On Sun, 01 May 2011 18:50:25 -0700, John Robertson
wrote:

mm wrote:
1) Can the infrared sensor on IR remote control receivers get weak, or
do they normally just fail.

If the IR receivers get weak, can they be replaced? Or repaired?
Change the IR-unit itself? a nearby cap?

The most important one that seems to have gone bad is in my 3-year old
300 dollar DVDR w/HDD. (Not a lot of money by some standards but it
is by mine. Plus, if I replaced it, I'd like to get a better model but
there is none (that is designed for over the air))

It's been getting weaker, I think, for a couple weeks. But tonight it
won't work at all and there is no way to change stations on the box
itself. (Only on/off, play, stop, record, eject.)

2) Also, my two new-used my Powermid pyramids seem very weak.

Thanks again to whoever suggested I get Powermids to control my dvd
player from the other rooms. They work really, really well. I got 3
new sets. (4 at first, but one transmitter was no good.)

Last week at a hamfest I got two old used sets with the Radio Shack
brand. 2 dollars a pair. They work a little, but not well**. (He
implied they worked when he set he got new cable stuff that made them
unnecessary, but I'm not mad at him, I just.)

**(Testing is complicated because it seems I bought a package of bad
AAA batteries at Walmart. The date on the package is 2014, but they
only work for a week or two in a remote, and then they seem to work
only on alternate days!! On bad days, the remote had to be held only
an inch from the DVD IR sensor, even though when shone at a good
Powermid, the remote would work from 10 feet away. But even on the
good days, the DVD remote doesn't work well with the new-old units.
And even on the batteries' bad days, the DVD remote does work with
with the new-new Powermids. I keep meaning but forgetting to buy
more batteries.)


3) The interesting thing about Powermid is that they have a red led
that goes on when I shine a remote control at one. These two new old
used transmitters, when installed in the bathroom, have the light on
whenever the bathroom ceiling light is on! I don't rememmber if that
is a CFL or not and it's surrounded by a frosted globe. One of them
also has its light on whenever the CRT TV underneath it is on. Isn't
that strange? I haven't looked inside yet. Any chance they can be
fixed by a medium-level-amateur techie?


Thanks a lot.


CFLs are a known problem with IR systems...make sure any you buy are
Energy-Star qualified:

http://news.consumerreports.org/home...-problems.html

I guess I'm "lucky". They havent' changed my channels yet.

Okay, Engergy-star it is. I thought that only related to power-usaage
efficiency, but I guess it is inefficient to make IR that no one can
use to see. In fact I assumed all CFLs would be energy-star because
they are all so efficient, I thought.

"Energy Star-qualified CFLs likely wont cause this
interference,.......... Our advice is that your friend not use CFLs in
fixtures near her TVs, radios, remote controls, or cell phones" So
they likely won't cause a problem, but don't use them. LOL

"If interference occurs, she should move the CFLs away from the
electronic equipment or plug the light fixture and the electronic
device in different outlets." Plugging into different outlets!! That
doesnt' sound to me like it would help. After all, it's the light
from the bulb that goes in through the IR sensor in the device. No
one claims the IR light from the light fixture goes back into the
electric wires and then goes into the TV through the power cord. So
why do they say things like this. Did he copy and paste from an
article on something else?


I dont' remember what is up there, but it's probably one of the new
actually inexpensive ones from Home Depot. They warm up almost
immediately, and the are Eco-Smart (tm) but not Energy Star. It won't
hurt me to buy some Energy-Star, even if only the bathroom "needs"
one.

Above the sink, which bubls I've turned off, are two 40-watt
equivalents, which I think I bought early on just to try out CFLs.

The cheap ones at HD 3 months ago were only 50 and 100 watt equiv.
The 40 and 75 watt were still expensive for some reason. Maybe by now
that has changed, but after I find am energy star brand that works for
the ceiling, I'll buy some for above the sink.

I use these CFLs in the basement too, and my bedroom, and the office,
all in ceiling fixtures, but they've never caused a problem (except
maybe with the digital to analog converter, that I posted aobut a long
time ago. But I've learned to get around that problem.)

You can tell how 'bright' your transmitter is by looking at it with your
digital camera - the IR LEDs will look white when on.

Very good to know. I'll try it.

John :-#)#

Thanks a lot.