Looking for internal IR reciever for Asrock MB (For MCE) - Page 2

sydlexius how do you find the range and reception of ASRocks IR receiver. One user in the XBMC forums reported very poor range when compared to some other USB solutions as well as this CIR receiver from Inteset h**p://shop.inteset.com/Products/13-ir-receiver-wcable-and-mounting-bracket-for-cir-mb-with-mce-backlit-remote.aspx

I built an HTPC with ASRock H77M mb, SilverStone SST-ML03B case.

I ordered the ASROCK Smart CIR Remote USB Receiver $8 ffrom ASRock America, Attn: Sales Dept., 13848 Magnolia Ave. Chino, CA 91710

I ordered a StarTech Panel Mount USB A to Motherboard Header (USBPNLAFHD1) from Amazon for $6.50. I installed the bracket in the unused serial socket opening on the back of the case with the single USB pinout plug installed as specified in the owner's manual.

I ordered a USB 2.0 A Male to A Female Extension $2.47 from Amazon.

The CIR receiver is attached with black electrical tape to the top of the case aiming to the front.

I purchased a Rosewill RHRC-11001RT remote control from NewEgg for $13.99.

I tried all this out but it did not work. The BIOS did not provide any option to enable the CIR device. (The BIOS did provide the option for the IR reciever pinouts on the motherboad but don't be confused, those IR pins are not the same as the CIR Receiver pinouts.

Understand that the reciever uses standard USB cables and motherboard pinouts but it is NOT actual USB.

I obtained an RMA from ASRock fo rthe motherboard due to the BIOS not recognizing the CIR receiver.

But I didn't act on it because otherwise everything worked perfectly and I was too busy to rip my machine apart at that moment..

Then three months later I upgraded to Windows 8 and also upgraded the BIOS to 1.03.

Eureka! now the BIOS recongnizes the CIR receiver when it is plugged into its special USB port.

Not only that but the CIR receiver accepts all the commands from my Rosewill WMC remote. It just works.

The only limitation to this now is the Rosewill remote does not have an off button. It does have a sleep button and that works. The ASRock CIR receiver and the ASRock remote does have an off button feature and this is why the CIR Reciever is desirable. The standard USB IR receiver that came with the Rosewill remot works fine.

Now I ask the forum members to add the following information:

What is involved with programming a Logitech remote to implement the power off feature? I thought I saw a thread on some forum several months ago with that information but now I cannot track it down.

Eric Lewis

So you need to run the USB port to the header on the motherboard right ???

You can not just use the USB stick in a normal USB port ?

The ASRock IR receiver device looks like a USB device and plugs into a USB socket but it is not a USB device. The USB socket should be plugged onto the special CIR pins on the ASRock motherboard. The CIR pins have one fewer pin than USB mb pins.

So the device looks like a USB device, it plugs into a socket that looks like a USB socket but the socket is plugged onto pins that are the CIR pins, not USB pins.

and the remote is IR ? Or RF ?

Standard RC6 IR.