[Rik]

Tonight - all five of my IR repeater wallplates in my video distribution system lost power. And so none of them will send ir signals from the target back to the source. They are all fed through a ChannelPlus DA-550HHR distribution block and that block is fed via two channel plus modulators. The audio and video is still being distributed ... just the IR is no longer working. Is this likely an issue with the distribution block?

 

[bpape]

I don't know that product specifically but I'll take a shot.


Audio and Video don't need any power to pass through. IR requires at least some voltage to drive the emitter on the other end. Sounds to me like a power failure.


Just a guess.

 

[digiphotonerd]

The IR receivers connected to your wallplates are powered by a DC voltage that the DA-550 inserts onto your coax line. That voltage can get shorted out if you connect anything (including a 75ohm terminator) to any of the outputs of your DA-550 withOUT going through a "DC block" or one of the wallplates.


If you've recently added something to your RF network, I'd try inserting a DC block (even Radio Shack carries them) between the DA-550 and the thing you added.


Otherwise, you might try disconnecting everything from your DA-550's RF outputs, pressing its reset switch, and reconnecting only one of the outputs. If IR on the corresponding wallplate doesn't work, there may be a problem with your DA-550 -- time to contact ChannelPlus. If that IR receiver does work, I'd reconnect the other RF outputs one at a time until you find the problem.


One other thought: IR networks come in 5v and 12v flavors (don't ask me why, 'cause it's a huge source of confusion). Anyway, yours is a 12v IR system, so it's possible that connecting a 5v target might cause a problem.


- digiphotonerd

 

[rfoye]

digiphotonerd has most of the details. The DA-550 IR engine puts 12VDC on the coax lines through a 5 ohm resistor. If any of the outputs is shorted (or more than one is terminated by 75ohms), an internal circuit breaker will open. This is almost certainly what happened.


To reset, remove power, wait 5 seconds and restore power. If the wallplates come back on, you are done. If the wallplates do not come back on, you still have a short as digiphotonerd describes and need to insert a DC block on the shorted port. Follow his description.


If a 5500 series modulator is driving input B of the DA_550, it gets a little more complicated. Let me know if this is the situation.


Connecting a 5 volt target (2133) won't work, but should not cause the circuit breaker to blow.