I've read through a bunch of threads and still have a question or two about the RF capabilities of the Marantz RC9200:

1. I have some devices that have an IR input jack on the back of the unit, so that it is possible to physically connect a wire from the transmitter box to the unit to send IR signals (thus eliminating the need to stick the IR sender doohickies onto the front panel of the component or place an IR blaster in line-of-sight to the IR receiver on the component itself). Is it possible to use the RC9200 in this manner? From my research I understand the unit comes with some type of IR-blaster and/or the sticky things for the front of components, but I'm not sure if it has the ability to work directly with IR input jacks on the back of some components.

2. Although some of my components have this feature, I do not believe all of them do. If the answer to question #1 above is "yes", can the RC9200 be set up to control components regardless of whether they have the feature in #1 above (i.e. use some combination of the blaster and IR input jacks, and maybe the stick-on IR transmitters)?

Although I have had a TSU2000 for 1.5 years and feel very comfortable with that unit, I have no experience with units that have RF capabilities. As I am in the planning stages of a dedicated HT, my current thinking is that perhaps I would not have to wire in a Xantech system if the RC9200 has the same features (hence the questions above).

Thanks in advance for your help!

Scott

Scott,

#1 - Interesting question - I'm not sure anyone has tried. Sounds like it's a possibility if you can find the right cable with appropriate connectors. Are you sure it's an IR (not RS 232) input?

#2 - If you can get #1 to work, I'm sure you can mix and match. There are 2 "normal" options for the base, blaster and corded emmiters.

I'm not familiar with the Xantech, but I would think it would be unessesary. Sometimes setting up RF can be a problem - depending on how your original ccf is designed. With the RF base, location can also be a problem, having the flexibility to move it around some also helps reliability.

Jim L

1) I would think yes, but like Jim said, finding the right cable might be hard. Also, make sure they are not RS-232 ports, and that they are wired

2) Yes, those cables from 1 will just act as IR transmitter cables, so they will each take up a space

Scott,

Just in case you haven't seen an RF base unit, there are 4 outputs for cords. Since the emitter leads have dual heads, you can control up to 8 devices by using the leads. Obviously less if your question #1 works.

Jim L

I've never heard of AV gear that had IR input jacks unless they are designed for plug-in IR receivers. There are several proprietary systems (Control-L, S-Link, etc.) most of which expect a DEMODULATED data envelope instead of a modulated IR signal.

I urge you to find out what the inputs are before releasing a lot of smoke.

yes many receiver have ir input;Denon,Yamaha,anthem,etc they all use a 3.5mm mono jack;you can buy a jack and solder the wires on it(the output on the rf base is the same) make sure you respect - and +

hope this helps

Thanks for all the responses guys. The piece of gear I was specifically thinking of when I posed these questions is the Lexicon MC-12. It has a jack labeled "IR in" that I believe is designed with system control in mind. You plug a wire into it, and signals get sent to the unit through the wire, thus eliminating the need to attach an IR emitter to the front of it. I presume the other end of the wire is attached to some sort of signal receiver/IR connecting block. You push a button on a remote, the signal gets sent to the block (via either IR or RF), then sent over the wire into the MC-12 (at least that's my understanding of how it's supposed to work).

From the responses so far, it sounds like it might require a little creativity to get this to work but I'm going to keep noodling on it. Thanks again and I welcome any more thoughts.

Scott

I would ask the people who make the MC-12. I would not use guesswork with a $7000+ piece of equipment.

There are three possibilities:

1. It expects bursts of IR carrier which is what most extenders will output.

2. It expects an active low demodulated signal which is what most IR receivers will output.

3. It expects an active high demodulated signal.

I have used alot of pieces with wired ir inputs and the rf extender. Most of the time I can get it to work but sometimes I can't get it for the life of me so I am forced to stick the ugly immiter on the front (or plan ahead and place the immiter inside the piece). I'm sure that the Lexicon is simply a wired ir piece, most high end equipment has all three controll options.

Dave,

Matter of fact, I did ask the Lexicon folks about this issue (generally, not with regard to the RC9200) and just got a response today. Apparently the "IR In" jack works exactly as I had thought. All you have to do is get a wire with 1/8" mono plugs on each end. Plug one end into the connecting block, and the other into the MC-12, and you're all set. I just got my MC-12, but this is good to know... :)

Now all I need to understand is what exactly is included with the RC9200. I'll head over to Marantz to see what the product specs say.

Thanks!

