Xantech used to make something called dinkylink emitters. I always kept a few in my toolbox. They were IR emitters that also put out bright visible light and only cost a couple of bucks each. Xantech sold them as "testers". Get a Radio shack project box and paste a bunch of these emitters at one end, and the reciver at the other. Bring it all out through mono jacks for the emitters and a 4 wire terminal block for the receiver. Put a few emitters in there and you have a multi input, single output optical coupler guaranteed compatible with a xantech collector.
Also handy for devices like the squeezeboxes from slimserver that put out IR but at CMOS levels (3.3 volts) Xantech definately does not like that. Also the voltage output swing on a Xantech receiver is If I remember correctly 12 volts, that is what a collector expects. In todays world many devices that put out IR run at 5 volts and some of the smaller power conserving units at 3.3 volts (CMOS as opposed to TTL).
