IRBlaster.info

motorola style ir receivers + light up ir blasters in stock

2009-05-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

Both items are back in stock and ready for immediate shipment.

Motorola Remote IR Customer Picture

2009-04-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Jim in Coltsneck, NJ sent us this picture of our motorola style ir receiver tucked down by the stand for his Samsung LCD TV. The Verizon FiOS QIP 7100 is tucked away neatly behind the cabinet doors below the tv.

Motorola Style IR Remote Input Cables

2009-04-01T17:47:00.001-07:00

We now have cables to connect to the IR Remote Input jacks of Motorola cable boxes. Works great with the QIP 7100 and QIP 7216 used by verizon FiOS. Now you can control your box behind closed doors without an expensive IR distribution kit.

Light Up IR Blasters back in stock

2009-03-28T18:02:00.001-07:00

We have a limited number of the light up RS232 IR Blasters back in stock. These are just like the regular RS232 blasters, but they have a clear head that lights up with both visible and infrared light on transmission. This makes setting up your system even easier!

Extra IR Stuff - Leap Frog LF-IRX-RX

2009-03-01T13:56:00.001-08:00

We somehow end up with many extra IR components sitting around our shop. These are one off items that are taking up space and we have to get rid of them. We could put them up on e-bay, but the e-bay and paypal fees are so much it's not even worth it. I decided I'll start posting the stuff here to to avoid those fees (essentially saving the buyer money) and keep this stuff out of our local landfill.

Today I have an extra Leap Frog add-on receiver for the LF-IRX system Model LF-IRX-RX. I don't think they make this thing anymore, but if you have the original system you can expand it with this extra receiver.

In the box:
(1) IR Receiver
(1) AC adapter
(1) IR Blaster (I don't even know why this is in there, but hey it would cost you an extra $6 to get one of these on the main page of this site)

$15 shipped with payment via google checkout. E-mail to make a deal.

Keypad Linc as Access Control Keypad

2009-02-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

I would like to use an 8 button insteon keypad linc as the keypad for an access control system.

The Idea
You enter a 4 letter code on the keypad and the correct code sends an unlock signal to a door strike

The Implementation Plan
First, the supplies I'll need:

Insteon 8 Button Keylinc controller
Insteon I/O Linc Relay
Door Contact
Door Contact Power Supply
Insteon PLC Modem
Automation software or script

This is the easiest way I can think of to accomplish this. I'm open for suggestions on how to improve the system before I test it out.

First, I'll set each button to send a different X10 Unit OFF Code. There are several reasons I am choosing X10 for this. I won't have to link the keypad with the PLC modem, I can use an ocelot controller if so desired, the keypad linc won't be waiting for an ack, and the keypad linc LEDs will remain off during the button pushes.

On the controller end, I can simply look for the correct sequence of X10 codes. If I get an incorrect sequence or a timeout I'll go back to the start of my script. If the correct sequence is entered I can send the code to the I/O linc device controlling the door contact. The keypad itself can be linked to the I/O contact controller such that the on/off led on the keypad indicates the status of the lock.

This system can be improved such that each user has their own code and entry is logged.

Access time restrictions can also be easily added.

With 7 buttons and 4 letter codes we have a 1:2401 chance of someone guessing the code. A timeout between incorrect codes can be added to the script to decrease the chances of guessing.

Food for your thoughts

2009-02-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

We are looking for creative uses of the products found on this website. If you share your ideas with us and we decide to post them here we'll send you some yummy goodies as a thank you. Sorry, we can only ship yummy goodies within the USA.

Insteon Project Ideas

2009-01-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

I'm using this post as temporary storage of some ideas for insteon projects. Later, I'll create additional details of how to actually implement each idea. I would love to hear any ideas that irblaster.info users have as well to add to this list:

Install a new light switch in that pefect location even when you can't get a wire there.
Midnight Snack Button - add a button next to your bed to create a 10% light dim path from your bed to the refrigerator for a mid night snack
Guest Bathroom Mode - re-program off as a 10% dim so the bathroom light functions as a night light. Your guests can always find their way at night
Garage Door Monitor - have a keypad light control the garage door and also indicate the status of the door.
Turn off lights when nobody is around - interface to a motion sensor to make sure only occupied rooms are lit.
Control your drapes from an insteon keypad
Control your gas fireplace from an insteon keypad
Theme Park Usage - have a keypad button execute a macro that starts the show
Keypad Linc for access control

Automatic Christmas Train

2008-12-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Eric Sorensen has some info on controlling an IR based train set. To do the job, he made his own IR Blaster and receiver and used his sound card to capture the waveform.

This sounds like a great project to re-create with the IR Blasters and receivers sold here! It would certainly take a lot less time to setup with lirc.

IR Receivers back in stock

2008-11-02T09:14:00.001-08:00

Both cabled and standard IR Receivers are now back in stock and available for immediate shipment.

Become a fan of irblaster.info

2008-08-21T18:18:00.001-07:00

If you like irblaster.info and facebook feel free to join our fan club!

