On 11/14/03 02:18, RTI Installer said...
Simple, run Cat5 to the box ensuring that all
low voltage wiring stays .25 inch away from the
high voltage as per spec in side the box. Grab
a Xantech emitter, cut off the jack leaving a
few inches for splicing latter and break off the
plastic shell. Remove the graphic Eye faceplate,
hot glue the emitter next to the receiving eye.
Crimp the emitter’s pigtail {observing the polarity}
on to a couple of the cat5 wires using phone wire
crimps. Connect the jack end of the emitter wire
to the corresponding cat5 wires on the other end
and further, to your connecting block; carefully
install the graphic eye into the wall box.
Other wise get your self an Ir Blaster.
Enjoy
OH! I DON'T THINK SO!
If you want to (properly and legally) control a Grafik Eye via IR (Other than by using the IR receiver on the face of the Grafik Eye) you can purchase the Lutron Infrared Receiver (part #GRX-CIR-WH) and wire it to the Garfik Eye using CLASS 2 WIRING (Never, ever Cat5).
There are two major flaws in your advise:
1. Running Cat5 UTP into any electrical box that has 120 volt wiring present in it. The .25 inch clearance refers to Class 2 wiring. Stop mixing Cat5 with 120 volt power lines. It is illegal and dangerous both to your clients and the equipment that you install for them. This goes for all you guys running Cat5 into Spacer dimmers as well as Grafik Eyes. There are many other ways to work around these IR issues without violating the National Electrical Code.
2. Installing a blaster sandwiched between the Grafik Eye and the Garfik Eye's cover can and will damage the Grafik Eye. There's not enough room for the blaster to fit without having to force the cover on. Even a little bit of pressure from the cover over the IR eye pushes down on the circuit board inside the Grafik Eye and causes the connections from the buttons to the circuit board to malfunction. Remember, these Garfik Eyes retail from between $690 to $1,010. I replaced one last year that another AV installer broke by doing exactly what you propose. Not only did he destroy the Grafik Eye, but he also ran Cat5 into the electrical box. Never mind running just the Cat5 into the box, but the blaster had to be spliced to the Cat5 inside the electrical box, too. So now he had this hair-thin wire from the blaster crammed into the electrical box with the Garfik Eye's uninsulated 120 volt terminals. The Grafik Eye barely fits into the box as it is. So, I pulled the Cat5 out and replaced it with the proper Class 2 wire (Lutron even sells their own Class 2 cable just for this purpose. Part #GRX-CBL-346S-500. Available in plenum rated as well). Once you run that control wire from the Grafik Eye, you can control the Grafik eye, or have it control other things besides lighting, using infrared, RS-232, contact closure etc. by connecting the proper interface.
