While reading another thread someone mentioned a plasma proof i.r. who makes them?
Thanks,

[Link: audioplex.com]

addendum:
[Link: hometech.com]

Anyone have any other sources for this product?

This message was edited by Sheik_Yerbouhti on 05/30/02 05:00.17.

heh.
well not exactly.

A small dot of white 3M electrical tape over the receiver shield on the Xantech "dinky link" (480-00) is almost a bullet proof fix from my experiences...
Plus it still allows IR reception from any normal remotes 20+ feet away.

It still requires slight fiddling with placement, but I just came from a clients house where the 480-00 was located right on the front of the display... if you walk in front of it (1 foot or so), light from the display bounces off of your body and back onto the IR receiver, causing the LED to *dimly* glow... take the tape away and it's glowing all the time (unless of course the display isn't displaying much [black screen])

I'm serious, give it a try... I think you'll be surprised at the results.

- Matt Webb

I haven't tried white tape over the sensor for plasma, however I do find it to be very effective with florescent electronic ballast lighting. Without the tape, the sensor is totally saturated by the lights. Range is usually reduced to about 15 feet.

The Xantech standard 480-00 with a piece of tape is compatible with a wider range of equipment than the CFL-friendly 480-80.

We also use the 490 with a piece of white tape quite often with very good results.

Xantech offers filters as one of their products (the Sun 480 and the Sun 490). The white tape seems easier to put on and is about $4.99 less expensive.

Give it a try the next time you have to do a dentist office.

Keith

I just answered the original question - are you guys trying to get cmack in trouble with the DIY police? (cmack: Adapt, Improvise, Overcome.)

Great advice Sheik,
Are there any problems with the emmitters on a plasma. This job has evolved and now the Plasma will be "picture framed" and the receiver will be placed elsewhere. Just wondering if I should expect problems with the emitters.
Thanks in advance

cmack: I think the great advice comes from Keith and MattWebb. If you can just use some other opaque material to diffuse or "filter" the interference from the plasma then my DIY hat is off to you. All kinds of opaque plastics in familiar forms come to mind: film containers, plastic caps that come on computer cables and fibre optic cables, lids from food containers, and the aforementioned, TAPE!(Comes with it's own adhesive.)

Not that there's anything wrong with plopping down the money for a known product; just buy a device and pass the savings along to the customer ;-p


Since this is a problem related to Plasmas I would say this is going to be a case by case situation. I haven't seen anyone offering a filter or "magic widget" for a problem with emitters; YOU KNOW if they thought you'd buy it they'd have underaged child labor in third world countries producing these as we speak. If the cure is not on the market the problem may not exist.

As far as the sensor goes, it sounds like a "line of sight" problem, so proximity of the sensor to the Plasma will probably be the determining factor. Bear in mind Keith mentioned florescent lighting and there's the direct sunlight problem to consider too, so a sensor filter put in place to solve one issue might have multiple benefits as a side effect.

Anyone have any input on how far this interference radiates?

I must tell you I have NO experience with Plasma. I have the need for one in my den, but I'm procrastinating over the purchase while the price keeps getting closer to what I'm willing to pay. (Early Adopters: Thanks in advance for funding research to iron out all the problems before I buy.)

Sheik. I share the same procrastination for the plasma. For this job I'll try the Plasma proof I.R stuff from Audio Plex and any other DYI methods that are necessary. Thanks for the input guys,
Any other input?

cmack, When I first saw plasma I was not overwhelmed - I have since seen plasma displays that would make me quite happy. This is only going to get better as the product evolves. When the Samsung's and Goldstar's come out with a viable consumer grade plasma then the bigger guys are going to run for the tall grass pricewise.

Input? I think RF and probably IEEE 802.11b will slowly undercut IR, at least for control functions. There is some experimentation with short range omnidirectional infrared but it still has to "see".

