance of around 25 feet it may or may not work. The ability to bounce the IR off of the projection screen gives you a lot more freedom to roam around the room.

4. Don't mix old and new batteries. If you mix old batteries with new freshly-charged ones in your digital projector, the remote control batteries can overheat and rupture.

5. Keep the remote control dry. As with all electronics, exposure to moisture can ruin it.

Photo CC 2.0, libraryman

Surge protectors offer a great defense against spikes and surges in the power lines, but according to Helium writer M.R. Hill, many of them are just “glorified extension cords.”

“The manufacturers' warranty is one way to determine the quality of protection your surge suppressor is providing; the higher the guarantee, the greater the protection. However, I would not recommend that you put a surge protector that has a guarantee of $25,000.00 on an electronic that cost you $50.00. If in doubt, as to which surge suppressor is right for your electronic equipment, ask the sales staff.

You should also surge protect any phone-line jacks on your electronic equipment, such as on a fax machine or computer. Some surge suppressor come with the modem suppressor for the phone line build-in, or you can buy the modem surge separately. This is a matter of personal preference. The surges from the phone lins (sic) can be just as damaging as those from the electrical wires.

Many electronics like computers requires a dedicated receptacle. This is because not all surges came for outside the house. Your electronics can receive surges from other appliances when the other equipment is turned on. Keep each surge suppressor on individual receptacles, this way you can reduce the number of surges your equipment receives.”

LCD monitors are highly sensitive—and not cheap—so you should avoid running with scissors near your screen whenever possible. If you do somehow damage the liquid crystal display, follow this advice from Hackosis:

For a temporary fix:

• Clean the surface of the screen with diluted isopropyl alcohol (50/50 with water) with a cloth—not toilet paper or paper towels. These will scratch your screen.
• Fill the crack with Vaseline.
• Gently wipe off the Vaseline outside of the scratch.
• When you are done there should be enough Vaseline to fill the scratch.

To read the less-temporary fix, which requires a tad more work on your part, visit the source site.