Re: Home IR Control

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Lewis Gardner" <lgardner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:43cfc1b0$1_1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Robert Green wrote:

<stuff snipped>

> > Are there any home-brew IR systems that people are
> > using out there for a small, 8 room setup?

> Just don't think you are going to get the performance with home-brew
> that you will get out of a Xantech system. Their IR receivers especially
> the 291-80 CFL friendly ones are quite good. I have even seen them work
> in sunlight.

With the Xantech receivers in the $60 range per piece at Worthington, it's
just not an item I want to get into a budget fight over.  I figure I can
experiment for very low cost thanks to Mouser (thanks Dave!) and see very
quickly whether homebrew fits the bill.  Worthington also carries something
called Imagine from Buffalo that handles IR at about 1/3 the price of
Xantech.  I agree that it won't be as good as Xantech, but I suspect it to
be better than Powermid - and that's all I am looking to do at the moment -
make them disappear from the tabletops to gain SAF.

> If you do want to build something the Vishay line of IR modules are the
> best I have worked with.

Good.  That's two votes of confidence for Vishay.  They seem to be widely
referenced in the net literature as well.

> I tend to build a bunch of stuff but I wouldn't spend my time trying to
> replicate the plug and play ease and functionality of the $80 Xantech
> 291-KIT/RP.

But Lewis, I hardly build *anything* <grin> so this looks like a good
project to hone my limited electronics and soldering skills.  I can't recall
seeing much simpler circuitry and I have worked with 555's before.  There
are also lots of great sites out there with very clever ideas how to
construct these devices and how to conceal the gizmos.

It probably should be another thread but I've gained a lot of SAF points by
learning to conceal HA things in stuff the wife would actually *want* on a
table top.  This rules out precious antiques but there are any number of
nice Chinese-style laquered boxes for sale on Ebay that are easily
modifiable.  Homebrew IR will enable me to bring the wife in on the design
process.  This allows her to select some new knicknack in which will be
concealed the IR receiver.  It's win-win.

> Unfortunately (as you now realize) you wasted a good bit of
> money on the Powermids.

Have to disagree on that.  I think I got three sets for under $100 and that
was at least 10 years ago.  Once I learned how to place them (deep inside a
bookcase, mostly, away from other electronics and direct light) and zoned
them using appliance modules (they are only on when needed) they worked out
pretty nicely.  They have very low SAF, though, both for their appearance
and the fact they have to be turned on via X-10 to operate.  They've save
countless steps from the basement or the kitchen.

Unlike many, many items in the great HA junk bin I feel the Powermids have
more than earned their keep.   I'd have to think hard about what the most
useless HA item really is because there are plenty.  GE Homeminder?  CM11A?
Hmmmm . . .

> If you are into soldering and can figure out a
> circuit you might try replacing the sensors in the Powermids with Vishay
> units.

That may be a little beyond me unless it's literally as simple as pulling
out one three-legged IR receiver package and soldering in another.  What
would be even better is if I could remove the IR eye from the Powermid and
put it on a long stalk so I could conceal it in something artsy for high
SAF.

> Not wired Xantech reliability but cheap, fixes a big problem (IR
> noise) and requires no wire.

I'm betting that the CFL resistant IR receiver is probably more of a Vishay
achievement than a Xantech one - by which I mean the smarts to reject CFL is
probably in the 3 pin Vishay receiver and not downstream in the Xantech
circuitry.  Does anyone know what IR receiver IC is in the Xantech's CFL
resistant receiver?  Anyone got one where they can easily read a chip
number?

--
Bobby G.