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Using Fibre link to extend IR??

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newbury at mandamus

Jul 29, 2010, 2:42 PM

Post #1 of 12 (448 views)
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Using Fibre link to extend IR??

I have been renovating, and the mythbox has been living in the
furnace-room, where it is now on the far side of a sheet of drywall. The
Logitech DiNovo wireless (radio or bluetooth??) based keyboard works
well (so long as I hold it vertically!), but of course, the iMon remote
does not.

Does anyone know if a kludge of using a fibre link (TOS-link) or some
other similar item, can channel an IR signal to an otherwise not visible
IR receiver.

A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
probably used the wrong search terms.

Any ideas appreciated.

To further explain: I need some sort of receiving end/item in the rec
room, and in effect, a IR-blaster on the mythbox, to repeat the signal.
Not exactly a blaster however, since the signal does not originate from
a computer.

Geoff

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mark at martialfit

Jul 29, 2010, 3:10 PM

Post #2 of 12 (433 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

how about a wall plate?
usb, serial, etc ones are available.

On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 2:42 PM, R. G. Newbury <newbury [at] mandamus> wrote:

> I have been renovating, and the mythbox has been living in the
> furnace-room, where it is now on the far side of a sheet of drywall. The
> Logitech DiNovo wireless (radio or bluetooth??) based keyboard works well
> (so long as I hold it vertically!), but of course, the iMon remote does not.
>
> Does anyone know if a kludge of using a fibre link (TOS-link) or some other
> similar item, can channel an IR signal to an otherwise not visible IR
> receiver.
>
> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
> probably used the wrong search terms.
>
> Any ideas appreciated.
>
> To further explain: I need some sort of receiving end/item in the rec room,
> and in effect, a IR-blaster on the mythbox, to repeat the signal. Not
> exactly a blaster however, since the signal does not originate from a
> computer.
>
> Geoff
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users [at] mythtv
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>

whitem at arts

Jul 29, 2010, 3:23 PM

Post #3 of 12 (434 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On 07/29/10 15:42, R. G. Newbury wrote:
> I have been renovating, and the mythbox has been living in the
> furnace-room, where it is now on the far side of a sheet of drywall. The
> Logitech DiNovo wireless (radio or bluetooth??) based keyboard works
> well (so long as I hold it vertically!), but of course, the iMon remote
> does not.
>
> Does anyone know if a kludge of using a fibre link (TOS-link) or some
> other similar item, can channel an IR signal to an otherwise not visible
> IR receiver.
>
> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
> probably used the wrong search terms.
>
> Any ideas appreciated.
>
> To further explain: I need some sort of receiving end/item in the rec
> room, and in effect, a IR-blaster on the mythbox, to repeat the signal.
> Not exactly a blaster however, since the signal does not originate from
> a computer.

(trying this again from my actual subscribed email address)

Not sure about fibre for transport (seem overkill as far as bandwidth).
However, maybe one of these will help:

http://www.smarthome.com/_/Remotes_IR_Repeaters/IR_Repeaters/_/5/1Rj/nav.aspx

There are many different styles. Personally, I've used one of these:

http://www.smarthome.com/83608/Channel-Vision-All-In-One-IR-System-IR-5000/p.aspx

in a theatre room at work to control a receiver in the next room.

I'm not affiliated with SmartHome - they just have some cool stuff. I'm
sure that you can get these kind of things at other places. The thing
to google would probably be "IR Repeater".

--
Matt White
Arts and Science IT
University of Saskatchewan
whitem [at] artsandscience
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tylernt at gmail

Jul 29, 2010, 3:29 PM

Post #4 of 12 (439 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
> probably used the wrong search terms.
>
> Any ideas appreciated.

I think you're looking for an "IR Extender", "IR Repeater" or
"Multi-room remote".

To be honest though, it's probably cheaper/easier/reliabler to get a
Bluetooth remote to replace your IR one. Your DiNovo appears to be
Bluetooth so you should not need to purchase an additional dongle for
the Mythbox.

