(I hope Pony Corral is the right place to put this, even though it concerns a fakie rather than a genuine Hasbro pony.)
So you have a Buddy L fakie that doesn't work any more? Fret not, Shaz is here to tell you how to fix it!
I've seen several people ask about how to change the batteries in these ponies, so I thought I'd make a tutorial. I have only ever fixed one Buddy L pony so I'm not exactly the world's greatest expert, but hopefully my experience might help other people get their Buddy L pony up and running again
You Will Need:
Non-working Buddy L pony (obvs
)
A screwdriver
3 x AAA batteries
You may also need a cotton bud, some vinegar, and/or some paper towel for cleaning the battery compartment.
1) Turn your pony over and you will notice she has a little screw on her belly.
2) Unscrew using a screwdriver and unclip her saddle.
3) Remove the saddle. Your pony will now look like this:
4) Gently pull on her rear end (so undignified! Poor pony!) and you will end up with two halves of pony! As you can see, the battery compartnent is in her front end.
5) Welcome to the battery compartment! Remove any old batteries and dispose of them safely. Your pony may be full of crystallised battery acid, in which case give the battery compartment a good clean. This tutorial may help:
www.wikihow.com/Clean-up-Battery-Acid-Spills. My pony contained alkaline batteries and, as there wasn't much spillage, I was able to clean her up with a slightly damp paper towel. A cotton bud dipped in ordinary household vinegar will also help. Ensure your pony is properly dry before moving onto the next step. You may need to leave her overnight.
6) Put three new AAA batteries into the battery compartment. Do try to put them the right way up. I always get it wrong
.
I don't know if this is a common problem with Buddy L ponies, but as you can see in the photo, the middle battery is not touching the metal so the pony will not work oh noes :O
I was able to fix this by fitting in a small metal spring from a pen.
Properly fitted batteries:
7) Test your pony by gently squeezing the plastic bits on the end of the battery compartment. She should light up/make a noise/light up and make a noise! Mine gallops, neighs and makes a noise like a road crossing(?); also her horn lights up and her wings flutter. If she's not working, you may need to clean off more battery acid or check that your batteries are all touching against the appropriate metal contacts.
8) Reassemble your pony. This is the bit where I panic that I have lost the tiny screw. Then I find it and stop panicking.
9) Congratulations! You now have a working Buddy L pony!
PS My dad is an electrician so I tend to enter fearlessly into electronic pony repair, knowing that I have expert back-up if it's needed. If you have any more intricate enquiries about pony electronics, let me know, and I will ask his expert advice
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