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Topic:
Help with IR Frequencies
This thread has 29 replies. Displaying posts 16 through 30.
OP | Post 16 made on Sunday December 28, 2008 at 15:15
Ted K
Long Time Member
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146
Blink. Tried today using the original remotes through the repeater. No luck. Also tried covering the receiver on the equipment with painters tape. Tried covering the receivers on the repeater with painters tape and electric tape. No luck either. This stinks!!

Will try no blink emitters next.
Post 17 made on Sunday December 28, 2008 at 16:24
Barry Gordon
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2,157
I do own a polk tuner but only use the IR function to turn it on. I use RS232 for all other functions. The Polk tuner IMHO has a design error in that the RS232 circuitry is off when the unit is in standby, ergo you can not use RS232 to turn it on!

I do use a xantech distribution network but the only IR code I ever send it (the polk tuner) is Power ON and it is sent through a USB-UIRT from a PC and not from a Pronto. I have no special tape, foil or anything over the emitter jsut a stick on emitter. It does not fail.
OP | Post 18 made on Sunday December 28, 2008 at 17:04
Ted K
Long Time Member
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146
To be honest, I could even live without the Polk tuner as I don't use this all that frequently except when in the outside yard or entertaining around the house. The rest of the time I use an ipod with a TuneView doc for music. But, the DTV receiver is critical. We obviously watch tv alot!
Post 19 made on Tuesday December 30, 2008 at 13:58
mteele
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11
Ted,

I've gone through both of your thread topics and I am anxiously wating to hear on if you can get things working. I am using the same Xantech IR kit and I have the SAME problem as you. My other components receive signals over the system just fine, except for the HR22. Xantech has an application advisory out that applies to the HR21 box:

[Link: xantech.com]

But the resistors did not work for me. I tried several resistor applications and nothing made a difference.

I hope you dont give up and use the RF but it may come to that.
Post 20 made on Tuesday December 30, 2008 at 14:20
mteele
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Ted,

Just to give you and everyone else an update. I just got off the phone with Xantech's technical support and they said a 10k ohm resistor should do the trick! Thats 10x the resistance recommended for the HR21 boxes which is why none of the combinations I tried last night worked.

I'll swing by RadioShack tonight on my way home and pick some up and give them a try tonight. For 99 cents you may want to go ahead and try too! :) Good luck.
OP | Post 21 made on Friday January 2, 2009 at 14:20
Ted K
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146
mteele,

Looked at swapping out my Xantech LCD dinky link kit for the Plasma, but it's $250 versus the $150 for the LCD. For that price, I ordered an RFX9400 Wireless extender that's designed to go with the Philips Pronto TSU9400 remote as it's the same price. Just received it mid day today and tried it out without really running all the wires nicely (i.e., plugged it into wall outlet, laid it out on floor, and taped emitter to front of HR22 as well as XM tuner Xrt12. Both worked perfectly which supports the argument that some made here that the complex macros and codes of the Pronto were being corrupted by the LCD IR repeater. So, that's the solution for me. Post here if the resistor solution works. I did have to spend 1 hour tweaking my config for the change to RF, and had to create some hidden pages and two new devises so that I could move IR commands on RF devises to another page, but other than that, it was really a simpler solution. No receiver had to be hidden anywhere, like with the dinky link as it's now predominantly RF (except for the TV and my home automation control of lighting and fireplace). I also got a bit fancy and moved the eject commands for the CD, DVD and BD to IR on a hidden devise so my family cannot hit them with the cabinet doors closed and break the players).
OP | Post 22 made on Friday January 2, 2009 at 21:43
Ted K
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Up and running. Works like a charm. Would TOTALLY RECOMMEND RFX9400 to those considering it.
Post 23 made on Monday January 5, 2009 at 14:00
n2hifi
Long Time Member
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192
Sorry I'm late to this, but the DirecTV receivers have a notoriously sensitive IR receiver and generally do not work with the transmitter stuck directly to the unit. The generally accepted soultion it to take a piece of electrical tape, poke a small hole in it with a pin and cover the eye on the receiver. Then place the emitter over it. What I have also fould to work is to suspend or mount the transmitter several inches away and off axis with the receiver. The resistor Xantech suggested cuts the output and works as well, but isn't as easy or cheap.

I don't know about the other unit, but wanted to add to a comment Barry made about the Xantech simply repeating exactly what it is given and being tuned around a frequency range. Although the 9600/9400 are capable of much higher frequencies the Xantech repeaters will not work for some of those higher frequencies. Xantech made a unit a while back that was tuned for B&O and a few other offenders to work in the higher ranges, but it was discontinued.
Mark Olsen, CTS
Cannon Design
Post 24 made on Wednesday January 7, 2009 at 23:48
mteele
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So the HR22 will take the IR signal from the RFX9400? Did you have to make any kind of adjustment to the power level ouput of the signal?

