Student-Contributed Wiki
An awesome team of students from our education program made this wiki.
The bear appears to be unresponsive, the eyes do not light up, and no sounds are made.
The Teddy Ruxpin may not turn on due to dead batteries. This is the easiest situation and simply requires a battery replacement. Undo the bear’s overalls and turn it around to view the back. Using a Phillips-head screwdriver, unscrew the single screw holding the battery cover on. Remove the old batteries and replace them with new ones.
If the batteries were the cause of the issue, your Teddy Ruxpin should function again.
Parts: Four AA batteries
Tools: Phillips-Head screwdriver
Teddy Ruxpin Battery Replacement
Only follow this troubleshooting method after the battery replacement solution as seen above has been tested.
Undo Teddy Ruxpin’s clothing and open the battery case in his back by unscrewing the one screw that is holding it together. Remove the new batteries and with a utility knife or scissors, cut the back of the head and remove the stuffing. The main goal is to get the large plastic case out of the bear. Teddy Ruxpin’s face will pop off of the internal mechanisms with light force.
Once you are done taking off the fur of the bear, using a Phillips-Head screwdriver unscrew the screws holding the case together until you can open the casing. To access the motherboard, you will need to remove the eyes in order to disconnect wires that are attached to the motherboard. Those wires are attached by simple plug connections and can be pulled out of their socket. Unscrew the motherboard and desolder the wires connected to the motherboard. Replace the motherboard with a new one and resolder all wires. Screw it into place and reconstruct your Teddy Ruxpin.
If done correctly, this should fix the issue with your Teddy Ruxpin.
Parts: Teddy Ruxpin motherboard
Teddy Ruxpin Motherboard Replacement
The audio is not playing back properly.
The speaker may be damaged by overuse or by physical damage. In this situation, you will need to open up your bear and clean or replace the speaker. Begin by removing the large case from inside the bear.
Undo Teddy Ruxpin’s vest and open the battery case in his back by unscrewing the singular screw that is holding the cover in place. Remove the new batteries, and with a utility knife or scissors, cut up to the back of the Teddy’s head and remove the stuffing. The goal is to get the large plastic case out of the bear. Teddy Ruxpin’s plush face will pop off of the internal mechanisms with a light pulling force.
Unscrew the screws connecting the two sides of the case and open the case up. You will see a round speaker inside connected by wires to the motherboard. Assess the speaker by removing two screws on either side and if it appears to be dirty simply spray it with compressed air meant for electronics cleaning. This should clear the speaker of particles and reestablish sound quality.
If the speaker does not look dirty, and the above method does not work, desolder the speaker from the wire and replace it with a new speaker.
This should fix your speaker problem. If not, there is a processing issue and the motherboard needs attention. See below.
Parts: Teddy Ruxpin replacement speaker
Tools: Phillips-Head screwdriver, soldering iron
Teddy Ruxpin Speaker Replacement
Only follow this troubleshooting method after the defective speaker solution as seen above has been tested.
Once you are done removing the fur of the bear, using a Phillips-Head screwdriver unscrew the screws holding the case together until you can open the casing. To access the motherboard, you will need to remove the eyes in order to disconnect wires that are attached to the motherboard. Those wires are attached by simple plug connections and can be pulled out of their socket by wiggling and slight tugging on the connections. Be careful not to pull the wires out of their plug, as you may damage the connections. Unscrew the motherboard and desolder the other wires connected to the motherboard. Replace the motherboard with a new one and resolder all the wires. Screw the motherboard into place and reconstruct your Teddy Ruxpin.
The jaw is loose and is unresponsive during storytime.
Teddy Ruxpin may have a defective mouth mechanism. This could be due to mechanical malfunctioning. You will need to open up your bear to view the mechanism.
Once you are done taking off the fur of the bear, using a Phillips-Head screwdriver unscrew the screws holding the case together until you can open the casing. You will see a plastic mouth mechanism. To assess the situation, compare your internal mouth mechanism to the picture of a functioning mechanism on this guide (will have link to said guide). If your mechanism does not look correct, unscrew the mouth and realign its parts if possible. If any parts are broken, you will need to replace them.
However, if the mechanism looks fully intact and aligned, the issue is with the motherboard or the connection to it, in which case you should follow the next solution method.
Parts: Replacement mechanical parts
Teddy Ruxpin Mouth Replacement
Only follow this troubleshooting method after the defective mechanism solution as seen above has been tested.
Once you are done taking off the fur of the bear, using a Phillips-Head screwdriver unscrew the screws holding the case together until you can open the casing. To access the motherboard, you will need to remove the eyes in order to disconnect wires that are attached to the motherboard. Those wires are attached by simple plug connections and can be pulled out of their socket.
The issue is most likely stemming from the wires connecting the lower mouth to the motherboard. Locate these wires and ensure that the connection from the motherboard to the mouth is secure. If so, proceed to replace the motherboard. If not, replace the wires by desoldering and then soldering a new wire in its place.
Unscrew the motherboard and desolder the other wires connected to the motherboard. Replace the motherboard with a new one and reconnect all the wires. Screw it into place and reconstruct you Teddy Ruxpin.
Parts: Teddy Ruxpin motherboard, replacement wires
Storytime (audio) does not work and the bear does not move.
The Teddy Ruxpin may not properly playback due to dead batteries. This is the easiest situation and simply requires a battery replacement. Undo the bear’s overalls and turn it around to view the back. Using a Phillips-Head screwdriver, unscrew the one screw holding the battery cover on. Remove the old batteries and replace them with fresh ones.
Parts: four AA batteries
Teddy Ruxpin has two buttons embedded in his hands that will play stories when pressed. If experiencing a playback error, the buttons may be a cause. If other audio is working, and the usual response from pressing the buttons does not occur, then it is most likely time to replace those buttons. The replacement is not a difficult process, and hopefully by following the guide below, your Teddy Ruxpin will be storytelling again in no time!
Teddy Ruxpin Arm Button Replacement
At this point, you should double-check that the wires connecting the mouth to the motherboard are intact and connected. If not, desolder the wires and replace them. If the wires are intact, you will need to replace the motherboard.
The lower mouth is not consistent with audio but still functions.
Once you are done taking off the fur of the bear, using a Phillips-Head screwdriver unscrew the screws holding the case together until you can open the casing. You will see a plastic mouth mechanism. If your mechanism does not look proper, unscrew the part and realign the parts. If any parts are broken, you will need to replace them.
If the mechanism looks fully intact, the issue is with the motherboard or the connection to it, in which case you should follow the next solution method.
For the unresponsive motherboard, you will need to have your Teddy Ruxpin doll open and the internal mechanisms visible. Follow the steps outlined in Defective Mechanisms above to open up your Teddy Ruxpin to the point where the internal mechanisms are visible.
To replace the motherboard, unscrew the motherboard and pull out its connections to the bear’s eye mechanism. Then you will have to desolder the wire connections to the motherboard. Replace the motherboard and solder the connections back to it.
This should have your bear up and running again.
