Hello folks,
Many of you have been asking about extending the IR mini blaster's reach in the various Harmony threads. We did a little experiment, the results of which I wanted to share, and let everyone know which parts we used in case you wanted to order the same.
Please note that the longer the wire, the more current loss is experienced, so extended mini blaster performance may not be on par with that when using the regular cable.
As you're aware, the goal here is to use a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter on the mini blaster side, use a 3.5mm extension cable to reach the desired length, and reduce back from 3.5mm to 2.5mm on the hub side to fit into one of the blaster ports.
We purchased the following adapters from monoprice:
Mini blaster side (2.5mm mono to 3.5mm stereo adapter)
Monoprice item #7125
Harmony Hub side (3.5mm mono to 2.5mm mono adapter)
Monoprice item #7121
We also ordered various cable lengths to test
100ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm mono stereo extension cable (warning - this cable really isn't pretty )
Monoprice item #5595
50ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo extension cable
Monoprice item #5593
25ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo extension cable
Monoprice item #5591
12 ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo extension cable
Monoprice item # 649
Using each of the extension cables individually worked well.
Also, after teasing each individual one, we started from the 12ft cable, and gradually added a longer cable length, testing every time, until we had the full 187ft of cable daisy chained (12 + 25 + 50 + 100). This also worked, though we did experience a loss of IR signal strength. We backed up from the devices being tested as far as 3 - 4 feet and the devices still responded, but the blaster requires a lot more positioning, etc towards the device. However, it still worked.
We hope this is helpful to whoever wished to extend their mini blaster's reach. Those cables aren't pretty, but those wishing to send a mini blaster off to their entertainment cabinet on a different floor, etc will definitely find success with these parts.
Please feel free to refer anyone asking about mini blaster extension to this post!
Regards,
Sylvain
Many of you have been asking about extending the IR mini blaster's reach in the various Harmony threads. We did a little experiment, the results of which I wanted to share, and let everyone know which parts we used in case you wanted to order the same.
Please note that the longer the wire, the more current loss is experienced, so extended mini blaster performance may not be on par with that when using the regular cable.
As you're aware, the goal here is to use a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter on the mini blaster side, use a 3.5mm extension cable to reach the desired length, and reduce back from 3.5mm to 2.5mm on the hub side to fit into one of the blaster ports.
We purchased the following adapters from monoprice:
Mini blaster side (2.5mm mono to 3.5mm stereo adapter)
Monoprice item #7125
Harmony Hub side (3.5mm mono to 2.5mm mono adapter)
Monoprice item #7121
We also ordered various cable lengths to test
100ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm mono stereo extension cable (warning - this cable really isn't pretty )
Monoprice item #5595
50ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo extension cable
Monoprice item #5593
25ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo extension cable
Monoprice item #5591
12 ft 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo extension cable
Monoprice item # 649
Using each of the extension cables individually worked well.
Also, after teasing each individual one, we started from the 12ft cable, and gradually added a longer cable length, testing every time, until we had the full 187ft of cable daisy chained (12 + 25 + 50 + 100). This also worked, though we did experience a loss of IR signal strength. We backed up from the devices being tested as far as 3 - 4 feet and the devices still responded, but the blaster requires a lot more positioning, etc towards the device. However, it still worked.
We hope this is helpful to whoever wished to extend their mini blaster's reach. Those cables aren't pretty, but those wishing to send a mini blaster off to their entertainment cabinet on a different floor, etc will definitely find success with these parts.
Please feel free to refer anyone asking about mini blaster extension to this post!
Regards,
Sylvain