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Xantech and other COAX over IR parts?

post #1 of 27
1/23/12 at 9:52am
Thread Starter 
I am bought a hotlink cat5 ir solution for a living room lcd tv.

Now I'm tackling the rest of the house.

I have old CRT tvs throughout the house so I bought the Xantech ir over coax solution.

My questions are:

1. I don't like that big bulk receiver, can I just get a smaller monoprice receiver (product id 8060) and use that?

2. Like Channel Plus has coax over ir parts, can I use them with Xantech?

Any help would be appreciated,
jctivo
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post #2 of 27
1/23/12 at 11:08am
As long as this is the XtraLink2, which has the 291-00 receiver (with a 3.5mm plug), not the coax F-connector one (the ChannelPlus 2133). The Xantech XtraLink is a 12V IR device, while others are 5V and therefore not compatible.

IIRC, I used the XtraLink2 and replaced the tabletop receiver with a DinkyLink for an LCD display (since the tabletop 291 got too much interference from the backlight).

Jeff
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post #3 of 27
1/23/12 at 11:38am
Thread Starter 
Amazon says it's the "2" Xantech 17294 Remote Control Signal Sender.

thanks for the tips.

I really appreciate all of the help with all of my questions.

Just trying to find the cheapest way to do all of this since monoprice doesn't have all of these parts.

jctivo
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post #4 of 27
1/23/12 at 12:56pm
I am 99.9% sure that 8060 is a 5v device ... you need to stick with 12v product, xantech's DL25 or DL85 receiver would replace the recvr that comes with the 172-94
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post #5 of 27
1/23/12 at 4:33pm
Good catch Eric! I didn't even think about the receiver side... I can see why someone would want to try it, at like 1/20th the price of the "good ones".

Jeff
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post #6 of 27
1/23/12 at 6:23pm
Thread Starter 
I just ordered everything today so I guess I will have to try the 5v idea first.
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post #7 of 27
1/23/12 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctivo View Post

I just ordered everything today so I guess I will have to try the 5v idea first.

If you plug the 5V IR receiver into a 12V device, you're very likely going to hear a very small "pop" and then it's not going to do anything - once the magic smoke is out you can't put it back in...
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post #8 of 27
1/24/12 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
I guess I won't do that either.

Just that I'm on deadline to get this fixed by Saturday and since some of these products are not available on amazon/monoprice this is making it much more difficult.
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post #9 of 27
1/24/12 at 7:49am
Thread Starter 
Are there smaller 12 v ir receivers than the big clunky xantech ones?
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post #10 of 27
1/24/12 at 8:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctivo View Post

Are there smaller 12 v ir receivers than the big clunky xantech ones?

Smaller than the DinkyLink, or the tabletop one you get with the XtraLink? Dinkylink is pretty small.

Quote:


Just that I'm on deadline to get this fixed by Saturday and since some of these products are not available on amazon/monoprice this is making it much more difficult.

There's more than two places to shop on the Internet...

Do you already have the XtraLink? That will at least work immediately - if not the slickest solution, you can always velcro the tabletop IR receiver somewhere nearby the CRT...

Jeff
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post #11 of 27
1/24/12 at 9:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctivo View Post

I guess I won't do that either.

Just that I'm on deadline to get this fixed by Saturday and since some of these products are not available on amazon/monoprice this is making it much more difficult.

Google is your friend :-)
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post #12 of 27
1/24/12 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 
I would have just plugged in the 5v receiver from monoprice since I didn't know why I shouldn't.

I think Xantech should show up today.

I will have that for one room.

But I had bought the ir injectors and power supplies separately for the other rooms because I thought I could use the monoprice receiver. In the long run, I guess I could either return the extra ir injectors to smarthome and/or just get the big bulky receiver.

One room should be fine to make my wife happy for now. We are transitioning away from nextgeneration because it was just too flaky.

I did find some xantech dlinky stuff on ebay but now I'm scared to buy it because it might not work.

Again, I appreciate all of the help.
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post #13 of 27
1/24/12 at 4:03pm
Thread Starter 
I put the bulky xantech ir receiver under the dresser which has open feet. remote works and you can't see it. great move!
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post #14 of 27
1/24/12 at 4:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctivo View Post

I put the bulky xantech ir receiver under the dresser which has open feet. remote works and you can't see it. great move!

Kind of the "Hidden Link" in reverse! Good work, and much cheaper than replacing it!

Jeff
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post #15 of 27
1/25/12 at 8:43am
Thread Starter 
I ordered a couple more xtra 2 expansion kits and will return the extra injectors that I ordered earlier this week.