If the iMon is your thing, it appears to also be available in an RF edition.
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newbury at mandamus

Jul 29, 2010, 8:37 PM

Post #5 of 12 (418 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On 07/29/2010 06:23 PM, Matt White wrote:
> On 07/29/10 15:42, R. G. Newbury wrote:
>> I have been renovating, and the mythbox has been living in the
>> furnace-room, where it is now on the far side of a sheet of drywall. The
>> Logitech DiNovo wireless (radio or bluetooth??) based keyboard works
>> well (so long as I hold it vertically!), but of course, the iMon remote
>> does not.
>>
>> Does anyone know if a kludge of using a fibre link (TOS-link) or some
>> other similar item, can channel an IR signal to an otherwise not visible
>> IR receiver.
>>
>> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
>> probably used the wrong search terms.
>>
>> Any ideas appreciated.
>>
>> To further explain: I need some sort of receiving end/item in the rec
>> room, and in effect, a IR-blaster on the mythbox, to repeat the signal.
>> Not exactly a blaster however, since the signal does not originate from
>> a computer.
>
>
> (trying this again from my actual subscribed email address)
>
> Not sure about fibre for transport (seem overkill as far as bandwidth).
> However, maybe one of these will help:
>
> http://www.smarthome.com/_/Remotes_IR_Repeaters/IR_Repeaters/_/5/1Rj/nav.aspx
>
> There are many different styles. Personally, I've used one of these:
>
> http://www.smarthome.com/83608/Channel-Vision-All-In-One-IR-System-IR-5000/p.aspx
>
> in a theatre room at work to control a receiver in the next room.
>
> I'm not affiliated with SmartHome - they just have some cool stuff. I'm
> sure that you can get these kind of things at other places. The thing
> to google would probably be "IR Repeater".
>
Thanks! "IR Repeater" was NOT one of my search terms!

I'll lookt into those.

Geoff

--
Please let me know if anything I say offends you.
I may wish to offend you again in the future.

Tux says: "Be regular. Eat cron flakes."
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newbury at mandamus

Jul 29, 2010, 8:38 PM

Post #6 of 12 (420 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On 07/29/2010 06:29 PM, Tyler T wrote:
>> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
>> probably used the wrong search terms.
>>
>> Any ideas appreciated.
>
> I think you're looking for an "IR Extender", "IR Repeater" or
> "Multi-room remote".
>
> To be honest though, it's probably cheaper/easier/reliabler to get a
> Bluetooth remote to replace your IR one. Your DiNovo appears to be
> Bluetooth so you should not need to purchase an additional dongle for
> the Mythbox.
>
> If the iMon is your thing, it appears to also be available in an RF edition.

Now THAT I did not know. Never seen a mention of one.
And the Antex Veris line (which appears to be the new distributor of the
Imon) is impossible to find around here...

Geoff

--
Please let me know if anything I say offends you.
I may wish to offend you again in the future.

Tux says: "Be regular. Eat cron flakes."
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jarod at wilsonet

Jul 30, 2010, 11:09 AM

Post #7 of 12 (394 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 11:38 PM, R. G. Newbury <newbury [at] mandamus> wrote:
> On 07/29/2010 06:29 PM, Tyler T wrote:
>>>
>>> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
>>> probably used the wrong search terms.
>>>
>>> Any ideas appreciated.
>>
>> I think you're looking for an "IR Extender", "IR Repeater" or
>> "Multi-room remote".
>>
>> To be honest though, it's probably cheaper/easier/reliabler to get a
>> Bluetooth remote to replace your IR one. Your DiNovo appears to be
>> Bluetooth so you should not need to purchase an additional dongle for
>> the Mythbox.
>>
>> If the iMon is your thing, it appears to also be available in an RF
>> edition.
>
> Now THAT I did not know. Never seen a mention of one.
> And the Antex Veris line (which appears to be the new distributor of the
> Imon) is impossible to find around here...

