I recently purchased Griffin's Total Remote software and IR Extender to use with my Toshiba e740 PPC. The software is great. I've tried both the native mode as well as the CCF mode and both seem very good. The problem is with the IR Extender that plugs into the audio jack. The range is only about 5 - 8 feet. I have confirmed that I have the correct settings (not using the internal IrDA). I've tried controlling several different components and the range is unacceptable.

Before purchasing the package, I confirmed that the Toshiba e740 was one of the PDAs listed on Griffin's "Supported PDA list". A friend also purchased the same package to use with his e740 and he is experiencing the same poor range as well. We tried plugging headphones into the audio jack while running the software to confirm that the software is able to send to the audio jack (loud "clicking" sounds are heard). We are both running the latest version of the software from the Griffin website as well.

Griffin indicates that the range should be about 100ft so we're hoping that there is something we can do to improve the range. Are there any known problems with using the IR Extender with a Toshiba e740? Is there an easy way to verify that both IR extenders are defective? What are the odds that both would be defective?

Any hints/tips would be greatly appreciated.

Glad you like the software. Let's see what we can do about your transmitter issues.

First, just out of curiosity, have you tried using IrDA transmission? My e740 can control my test gear from about 30-40 feet away, which is really impressive for IrDA and well within the size limits of most living rooms. If IrDA does work well for you I would ALWAYS recommend it as your primary transmitter, because the IrDA port can be timed far more accurately and can reproduce far more complicated signals than our audio transmitter.

Second, are you able to get beyond 5-8 feet while controlling ALL devices? Put another way, are there any devices you CAN control from father than 8 feet using the audio transmitter?

You mention testing the audio transmitter. Without an oscilloscope and an infrared optical detector there is no scientific method of testing. Anecdotally, you can look at the emitters using a digital camera (still camera, web camera, video camera, most any camera with a CCD or CMOS imager) and look for the whitish light when a infrared command is being transmitted. You should see both LEDs light up; if only one lights up it would severely hamper performance and should be replaced. That is highly unlikely, however, given the reliability of LEDs. This also doesn't really factor the optical power output, it just confirms the LEDs fire.

It could even be a flaw in Total Remote's infrared-to-audio algorithms. Each major release gets tested for audio transmission using an iPaq 5550 and 5455, and sometimes a Dell Axim X50 if I feel whimsical. If you get to download it, that means it controlled my Orion TV/VCR and Sony DVD player from at LEAST 50 feet away. Any less and I know we have a severe problem, so you never see that flawed build. That said, it is quite possible that there is a case where an error occurs on the e740 that I have not observed on other PPCs, and/or there is something "wrong" with the type of infrared signal you are trying to transmit and it is simply beyond the capability of the audio transmitter.

Here's what we can do. List the manufacturer and model of each piece of gear you are trying to control. I will find a match in either our infrared database or using a standard universal remote. I can output this signal using the audio transmitter, and analyze the results. If it works for me, I can send you audio files that correspond to infrared commands that should control some device you have, an you can play this audio file back using the PPC's built-in WAVE file playback ability. By completely bypassing the use of Total Remote on your PPC we can determine if the flaw lies in the audio path or the program code.

Please give me a COMPLETE list of devices. It does me no good if you tell me you have a Sony DVD player if I don't know which one, so please include the model (in this case let's say "Sony NS-300DVP DVD player").


--Don

Hi Don.

Thank you for your very detailed reply.

I've spent some time testing Total Remote with various devices and have varying degrees of success. See the list below for the ranges by device:

- RCA rear projection tv (P56830BL): 5 feet.
- Bell Expressvu Satellite Receiver (5100 - equivalent to a Dish 501): 8 ft
- Harman Kardon Receiver (AVR85): * Unable to control
- Sony CD Player (CDP-CX200): 30 ft
- NEC CRT projector (9PG-Xtra): 6 ft

Since I am able to control the Sony CD player from 30ft, the audio transmitter seems to functioning correctly. It may be more likely a problem with the Total Remote infrared-to-audio algorithm.

You suggest using the built-in IrDA as your primary transmitter. Unfortunately, since the e740's IrDA is on the side of the unit, that really isn't an option. I have tried testing Total Remote using the built-in IrDA and it seems to work from about the same range as the audio transmitter. Neither method controlled my Harman Kardon receiver.

I am very interested in trying your idea of playing audio files (bypassing the Total Remote infrared-to-audio algorithm) to see if that works. Perferably with the Harman Kardon receiver. Is it possible that a flaw in the infrared-to-audio algorithm could affect the range of the audio transmitter on some devices? If so, perhaps we should try testing with audio files on some of the other devices listed above.

How do the LEDs on the audio transmitter compare to the LEDs in a standard tv remote as far as the spread of the beam? From what I have observed, you seem to have to be fairly precise when you point the PDA at a device to control it. With a standard tv remote, you don't have to be near as accurate (reflecting off a wall or ceiling will even work). For example, if I use my universal remote to control by CRT projector, I just point the remote at the screen and the beam reflects back to the projector and is able to control it. When I tried this using my PDA (with both the built-in IrDA and the audio transmitter), neither method controlled the projector.

Thank you for your assistance and I look forward to hearing from you.

Glen

Don.

In addition to trying the items identified in my previous post, I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile also trying previous versions of the Total Remote software? Is it possible that the IR-to-audio algorithm was more accurate in a previous version? Are previous versions available for download?

Thank you.
Glen

The trick here is to find a way to make it. We have no HK receivers in our database, but I do own a AVR65 and I could always try sampling some of those buttons to see if they would work for you. Another possibility would be to use a CCF that has your HK codes, and I should be able to generate audio files from that.


Quite conceivable, but far from certain.


Most OEM remotes use LEDs with larger beam angles, and they can dump as much power to them as they want. The Total Remote audio transmitter is rather limited by the power that can be generated by the audio port, and this is obviously far less than 2 triple-A batteries. As a compromise we selected the most efficient LEDs we could find, and that also meant they had fairly tight beam angles. Without using an external battery there is no way we can get around this without dramatically reducing the range.


It would probably be worth trying, but we do not make older versions publically available. If you would like to contact us at trbeta_at_griffintechnology_dotcom we can send you some of the older versions, particularly those designed at the time of the e740.


--Don

I'm having similar problems with the range with an e310 toshiba, the dongle is only very slightly better than the irda. I'm a bit concerned to hear that your led's in the dongle arent as good as ones in original remotes when you say on your site "more powerful signal strength than your original remote control"... that should probably be quantified with "only in some cases, and only if you point it direclty at what you are controlling, otherwise its pants"?