OK, I just realized as I was configuring my RFX9400 last night that it only emits ir via the extenders! My bad. I should have read the manual before jumping in with the purchase. Still a bit irritating.

In any case, I also thought it odd that only two ir emitter wires are provided when there are four ir plugs on the unit. I need to control 8 pieces of equipment (yes I need to check to see if any of them can be controlled directly though the mini-jack to mini-jack connection--but that cord is pretty short).

So I need two more ir emitters. I currently have a Harmony 890 which uses ir extenders that look very similar to the ones supplied with the RFX9400. Can I use the IR emitters from that device on the RFX9400? If not then I have to order them from Philips or where?

thx.

Any Dual Emitter wired "in series" will work. Most dual emitters are wired in series, not in parallel so I think you will be safe. I know Xantech ones will work as well as several others. You might want to run a search of this forum as well as I know it has been discussed. +emitter +purchase

Note that you can also send IR from the TSU9600 as well as from the RFX9400. For example, my TV is under direct IR control but everything else is controlled via an extender.

Lyndel,

Yes I know that I can use direct IR from my 9800. As with you I will use direct control for the TV but I have 8 other pieces of equipment in cabinets that will need to be controlled via the extender.

I'll try it with the Harmony extenders to see if it works.

Thanks.

The will likely work just fine but as I don't own any Harmony equipment, I cannot comment. Just be sure they are wired in series vs parallel if you can.

My Harmony IR dual emitter work fine with the RFX9600 and if you buy a used Harmony extender in ebay you get 4 dual for the price of 1-2 originals.

IR Eitters are not black magic.

An IR emiiter is formally a light emitting diode (LED) but the frequency of light it emits is In the IR range. We are seeing a lot of LED use these days.

Since they are diodes, they are a one way device as far as the flow of electricity is concerned. This means that when you wire them in series they must go head to tail. Think of the ground or sleeve/barrel of the plug as the tail connection and the tip of the plug as the head of the connection.

Now think Christmas tree lights, the ones that come in rope like configurations with lots of bulbs. They are in a series connection, but not being diodes, head to tail connections are not necessary. However have one bad light and none of them light up. Same is true of emitters plus the added caveat that if they are not wired strictly head to tail, none will light up as the miswired one blocks the flow of electricity.

Each IR emitter gets the same amount of current when wired in series but bleeds off a little voltage, so if the voltage starts at 5 volts, the first emitter in the string sees 5 volts the next sees a little less right on down the line. If there are two many emitters none of them will work.

The number of emitters that will work on a single port varies by manufacturer of the emitters and of the "Extender" or Extender like device and the length of the wire run. For testing purposes emitters that have a tell-tale, i.e. put out a visible light are very handy.

With Xantech equipment which runs at 12 volts, runs can be in the hundreds of feet and 4-8 emitters in series on each run is not uncommon

Xantech makes something called an amplified connecting block. It takes in an IR signal of the same type that drives an emitter and puts out what it sees on 8-12 ports each one being able to drive 4-8 emiters over hundreds of feet of wire. One connecting block is a single zone so all emitters put out the same signal at the same time.

I use a device called a Global Cache (GC) for almust all my IR work. It is like a Philips Extender but must be talked to by the Pronto over TCPIP. Not hard but not trivial either. A $400 GC unit has 6 independently addressable IR zones, three relays and two Serial ports. The IR ports can also be configured as sensors to detect a voltage and tell the Pronto.

Hope this helps.

Barry,
Thanks for that info. Very helpful.

I decided I'm going to use the Xantech amplified connecting block. Do you guys know, will I conntect that to the RFX9400 via a cable that has mono mini plugs on both ends? thx

I believe that cable is correct but I have never done it so I am speaking fropm theory not practice. I am sure someone here has though.

Yes, it should work. The ACB does not have a ground isolation jumper but I don't think you will have problems. If you do, simply decouple the IR ground from the PowerSupply ground on the 4-screw connector.

OK. thanks.

Barry is quite correct about the IR emmitters,

Each emmitter needs around 1.6v and around 20ma to make them emmit Infra-red.

Most IR systems run at about 5v there are some at 12v but not many ( do not make the mistake of assuming the voltage is the same as the power supply) so if 2 IR emmitter are in serries thats around 3.2 now you would think you could get 3 in series (4.8V) but although the are running on a 5V DC supply there are othere componets in the path of the IR emmiters which consume about 0.8v dc leaving only 4.2v available for the IR emmitters.

The brightness / power of the IR emmitters is controlled by the amount of current in ma given to the IR LED's not the voltage, they just need 1.6V to make them emmit IR and current is how much IR is emmitted..

I hope thats as clear as Mud :))

I decided to get the amplified connecting block and the emiiters that go with it so I assume I will be ok.

I currently user the RFX 9600 with four Xantech connecting blocks. Each IR port controls a different room that has a 789-44 in it. I cut the mono mini-plugs in half and terminated the other end to the terminal blocks on the connecting block.

In actuality I terminated the mono mini's to RJ-45's which I then connected a patch panel that distributes Cat 5 to each room. At the other ends I made RJ-45 breakouts to the pheonix connector on the connecting block. The cool part is I still have the Xantech IR receivers hooked up to each of the connecting blocks so if the TSU-9600 is not in that room I can still control that local system with an old TSU-3000 I have stashed in each room.

Sounds like fun. ;-)