I'm pretty sure the RF products were discontinued quite a while ago,
but you might be able to find them somewhere. The imon driver *does*
purport to support them (there's RF-specific code for device
association in there), but I doubt if its actually been tested in
ages.

--
Jarod Wilson
jarod [at] wilsonet
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linux at thehobsons

Jul 30, 2010, 12:18 PM

Post #8 of 12 (395 views)
Permalink

Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

As another thought, depending on the distances and equipment involved
... Perhaps another option would be to just unsolder the sensor and
extend it with a bit of screened cable ? Or unplug the original and
wire in a new one on a longer lead ?

The actual sensor is quite small - so a large fancy housing probably
isn't needed.

--
Simon Hobson

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
author Gladys Hobson. Novels - poetry - short stories - ideal as
Christmas stocking fillers. Some available as e-books.
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newbury at mandamus

Jul 30, 2010, 5:05 PM

Post #9 of 12 (387 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On 07/30/2010 02:09 PM, Jarod Wilson wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 11:38 PM, R. G. Newbury<newbury [at] mandamus> wrote:
>> On 07/29/2010 06:29 PM, Tyler T wrote:
>>>>
>>>> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
>>>> probably used the wrong search terms.
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas appreciated.
>>>
>>> I think you're looking for an "IR Extender", "IR Repeater" or
>>> "Multi-room remote".
>>>
>>> To be honest though, it's probably cheaper/easier/reliabler to get a
>>> Bluetooth remote to replace your IR one. Your DiNovo appears to be
>>> Bluetooth so you should not need to purchase an additional dongle for
>>> the Mythbox.
>>>
>>> If the iMon is your thing, it appears to also be available in an RF
>>> edition.
>>
>> Now THAT I did not know. Never seen a mention of one.
>> And the Antex Veris line (which appears to be the new distributor of the
>> Imon) is impossible to find around here...
>
> I'm pretty sure the RF products were discontinued quite a while ago,
> but you might be able to find them somewhere. The imon driver *does*
> purport to support them (there's RF-specific code for device
> association in there), but I doubt if its actually been tested in
> ages.
>
In other words, Jarod, if I find one cheap, I should buy an extra so we
can spelunk it's output codes?

Geoff

--
Please let me know if anything I say offends you.
I may wish to offend you again in the future.

Tux says: "Be regular. Eat cron flakes."
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newbury at mandamus

Jul 30, 2010, 5:34 PM

Post #10 of 12 (387 views)
Permalink

Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On 07/30/2010 03:18 PM, Simon Hobson wrote:
> As another thought, depending on the distances and equipment involved
> ... Perhaps another option would be to just unsolder the sensor and
> extend it with a bit of screened cable ? Or unplug the original and wire
> in a new one on a longer lead ?
>
> The actual sensor is quite small - so a large fancy housing probably
> isn't needed.

Been a while since I had the actual unit out of the box, but iirc, the
ir portion is a die-sized chunk of pc-board plus mounting plug, using 4
wires, all of which is mounted on a larger pc board which carries the
VFD. So extending that would not necessarily be easy AND might involve
some searching for molex sockets and plugs etc.

Yes, doable, but not too easily.
I have enough to do, with an ongoing basement renovation.

So I have ordered a Channel Vision IR5000
see here:
http://www.channelvision.com/index.php/Single-Room-IR-Control/IR-5000-All-in-One-IR-Receiver/flypage.tpl.html

Once I knew what to search for, I found that there are lots of other
units out there. Smarthome.com carries a whack-o-stuff.

Geoff

--
Please let me know if anything I say offends you.
I may wish to offend you again in the future.

