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pgk
Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 113 Location: London |
Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:12 am Post subject: Running 2117 Command Center from 230/240V |
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I got a few of the 2117s from Rob and being UK based the command centers weren't much use without an Auto Transformer, which all seem fairly expensive. So I thought I'd take a look and see if I could get it running on 230/240V. It turned out pretty straightforward so for anyone who is interested here is a pdf document showing what I did. |
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classicsat
Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 279
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:32 am Post subject: |
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One can probably use a DC transformer as low as 9V. If you run it through the bridge rectifiers, polarity won't matter. |
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pgk
Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 113 Location: London |
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:48 am Post subject: |
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Yes, you probably can (It's what I did initially), but you then need to be get the polarity on the socket right (Correction when I did this initially I bypassed the bridge rectifier, so I had to make sure I got the polarity right, it should make a difference if it's connect through the rectifier).
What also isn't shown it that most of the circuit is powered through U1 (a 5V regulator), but just past the bridge rectifier is connected via a link (JP1) to the IR LEDS, so dropping the voltage may impact the effective range of the command centre. |
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streetskater
Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 75 Location: NYC |
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 2:43 am Post subject: |
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As ever this is one of the most resourceful...ah...resources on the internet.
That damn "command center" has been around since the flood. Years ago when I thought I'd never have enough 15-1994's & 15-1995's I bought a peck of the 15-1995's as they were discontinued and marked down eventually to about 5 bucks (which price included that very same command center). I donned me backpack and trekked through the 5 NYC boroughs snatching them up by the handful...Anyway if I had a pence for every Command Center I now own I'd be a rich man today.....I've actually figured out ways of disbursing them throughout my crib so that I don't have to point my remotes at all. I can bury them under a mattress and the signals still find their way via IR and RF to their targets.
...further ramblings...
I, ah, lived in Texas when Tandy Corp was just emerging as a crafts outlet--they sold cowhides, snakeskins, and leather tooling stuff. When they embarked into electronics it was Capitalist Cowboyism at it's best. They've lost quite a bit of that look & feel over the years but I must say that to the extent that we use their remotes here on JP1 we keep a core of that hobbyist "can do" spirit alive in a way that it exists in few other places--nice to see that it's international--with a few voltage tweaks |
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Cammo
Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Auckland, New Zealand |
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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I have just got into the JP1 thing, and I am stunned and amazed at what can be done with these remotes! I have configured one 8811 and two 9910 (connecting back to 1 command centre at the home theatre) for all house control - the 8811 is for local home theatre control, the two 9910's for remote rooms. I also did the power mod mentioned above which seemed to work perfectly, the problem is that the command centre seems to be continuously spewing out erroneous IR commands which is affecting my normal IR control - commands are only recognized about 50% of the time for some stereo components, and some components wont work at all. Everything works perfectly when using one of the 9910s, but as I also have some components controlled by a home automation IR controller, I cannot just use a 9910 for local control. I have tried taping the inside of the window of the control centre so that only one IR LED can see through, but this didnt make any difference.
Any suggestions from the incredibly intelligent people on this forum? |
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streetskater
Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 75 Location: NYC |
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah I think what you're experiencing is a kind of Star Wars Laser Light battle going on--in the invisible spectrum. If both the Command Center and the Remote itself are vieing for the same broadcast realestate they can cancel each other out. I don't have a great solution for that other than:
Placement, Placement, Placement. i.e., trial and error till you find what works.
This problem seems to be specific to the Command Centers. If you were to use the Rat-shack Pyramids, for instance, you probably wouldn't get those signal clashes. |
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Cammo
Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Auckland, New Zealand |
Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks streetskater - I was hoping there might be some funky fix using some kind of filters or something. Its very disappointing - if this problem didnt exist, it would be the perfect solution. Oh well, back to the drawing board. |
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The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21234 Location: Chicago, IL |
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streetskater
Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 75 Location: NYC |
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:42 am Post subject: |
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IR Babble
The title says it all
Definately a fix I'll be trying. (the R24 330K -->to 240K)
BUT
Who can keep up with all this stuff. I'm still trying to sort my way through DVArchiving my Replay. 2 weeks ago I hadn't even heard the term before.... |
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The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21234 Location: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 11:06 am Post subject: |
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You can't keep up with everything, sometimes you have to pick and chose. I used to be right on top of ReplayTV stuff, and hackable DVD players, but then I got sidetracked by JP1!
And even in the JP1 world, I can't keep up with everything, so I'm happy to let others be the experts in certain areas. _________________ Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help! |
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Cammo
Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Auckland, New Zealand |
Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the link Robman - that fix sounds perfect! After having a look at R24, the size of the componentry means the upgrade is a bit daunting, but I think Im willing to give it a go anyway. I could not find any resistors in the same form factor as the current one (I think from the RC post that its a 0805 sized package?) - the only ones I coud find were the bigger ones where it looks like an elongated sausage with wires sticking out each end. The closest I could find was a 1/4w 220k Carbon Film 5% Tolerance E12 - do you know if this will still work? Thanks again for the great help! Cheers, Cameron |
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The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21234 Location: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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What you're looking for are surface mount "SMD Chip" resistors like this one ...
Rather than the carbon film type you were looking at...
Click here for more info on resistors. _________________ Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!
Last edited by The Robman on Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:59 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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zaphod7501
Joined: 02 Aug 2004 Posts: 533 Location: Peoria Illinois |
Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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It's usually easier to bridge a chip resistor than to remove and replace it. In other words tack a 910k resistor accross the existing resistor (approx value - I think 920k is a standard value - the result ends up about 243k ohms). Your "elongated sausage" is a leaded component as described in Rob's link. If you solder one side , let it cool , then do the other end , it shouldn't cause the original to come off the board. You can bend the leads to match the width of the original resistor. If you do find a surface mount resistor they can be soldered on top of each other for the purpose of bridging fairly easily also. _________________ Just call me Zaphod (or Steve) --- I never should have started using numbers in a screen name but I just can't stop now. |
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streetskater
Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 75 Location: NYC |
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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The Robman wrote: | You can't keep up with everything, sometimes you have to pick and chose. I used to be right on top of ReplayTV stuff, and hackable DVD players, but then I got sidetracked by JP1!
And even in the JP1 world, I can't keep up with everything, so I'm happy to let others be the experts in certain areas. |
Next you'll be telling me, There is no Santa Clause!
Dr Rob,
I think of you as being the Grand Master of everything JP1. I simply refuse to believe you are not All Knowing in this arena.
I also thought you founded JP1 and THEN moved into the ReplayTV Stuff. Are you saying it was actually the other way around! |
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