Thanks for all of the help.
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post #16 of 27
1/31/12 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 
So I ordered two of the
Xantech Dual Emitter
Item# 81986

But I need more than 4.

Since I already have 2 emitters that came with the original Xantech IR over coax kit, can I just use a headphone jack splitter to use the 4 that I get with the 2 duals and the original 2?

I called Smarthome and they told me to call Xantech.
Xantech told me to buy a connecting block and use bare wire. That scares me.

Will this lame headphone jack solution work?

thanks again for all of the help.
jctivo
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post #17 of 27
1/31/12 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctivo View Post

Since I already have 2 emitters that came with the original Xantech IR over coax kit, can I just use a headphone jack splitter to use the 4 that I get with the 2 duals and the original 2?

Will this lame headphone jack solution work?

Probably be fine. You're just cutting down the available power to each emitter, so they may be more finicky. Place them correctly and use covers over them to maximize the amount of light transmitted to the sensors.

If you run into problems, then yeah, run to a connecting block with its own power supply and a bunch of emitter outputs. Not a big deal, and about $30 in parts.

Jeff
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post #18 of 27
2/1/12 at 7:11am
Thread Starter 
How does that work?

I'm having trouble right now with the xantech emitters working my monoprice hdmi switch.

Maybe I need a cover?
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post #19 of 27
2/1/12 at 7:16am
Jeff's suggestions could very possibly work, but my experience has been that there is a very finite current amount from any xantech connecting block, usually you can get by with up to two double head emitters on their standard 4 output blocks, but my guess would be (especially since Xantech also said so) is that you are going to need a connecting block and power supply to expand that system.
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post #20 of 27
2/1/12 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 
Ok. That will be next week's question. How to get a bare wire.

I don't know anything about this stuff. So for me, if a connecting block took a 3.5mm cable into it, I would choose that over bare wire.

Thanks for the help.

Right now the more pressing need I guess is that I just need it to control the monoprice hdmi switch which seems inconsistent.Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If I wanted that, I would go back to nextgeneration (I know other people have it work flawlessly but not me).
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post #21 of 27
2/1/12 at 8:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctivo View Post

How does that work?

Covering over the emitter once placed in front of the equipment (easiest cover is a piece of black electrical tape) helps reduce interference from outside light.

Quote:
I'm having trouble right now with the xantech emitters working my monoprice hdmi switch.

It's not the emitter. Try it with just single emitter attached to see if it's a signal strength problem first. And make sure you've located the emitter in front of the IR sensor on the switch. You may also have to try moving the emitter away from the sensor - some of them get flooded with too much signal, too.

Quote:
How to get a bare wire.

Cut the end off a 3.5mm cable and identify the wire colors going to the 2 conductors - then hook those up to the connecting block input. Xantech will have all the pinout descriptions.

If the wires in a cable you have laying around are too fine to work with, you can make one with some RadioShack parts.

Jeff
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post #22 of 27
2/1/12 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 
After talking with smarthome tech support, they mentioned the lcd messing with the ir. I moved the ir receiver on the small tv to under a desk and it seemed to work much better.

I think some of the other problem is from the hotlink ir sensor in my family room. It is placed a little too close to the lcd in there. (seems like my problem everywhere)

The ir receiver indicator light is on too much so I think that is interferring with some of the ir coax stuff.

so making progress slowly.

Thanks for all of the help.

jctivo
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post #23 of 27
2/2/12 at 8:48am
The receiver in the xtralink kit is not LCD or plasma friendly .. they designed that kit back when CRTs were the major type of TV out there and never updated it to included one of the LCD/Plasma proof receivers
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post #24 of 27
2/2/12 at 10:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericspencer View Post

The receiver in the xtralink kit is not LCD or plasma friendly ..

And that's putting it mildly... It's downright LCD ANGRY!
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post #25 of 27
2/2/12 at 11:44am
Thread Starter 
would these work?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xantech-Dink...e7#ht_530wt_65

I found these on EBAY at a great discount.


Sell one like this
Xantech "Dinky Link" surface mount IR receiver CFL friendly

Thanks again for all of the help.
jctivo
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post #26 of 27
2/2/12 at 12:07pm
Those appear to be the older models and they might work just fine, the newer LCD/Plasma product has had some improvements as far as compatibility with certain sat and cable boxes. I am not one to screw around to save a few bucks and risk an upset customer so personally I would go with the DL85 which is the newest model
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post #27 of 27
2/2/12 at 1:12pm
Thread Starter 
the upset customer will be my wife when she figures out how much I spent on all of this. I'll hold off for now.

thanks.
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