Tux says: "Be regular. Eat cron flakes."
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users [at] mythtv
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jarod at wilsonet

Jul 30, 2010, 8:32 PM

Post #11 of 12 (373 views)
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Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 8:05 PM, R. G. Newbury <newbury [at] mandamus> wrote:
> On 07/30/2010 02:09 PM, Jarod Wilson wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 11:38 PM, R. G. Newbury<newbury [at] mandamus>
>> �wrote:
>>>
>>> On 07/29/2010 06:29 PM, Tyler T wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then again, I
>>>>> probably used the wrong search terms.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any ideas appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> I think you're looking for an "IR Extender", "IR Repeater" or
>>>> "Multi-room remote".
>>>>
>>>> To be honest though, it's probably cheaper/easier/reliabler to get a
>>>> Bluetooth remote to replace your IR one. Your DiNovo appears to be
>>>> Bluetooth so you should not need to purchase an additional dongle for
>>>> the Mythbox.
>>>>
>>>> If the iMon is your thing, it appears to also be available in an RF
>>>> edition.
>>>
>>> Now THAT I did not know. Never seen a mention of one.
>>> And the Antex Veris line (which appears to be the new distributor of the
>>> Imon) is impossible to find around here...
>>
>> I'm pretty sure the RF products were discontinued quite a while ago,
>> but you might be able to find them somewhere. The imon driver *does*
>> purport to support them (there's RF-specific code for device
>> association in there), but I doubt if its actually been tested in
>> ages.
>>
> In other words, Jarod, if I find one cheap, I should buy an extra so we can
> spelunk it's output codes?

Indeed. :)

(On a related note, I have a bug filed at bugzilla.kernel.org tracking
a few additional fixes that are necessary to make the imon driver
behave a bit better under a few different scenarios... But currently
very tied up with other IR stuff right now...)

--
Jarod Wilson
jarod [at] wilsonet
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newbury at mandamus

Jul 30, 2010, 9:13 PM

Post #12 of 12 (375 views)
Permalink

Re: Using Fibre link to extend IR?? [In reply to]

Sent from my iPhone

On 2010-07-30, at 23:32, Jarod Wilson <jarod [at] wilsonet> wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 8:05 PM, R. G. Newbury
> <newbury [at] mandamus> wrote:
>> On 07/30/2010 02:09 PM, Jarod Wilson wrote:
>>>
>>> On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 11:38 PM, R. G.
>>> Newbury<newbury [at] mandamus>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 07/29/2010 06:29 PM, Tyler T wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A quick google did not seem to retrieve anything likely. Then
>>>>>> again, I
>>>>>> probably used the wrong search terms.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any ideas appreciated.
>>>>>
>>>>> I think you're looking for an "IR Extender", "IR Repeater" or
>>>>> "Multi-room remote".
>>>>>
>>>>> To be honest though, it's probably cheaper/easier/reliabler to
>>>>> get a
>>>>> Bluetooth remote to replace your IR one. Your DiNovo appears to be
>>>>> Bluetooth so you should not need to purchase an additional
>>>>> dongle for
>>>>> the Mythbox.
>>>>>
>>>>> If the iMon is your thing, it appears to also be available in an
>>>>> RF
>>>>> edition.
>>>>
>>>> Now THAT I did not know. Never seen a mention of one.
>>>> And the Antex Veris line (which appears to be the new distributor
>>>> of the
>>>> Imon) is impossible to find around here...
>>>
>>> I'm pretty sure the RF products were discontinued quite a while ago,
>>> but you might be able to find them somewhere. The imon driver *does*
>>> purport to support them (there's RF-specific code for device
>>> association in there), but I doubt if its actually been tested in
>>> ages.
>>>
>> In other words, Jarod, if I find one cheap, I should buy an extra
>> so we can
>> spelunk it's output codes?
>
> Indeed. :)
>
> (On a related note, I have a bug filed at bugzilla.kernel.org tracking
> a few additional fixes that are necessary to make the imon driver
> behave a bit better under a few different scenarios... But currently
> very tied up with other IR stuff right now...)

If you want me to test send it on. I even know where my build scripts
are stored! 'Cause I can't *remember* how to do it'
>

And I have some patches for MythCenter-wide for you to check, sometime
too.
Geoff
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