Hey, guys,
I have an installation where the displays are so far from the A/V equipment that the Pronto RF extender does not reliably receive the RF signal (Pronto TSU6000). Miraculously, everything else works great. I want to put the receiver over near one of the plasmas so it will definitely receive signal.

I have run into trouble trying to use the output of an RF extender with other wired equipment's IR inputs. Does anybody know what to put between a remote extender's output jack and the IR input of a Xantech device so it will work?

So far I know I can slap a dinky link onto the front of the RF receiver, but that sure seems like a dumb way to do it. Expensive, too, compared to just running a wire.

If someone does not know how to do this, but can give me a technical description of the output circuit of the remote extender, I can engineer a circuit to do what is needed.

Anybody?

I also couldn't find the info to get this working so I bought a blaster emitter from Smarthome and placed it in front of the Xantech receiver... Works fine, but I'd also like to know how to do it properly..!

open a Xantech "The Book" and find the value of the resistor needed. Another way is to open any 4 or 10 way block and go to The shack and buy it. It goes in line on the signal or white stripe or positive wire. The non amplified connecting blocks are really no more then emitters in parrelell(?) to each other and a resistor on every signal conductor as well as a power inserter

Coulda sworn I answered this question the other day...

ANyway, its a 470ohm Resistor, and it just goes between Signal and Ground on the connecting block.
A resistor has no + and - so orientation does nor matter....

My "The Book" has many many pages. Could you suggest which product has the info that you are referring to?


Well, yeah, that's true, but it looks like you are telling me how to take the output of the RF extender and use a resistor to limit its current so it can feed one LED, like the Xantech 789-44 does.

But what I need is a signal from the extender that can feed directly to several devices, just as the output from, say, a dinky link can. A dinky link's output can go to a 789-44, which feeds up to four LEDs through 470 ohm resistors, as well as a CC12, an RT8, and an AV switch (forget the model number). The 789-44, CC12, RT8, and AV are all in parallel, just as they would be on any Xantech system shown in "The Book."

If I follow your instructions and add a resistor in series with the extender output, I will have the analog of a single 789-44 output, which, for instance, cannot properly feed current to four LEDs through another 789-44.

I hope I have been more clear this time.

DON'T TRY to connect something except IR flashers into RF extender output directly - it may damage the connected device!

It is a cheme of RFX outputs (2 pairs):
+9V ---\
>JACK======LED+LED(in series)
/---/
<
\---\
>JACK======LED+LED
Signal -/

where signal is ~0V when leds flashes, and signal=9V in other case.

You need a "Ground+Signal" connection to inject IR into Xantech directly (when signal is ~6V when flashed, and 0 when quiet). This point IS inside of RFX, and you need a solder gun to re-configure RFX :)

Eigeny,
I understand your text, but I can't make out what your circuit is. Circuit representations are horribly limited when we try to turn them into text, but

could you add the labels (ground), (tip), and (ring) where you mean them to be in your message?

I take it you are saying that the remote extender does not have simply ground and signal as tip and ring. Okay. Understood. But your text does not mention that the 9 volt output has a resistor in series with it, and it will therefore be reduced to a lower actual voltage when the LED is in the circuit.

Now, since that is the case, it could be that putting a couple of the extender outputs in parallel could effectively lower the series resistance, thus allowing enough current at a high enough voltage to, for instance, be able to go through a Xantech 789 distribution block.

Yes, we need signal plus ground to run Xantech stuff, but we are not going inside the extender to find its actual ground, then connecting that to the Xantech bus, then hoping the output will work -- instead, we have a plus and minus, which could be the signal and ground, respectively, if they are of the proper polarity, voltage and current, to go through a distribution block. Remember, too, that "ground" is a relative term and until you tie together the grounds of two devices, "ground" means nothing. Otherwise, since the big flat end of D cells could be called the "ground," you could not stack them in series to light a flashlight with more than 1.5 volts!

And if the output is as you say, I am back to my original question -- does anybody know what to do to it to make it run Xantech devices? I once needed two different bus outputs from a Niles IR box, and I was able to make a second one out of a high level IR output with a couple of resistors creating a ground reference for the IR signal (the Niles box's IR outputs did not connect either terminal to the Niles signal ground, so this could not be used as a bus either).

Hmm... How to publish a picture? :)
In detail, IR outputs of RFX contain 2 pairs of jacks. When both jacks in pair are with 2-head flashers, it looks like:

+9V -> jack tip -> LED -> LED -> jack sleeve -> jack tip -> LED -> LED -> jack sleeve -> signal (+4V...+9V)

When only one 2-head flasher in jack and other jack is empty, it mechanically commutated as

+9V -> jack tip -> LED -> LED -> jack sleeve -> R=120 Ohm -> signal (+4V...+9V)
or
+9V -> R=120 Ohm -> jack tip -> LED -> LED -> jack sleeve -> signal (+4V...+9V)

So, when anybody tries to connect jack sleeve to ground, it "scares" enough both of RFX and Niles or Xantech IR distribution systems :)

If you want to escape the RFX disemboweling, the only one safe way is to use a real IR transmitting: from Philips IR flasher into Xantech IR receiver like, say, 291-00 :)

Ernie, On the 789-44 there are terminals to hardwire the IR receiver output to the block. Out of the powermid receiver jack the tip is + and the ring is - and it is a mono mini plug. Attach the + to IR in and the - to ground on the 789-44. Nothing to the 12v and the status. The output of the powermid is designed to power a blaster so you should put a 470 ohm resisor in series with the + connection which will limit the current. Use the Xantech power supply 781RG to power the block.

Eigeny,
thanks for the response. I know the issue was how the heck to type out a picture!


This is fine. I am glad this will work. However, outputs designed to power blasters already have resistors in series with them, and the Xantech bus is a high-current line, i.e. you go from that bus directly into Xantech devices, but through resistors into LEDs. 470 ohms (the value of the resistors in a 789-44)in series with a Xantech bus will give you 3 mA. into an LED, which seems awful low but works beautifully.

But

Now, how about the Pronto RF extender? Sorry if I left that out, but that is the product I am talking about, not the Powermid. And I tried this exact thing with the RF Extender, and it did not work. THEN I started this thread.

Thise legend is where big fish stories get started. How about paralelling emitter output ports?. You might need more current. You might also try an amplified block like a 791-44. I find it to be more reliable than the 789-44. By reliable I mean it works in systems where sometimes the 789-44 doesn't.