We never ever ever sell consumer grade plasma's (they look like crap right now) We sell only commercial (pro) plasmas
You can get Plasma proof ir targets or just locate you target away from plasma.
We will sometimes install 2 targets inside the front right and left speakers under the grills . that way they are invisible and not
as susceptible to ir/sun/plasma/ florescent lights.
As to the electrical tape over the targets GIVE ME A BREAK do you use electrical tape for securing your wires too ? Plllease .
Do you get paid for this ?

Yes Sheikster is correct the tides they are a changin.

I think you should cut him some slack.

I just worked on a job with lots of small rooms and plasmas. Sometimes you just can't get a spot where the IR receivers are spray free.

I am not a hardware guy (software is where the money is!) but I struggled with them through many rooms. An IR receiver under the monitor worked well, until someone walked in front of it and reflected back on the receiver. Going to a CFL friendly receiver did help. There doesn't seem to be a magic bullet which will fix any setup. What worked here was to cover up about 2/3 of the receiver. Instead of the long rectangle, we ended up with just the end. Worked great! Yes, the range was shortened, but these are not large rooms anyway.

They contacted Xantech, and their reply was simply to do whatever it takes.

On the good news front, they did report they were about a month away from shipping a Plasma Friendly IR Receiver.

Kabster, I agree with you on the consumer grade plasmas, my point (and hope) is that consumers shopping for new displays will start (literally) thinking outside the box. There used to be NO choice; you had a large cardboard box delivered, uncrated it and devoted a large portion of your room to the contents thereof. Your furniture was purchased with that scenario in mind, and then carefully arranged around the video altar.

Front projection and flat displays will begin (more than they do now) to replace "the big cardboard box". This will drive the industry and raise the bar on quality. If you think about it there are much less raw materials in either of the two forementioned solutions; right now we're paying for the R & D. When the masses are viewing the same quality we now know as "pro plasma", and at "TV" prices, then the pro grade plasmas will be even better and more reasonably priced.

By the time I get through procrastinating on plasma I'll probably have a different house, purchased with front projection in mind.

Now that the software gurus have given you a reason to exist, you grunts get out there and install that hardware. Which came first? The platform or the O/S?

[Link: xantech.com]

Just feel a need to chime in here, guys -- without thinking, I plastered a Xantech Dinky Link on the front of a Sony plasma. After it had worked flawlessly for three or four days, I remembered it could have been a heck of a problem...

I had a problem with a dinky link on a Pioneer plasma; Xantech suggested the CFL Friendly table-top (291). It worked for every component, although the talkback LED still flickers, even when the room is dark, so this is NOT reflection of screen light.

The real kicker I had with a dinky link and a plasma happened when the link was on the ceiling four feet above the display. There was constant talkback LED chatter, but all commands went through except about 1/4 of the TiVo commands (figure THAT one out!). In trying to be sure that ambient light was not the culprit, I covered the dinky link with painter's blue masking tape. One layer reduced the amount of talkback, AND THE IR WENT RIGHT THROUGH THE BLUE TAPE. So what the heck -- I put on another layer of blue tape. The talkback LED went out, and the IR went right through TWO layers of blue tape.

For some reason, the TiVo still does not respond to a small percentage of commands relayed through that dinky link. Go figure.

Simple solution. We've tried the tape game, paper game, etc etc. This merely knocks down the overall IR into the target to produce a greater S/N ratio for the real commands to enter, also reduces overall range for the real codes unfortunately. The best answer I know of is the IR targets from Speakercraft which are truly plasma proof (as well as halogen and other stray IR noise producing products). The problem is mainly related to the plasmas producing in frequency IR noise which can also be reflected off of room walls and back into the IR target. The Seakercraft seems to solve this problem using some noise immunity circuitry that would appear to "learn" the noise and then reject it. The brighter the image on the plasma, the more the noise. Class A (Pro??) plasma products also seem to have the same problems as their class really only refers to the fact that they are allowed to emit more stray RF as they are to be used in commercial environments only (?), as compared to Class B types for residential use.