How would I setup the RFX9400 if I were to go that route? The only wires I have run to my TV above the fireplace are (1) HDMI, (3) Cat6, and (1) RG6 all running back to my A/V closet in the middle of the house. I am using one of the Cat6 lines as an extension cord between the dinky link receiver and Xantech connecting block.

I ordered Xantech's "sun kit" to see if that helps, if not I'll give the electrical tape a try before I order the RFX9400.
OP | Post 25 made on Sunday January 11, 2009 at 20:55
Ted K
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146
Once I stuck the emitter right over the eye, and plugged it into the RFX9400 instead of the Xantec distribution block (i.e., used the same emitter I had), it worked perfectly and continues to do so 10 days after installation. Very pleased with the Pronto wireless extender!! Tried for hours with the emitter and the Xantec, trying the electrical tape, putting it on the inside of the door adjacent to the unit, etc. Nothing worked. The RFX was TOTALLY worth the extra money and little hastle.

Last edited by Ted K on January 11, 2009 21:08.
OP | Post 26 made on Sunday January 11, 2009 at 21:08
Ted K
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No modifications required at all to power levels. Just update the RFX's firmware by plugging RFX into power and ethernet into PC for about 5 min (I disconnected my PC from the router to do this as it wasn't finding the RFX through the router). Then, configured three controls on back of RFX to match settings in Config (i.e., channel, RF stand alone or WiFi, and unit number), plugged into power, plugged emitters into back of RFX and taped them directly over component receiver. Then downloaded new configuration file to TSU9400 console. Worked first time out. Took less than 15 min to install.

The only other thing to consider is you may need to make changes to your configuration file. Nothing major, but changes nonetheless. I had to spend an hour modifying my configuration. My main changes were (i) In my current configuration file, I had many macros in the activity based home screens (e.g., watch TV, watch Blu Ray, listen to XM, etc.) that pulled IR Codes right from MY DATABASE. I had to now put some hidden pages on each devise to hold the discrete on and off codes (other than the macros, I only had power toggle codes on the individual device pages). (ii) You can only make each device (i.e., and I'm referring to programming using PEPv1 not PEPv2) either RF or IR. You cannot combine transmission types for a single device. Therefore, I also created a hidden device for the TV itself as it's commands are combined on pages that primarily control the DBS box (HR22). While I wanted the DBS box controlled via RF as it's behind the cabinet door, the TV sits atop the credenza and I wanted it's commands sent IR so I could avoid having to put an emitter on the front. By creating a separate hidden TV device, making it IR, and then linking buttons on the pages of other RF devices to this, it solved the issue. The device where the button appears is RF, but the actual command is sent IR to the TV. (iii) Finally, and as an added spousal safety measure, I put the eject/open commands for the CD, DVD and BluRay on a separate hidden device that is IR and linked the buttons on the related RF devices to it so that no one can open the trays with the cabinet doors closed and damage the players. The rest of the buttons for that device are RF.

Let me know if you have more questions, but to be honest, I wish I'd gone this route first time out. Would have saved ALOT of time and headache.

Last edited by Ted K on January 11, 2009 21:16.
Post 27 made on Tuesday January 13, 2009 at 10:21
mteele
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Ted,

Thanks for all your help. I'm going to bite the bullet and order the RFX today as well. You're right, nothing else will work!!!!!

Glad you got your equipment working correctly. I'll let you know when I get mine in and how it turns out. I'm very new to the Pronto software so I may need some help.

If I mount the RFX unit in the A/V closet, how will my TV get its IR signals? can I configure the remote to send out a physical IR signal for the TV commands, and send the rest to the RFX for execution?

Last edited by mteele on January 13, 2009 10:37.
Post 28 made on Friday January 16, 2009 at 08:06
mteele
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Ok got the RFX9400 last night, up and running and works PERFECT!!!!!!!!!
OP | Post 29 made on Monday January 19, 2009 at 17:52
Ted K
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Sorry I didn't see your posts earlier. Been a bit hectic. You can send both IR and RF. You just have to pick one format for each device in PEP. If you need to have different formats for the same Pronto Device (which in actuality may be two or more real devices, like the pronto TV Device controlling both your tv and your satellite or cable box), just create a hidden device with your IR codes separately, and link the pronto device that you use to it. Hope that's clear.
OP | Post 30 made on Monday January 19, 2009 at 17:53
Ted K
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Glad to hear it. I'm very pleased. My only issue now, which is non-pronto related is having to install an exhaust fan in the cabinet as the heat build up from the receiver is alot.
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