Xantech plasma proof alternative?

[dpilati]

Ok - I've had good luck with 1 buffalo plain jane IR receiver. When I hook up 2 it doesn't work. There is too much interference from whatever. We have CFLs, LED and LCD TVs

The 2 buffalos work alone despite the potential interference. Whenever I hook up 2 it doesn't work even with total shielding (tape, in a drawer, anything). I am using a xantech 4x8 zone block with their best 12v power supply

I threw down some cash for the CFL/LCD resistant receivers. Little did I realize they didn't work with the TWC SA 8300HD. I've spent countless hours trying to adjust the stupid things and talking to xantech support. Their answer is buy the plasma proof receivers. $200! - you've got to be kidding me. I need 2 for now and I'll need 2 more in the future. There has to be a better way rather than spending $800.

I've heard about the RF battery thing with reports that it doesn't work with my remote on the 8300HD. Could I but 4 old remotes and get this to work? Maybe but that is a decent gamble.

Come on - there has to be a different way. My wife is ready to divorce me if I can't get the bedroom TV working!

Another option is a IR block at each TV but that makes for a really messy emitter situation - unless you can run multiple blocks to the same emitter in parallel and be ok.

 

[sic0048]

If the receivers work alone, but not together, then I don't think it is IR interference (especially since you said they won't work when totally shielded). Although I have connected two IR receivers to a single Xantech block, that isn't normally how they work (and everything was Xantech branded).

You might want to look at the Xantech 79520 which is a 4 zone IR distribution block. That way each receiver is on its own dedicated zone. The block does have shared IR outputs, so 1 emitter can be used per source device (ie you don't need a emitter for each zone).

At about $150, buying the 4 zone block is much cheaper than switching IR receivers (which might not even fix you problem).

I also don't understand why the receivers won't work with the TWC SA 8300HD boxes? The box should not interfere with the IR system at all. Is it because the boxes use some special IR frequency? Regardless, I don't see how changing the IR receiver is going to change how it works with that STB.

 

[ASIHome]

According to ChannelVision, the ChannelVision IR-2400 works with the 8300 (HD) and is significantly cheaper (<$60).

 

[dpilati]

I have the 4 zone xantech block. The SA8300hd uses 56k and that frequency is at the limit of the LCD receiver - there are lots of reports of these 2 things not working together. It has to do with the interference filter they use. I'll consider the channel vision option but how do I know this will work any better than the buffalo ones.

 

[sic0048]

I have the 4 zone xantech block. The SA8300hd uses 56k and that frequency is at the limit of the LCD receiver - there are lots of reports of these 2 things not working together. It has to do with the interference filter they use. I'll consider the channel vision option but how do I know this will work any better than the buffalo ones.

OK, I understand now. It isn't that the STB is interfering with the IR system, but rather that they do use a different IR frequency (not that 56k is THAT unusual) and obviously you are wanting to use the STBs remote with the IR system.

 

[dpilati]

I have the 4 zone xantech block. The SA8300hd uses 56k and that frequency is at the limit of the LCD receiver - there are lots of reports of these 2 things not working together. It has to do with the interference filter they use. I'll consider the channel vision option but how do I know this will work any better than the buffalo ones.

OK, I understand now. It isn't that the STB is interfering with the IR system, but rather that they do use a different IR frequency (not that 56k is THAT unusual) and obviously you are wanting to use the STBs remote with the IR system.

Right - So my best work around for now is a second block in the bedroom. I send an emitter signal downstairs but it requires 2 emitters on the cable box. And for the 2 more TVs to come that would be impractical - not to mention not very elegant.

Does anyone know if I can run multiple blocks in parallel to one emitter? I am a little nervous to "blow" something although these things seem reasonably stable. I am terribly confused about polarity on these things. If emitters are just Led's - then polarity should matter. I mean the "d" stands for diode. But I feel like they work despite the polarity. Maybe, the polarity cycles at the emitter frequency so it doesn't matter where it starts.

Does anyyone know where to get technical info on these things? I understand basic electrical principle but I feel like I am flying blind with trial and error on these things.

 

[sic0048]

I would assume you can use a Y splitter to combine the output of two blocks into one emitter, although I have not tried it personally. I have tried the opposite - using a single 1 zone block with 2 receivers attached - and it works fine.

Of course there will be times where two peope are trying to send IR signals at the same time which will cause the signals to be overlapped with each other. It doesn't cause a problem with the hardware, but obviously the raw IR signals get corrupted and the devices will not respond (because they don't receive the correct IR code they are looking for). In those cases, it seems like the system isn't working because the user presses a button and nothing happens. They don't realize that as luck would have it they pressed a button at the exact moment that another user in a different room pressed a button too. Hopefully that scenerio doesn't happen very often, but setting the system up like this does allow for that potential.