Scott.
Just to let you know. I've done what you want to do. But with a Pioneer system, and a Terk Leap Frog RF/IR thing.

The Terk is basicaly the samething as the 9200's base station, but works with an universal IR/RF transmitter.

Anyways. On the Pioneer system, wether it was the receiver, dvd, cd or tape. Each of them had an input and output of the IR. Which Pioneer is known for it's "R" aka remote hook up. What this cable set would do. Is it allow the receiver be the only IR receiver in the system. In which case, I would have a cable hooked up on the output of the receiver. Then put the rest of the system in line with each other.


So with the Terk, I was able to hook up a cable from the Terk, to the input of my receiver. So that It would have a "sable connection"

However, there were two major problems.

One, if I wanted/had to use the orginal remote for the dvd, cd or whatever. I had to put that remote at the head of the receiver's universal remote's head. So that the IR receiver which was inside the remote, would pick up the ir, transmit it to the terk, then through the system. Which really didn't bother me.

The second major problem. Was the connection between the Terk Leap Frog and the Pioneer system.
Even though there was a 1/8 plug on each end with two connections. Which was fine for the whole system, including the Terk.
There were two wires in each connector. But inside the Pioneer's input, was only one connection hooked up, even though there were two connections. The tip of the wire was the only part that made connection to the Pioneer products. So what I had to do, was make a separate ground, and connect it to one of the Pioneer's chasie screws.

I hope that you understand both problems. As for me, they weren't much a set back for me. So I enjoyed the system. I don't have it anymore. Because I have way too much interfernce with RF at my new place.

Rob

Hi Scott:

I own a MC-12. I also own a RC9200. I've just started using the IR input on the rear of the Lexicon.

Many of my components are in a cabinet, creating the need for a work-around. I was working with the emitters that you stick on the front of the component, but I've since started to use a far superior product, i.e., the X-10 POWERMID Receiver-Transmitter combo.

You put one of the Transmitter pyramids out in sight, where you can always point your remote (mine is on top of my equipment cabinet). You then put the pyramid receivers in the area of the equipment itself. For those pieces that do not have the IR input on the rear, you put them in line of sight of the IR sensor on the front of the equipment. For those that do have the input, you connect the pyramid via a mini-pin cable (1/8") from the pyramid to the rear IR input.

When you transmit the signal from the RC9200, you point it to the one pyramid transmitter. That then converts the signal to RF, and transmits it to any pyramids you have. Those pyramids "receive" the RF transmission, and convert back to IR. Then the signal is sent to the unit. It is much cleaner and stronger if you are connecting to the IR input.

The great thing about the pyramids is that they don't require wires running to a sensor eye, which then has more wires going back to the front of the unit. You just plug them in, and they pick up the RF transmission from the one pyramid out in sight. The pyramids are small, too, about 5" high.

The result is that the RF extender that comes with the RC9200 doesn't have to be opened. Indeed, you couldn't use it with the IR input of the MC-12.

Good luck. By the way, I now realize that you posed this similar question over at SMR Forums, and I gave a similar answer. Hope one of them helps.

Nick

This message was edited by Nicholas on 11/15/02 04:48.39.

Thanks for all the responses and sorry for the (very) delayed response!

[quote]The result is that the RF extender that comes with the RC9200 doesn't have to be opened. Indeed, you couldn't use it with the IR input of the MC-12.[/quote]Nicholas, this part of your post has me intrigued/confused. Why wouldn't the RF extender that comes with the RC9200 work? I guess I still don't understand (conceptually) how the RF works, because here were my assumptions (after everything is connected correctly):

1. You point the RC9200 anywhere and press a button on it.
2. An RF signal gets sent to the RF extender/connecting block that comes with the RC9200.
3. That block converts the signal to IR, and sends it along the transmitter wires to the individual components.
4. The signal is transmitted to the components either via the "stick-on" doohickie that connects to the front of the component, or through the mini-jack plugged into an "IR In" jack on the back of the component.

For some reason I'm having a hard time understanding how this works, so if anyone can explain it in layman's terms, that would be great.

Thanks for all the help. I am catching on...but it's taking a long time!

Scott

I hooked my RFX6000 extender to my Harmon Kardon receiver using a standard cable that is used to toggle components of the same manufacturer. I have several of these cables. One came with my Sony VCR and the other with a soundcard for my computer. They just have standard mini jacks on them. The same cable you would use for a remote trigger.

The RFX6000 operated my receiver just fine with this cable connection and the RFX6000 still continued to emit signals for the rest of the equipment.