I've got an install finishing up.(Home Theatre, zone audio, gaming room, etc) In the maste BR only the fire place is RF, in fact it is the only RF controlled component in the entire house. What is the easiest and (and cheapest) way to acomplish this? (the client is tightening the purse strings and I don't want any wasted days on site or extrenious expense)

with the info provided - it seems it already works via supplied RF remote.

Give some info

All local systems are controlled with mx3000s, do I have to install the MRF250 or MRF 300 to control the rf fireplace?(The RF receiver is hidden in the marble work surrounding the fireplace)

The fireplace must be IR controlled if you want to control it with the MX-3000. If it's only RF controlled, only the original remote can control it.

If you want to make a science project of this there are options. You can build a ir controlled relay board that then get a extra rf remote(for the fireplace) and take it apart and wire the relay to the "button". When the relay board sees the ir command it will make a contact like "pushing the button" and the remote sends the rf code to the fireplace and wow the fireplace is on. You can do this for off also. Here is a link for you if you feel up to the challange.

[Link: store.qkits.com]

I have done this for alot of systems for differant thing.
Hope this helps.


J.Todd

I hope the batteries in the fireplace remote last forever, or you'll be getting a call on the first freeze of every winter season and you'll have to dig your science project out of the rack to swap the batteries and fix everything else you break while moving around the hidden remote.

But yeah, I think this might be your only option. Good luck!!

Grab a DC adapter from Radio Shack and wire it up to the contacts.

I call these art projects because the time and cost are likely to exceed the real value, just like most current art, and because the result might not be what you wanted.

The first thing you need to do is find the contacts in the fireplace remote receiver that are connected together to turn it on, and run wires from those contacts to your system. If you can't do that, you can't change from RF.

As for the rest of this, if the RF simply closes a relay to turn on the fireplace, then opens it to turn it off, a Xantech CC12 IR-controlled relay will do exactly that.

Or two CC12 could be used to emulate button pushes on the original remote, and yes, you should work out a constant power supply instead of batteries for that remote.

I did hook a power supply to the remote so I would not get that call. Thanks for the idea, but I have already done that.


Thanks
J.Todd

I have been Installing for the past 23 years and if there is nothing that I have learned more important then, " your customers will pay for what they want if they really want it". If I do a science project like this I always make it worth my time. I have had alot of customers ask for very strange things. If I can do what they are asking and the are willing to pay for it, what is the problem? They get what they want and I get what I want.


Thanks
J.Todd

J. Todd, you are a smart man.