A zoned system should not allow the IR signals to be corrupted and keep zone commands separate.

 

[ASIHome]

Xantech makes Twin Plug emitters for controlling devices from two sources.

 

[az1324]

I have the 4 zone xantech block. The SA8300hd uses 56k and that frequency is at the limit of the LCD receiver - there are lots of reports of these 2 things not working together. It has to do with the interference filter they use. I'll consider the channel vision option but how do I know this will work any better than the buffalo ones.

OK, I understand now. It isn't that the STB is interfering with the IR system, but rather that they do use a different IR frequency (not that 56k is THAT unusual) and obviously you are wanting to use the STBs remote with the IR system.

Right - So my best work around for now is a second block in the bedroom. I send an emitter signal downstairs but it requires 2 emitters on the cable box. And for the 2 more TVs to come that would be impractical - not to mention not very elegant.

Does anyone know if I can run multiple blocks in parallel to one emitter? I am a little nervous to "blow" something although these things seem reasonably stable. I am terribly confused about polarity on these things. If emitters are just Led's - then polarity should matter. I mean the "d" stands for diode. But I feel like they work despite the polarity. Maybe, the polarity cycles at the emitter frequency so it doesn't matter where it starts.

Does anyyone know where to get technical info on these things? I understand basic electrical principle but I feel like I am flying blind with trial and error on these things.

Here's what I use: 3 of these powered by the same 12v power supply as my cameras and wired via cat5 together into 3 IR blasters in the equipment closet. I do not use any connecting blocks just the 3 pins on the IR receiver which are power, ground, and IR out and a series resistor with the IR emitter. I believe that they do have diodes in series with the emitter output so you should be able to combine them into one blaster but I haven't tried that. And they do support 38kHz and 56kHz (I don't think any of my equipment is 56kHz but it seems to work with an old Cox SA remote that I have).

Also I think I used to use the RF battery transmitters in those Cox SA remotes but the reason they didn't work very well was because the remotes only take two batteries (AA) and the battery transmitter is a 2/3 AA so they weren't providing enough power for the remote to operate or it would reach low battery mode very quickly in which case it refuses to operate. If you were to hack the transmitter into the remote like on my other thread you probably would not have any problems.

 

[dpilati]

Here's what I use: 3 of these powered by the same 12v power supply as my cameras and wired via cat5 together into 3 IR blasters in the equipment closet. I do not use any connecting blocks just the 3 pins on the IR receiver which are power, ground, and IR out and a series resistor with the IR emitter. I believe that they do have diodes in series with the emitter output so you should be able to combine them into one blaster but I haven't tried that. And they do support 38kHz and 56kHz (I don't think any of my equipment is 56kHz but it seems to work with an old Cox SA remote that I have).

Also I think I used to use the RF battery transmitters in those Cox SA remotes but the reason they didn't work very well was because the remotes only take two batteries (AA) and the battery transmitter is a 2/3 AA so they weren't providing enough power for the remote to operate or it would reach low battery mode very quickly in which case it refuses to operate. If you were to hack the transmitter into the remote like on my other thread you probably would not have any problems.
[/quote]

You've lost me a bit. So IR out from a receiver to the emitter back to ground? Where does the series resistor go and more importantly what kind of resistor?

So the blasters are in parallel?

The Receivers obviously get power in parallel but are the outputs all just in parallel?

But boy is that a cheap alternative....

 

[az1324]

Here's what I use: 3 of these powered by the same 12v power supply as my cameras and wired via cat5 together into 3 IR blasters in the equipment closet. I do not use any connecting blocks just the 3 pins on the IR receiver which are power, ground, and IR out and a series resistor with the IR emitter. I believe that they do have diodes in series with the emitter output so you should be able to combine them into one blaster but I haven't tried that. And they do support 38kHz and 56kHz (I don't think any of my equipment is 56kHz but it seems to work with an old Cox SA remote that I have).

Also I think I used to use the RF battery transmitters in those Cox SA remotes but the reason they didn't work very well was because the remotes only take two batteries (AA) and the battery transmitter is a 2/3 AA so they weren't providing enough power for the remote to operate or it would reach low battery mode very quickly in which case it refuses to operate. If you were to hack the transmitter into the remote like on my other thread you probably would not have any problems.

You've lost me a bit. So IR out from a receiver to the emitter back to ground? Where does the series resistor go and more importantly what kind of resistor?

So the blasters are in parallel?

The Receivers obviously get power in parallel but are the outputs all just in parallel?

But boy is that a cheap alternative....

The receiver is also the repeater so yes. The series resistor is between IR out and the positive side of the emitter 100ohm. Yes it is cheap .

Also what I did was connect the receiver/repeaters to existing cat5 wall jack by crimping on a rj45. Nice and clean.