Individually control up to 2,048 Infrared Targets

2008-08-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

We have had several customers ask us how to control a large number of identical infrared targets. The most common application seems to be set top box developers who want to test hundreds of boxes all closely stacked in the same room. We have also seen demand for this type of system in hotel/bar applications with a large number of TV decoder boxes feeding a single media server.

The solution we typically recommend for these applications is the ocelot controller coupled with 16 zone IR expansion modules. Once connected, each ir blaster can be individually controlled by sending a command using the CPUXA protocol via rs232 from a PC.

More details on these items can be found on our special order page. Please contact mike at irblaster dot info with your specific needs and we can put together a great package deal for you.

upgrade quad kits to octal kits

2008-07-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Quad kits can now be used to control up to 8 infrade devices by upgrading the ir emitters to double headed light up units. The upgrade is available on both the RS232 (serial) version of the quad ir blaster kit and the in wall ir receiver version for $20. Just add the upgrade to your cart after you add the kit!

foobar2000 on a laptop

2008-07-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

Jeremy in NY wrote me to say he was using the irblaster.info cabled RS232 ir receiver on his windows XP desktop to control foobar2000. Foobar has a winlirc client plugin that makes this possible and he was enjoying the setup, but wanted to also have it work on laptop. As is the case with most laptopsl these days, his did not have a serial port. The solution: a 16C550 compatable PCMCIA uart card from dealextreme for just $17.25 with free shipping. Jeremy is now able to enjoy foobar on both of his machines!

Do you have an irblaster.info story that you would like posted here? E-mail it to mike at irblaster dot info.

IR Blaster on Wikipedia

2008-06-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

A while back I put a few notes on infrared blasters on wikipedia. Hopefully it will have some more details filled in by myself or some others in the near future.

Research Paper with IRBlaster.info products

2008-05-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

I was googling for interesting uses of products from this website again and I came across a research paper on Measuring perceived video quality of MPEG enhancement by people with impaired vision. The paper mentions using our IR Receiver to allow participants to interact with a PC via remote control.
Thanks for the mention!

Double Headed LU IR Blasters Back In Stock

2008-04-29T20:18:00.001-07:00

The double headed light up ir blasters with 1/8" plugs are back in stock, but on a very limited supply. They are currently available for $12 each. Single headed light up ir blasters are only available for large special order applications. (Note: We have plenty of the standard non light up variety on hand and ready to ship - just $6 for the 1/8" plug version)

Environmental control with DynaVox communication devices

2008-03-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

IRBLaster.info carries two great products for interfacing lighting control to the environmental controls integrated into DynaVox communications devices.

The IR543 (pictures) is available for $30 + shipping and allows one way infrared to X10 and Insteon (in X10 compatibility mode) bridging.

For more advanced DynaVox integration we offer the Applied Digital Ocelot controller available on our special order page for $200. The Ocelot has the following features:
› 2-way X10 compatibility, IR capability, and control of almost anything
› Control 256 X10 devices and execute up to 1024 IR commands
› Expandable with up to 128 expansion modules
› Features built-in RS-232 port for programming by a PC

Feel free to contact us if you need help designing a complete DynaVox environmental control system.

Using WinLIRC with SnapStream Beyond TV

2008-02-06T18:16:00.001-08:00

I found this interesting thread over on the SnapStream forums on using winlirc ir blasters with Snap Stream Beyond TV. Remember, I recommend the windows version of the ir blaster if you want the best compatibility with winlirc. Here is a direct shopping cart button for the windows version of the $12 RS232 IR blaster.

To summarize the procedure, Snap Steam Beyond TV can call an external channel change script by adding the a key to the registry. For example, this registry code causes SnapStream to call c:\winlirc\channel.cmd with an argument of the channel number on every channel change.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\snapstream media\EXETunerPlugin]
"Executable"="C:\\Winlirc\\channel.cmd"
"Arguments"="%CHANNEL%"

This same post on the SnapStream forum also has some info on using winlirc and IREX for an ir receiver. The IR Receivers from irblaster.info work well on both windows and linux so you can use them with this method.

irblaster.info products for car based computing

2008-01-28T20:07:00.001-08:00

There are several interesting posts over at mp3car.com on using irblaster.info products for car based computing. I recommend checking out this site if you are thinking of putting a pc in your vehicle.

SlingBox IR Blaster

2008-01-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

Do you need a replacement single or dual head ir blaster for your slingbox? Our tivo series of ir blasters with standard 1/8" mono plugs will do the trick! Consider the light up models for easier debug of your setup.

Why Insteon over X10?

2008-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

X10, Insteon, UPP, and ZigBee can all perform similar lighting control tasks. Irblaster.info prefers insteon for several reasons outlined in the insteon product comparison application note. In summary, here is what the note has to say:

INSTEON: Moderately priced, highly reliable Dual-mesh RF & Powerline technology
UPB: Expensive single-band technology
X10: Inexpensive but lacks the robustness, flexibility and reliability required by home-control applications
ZigBee & Z-Wave: Single-band (RF-only) wireless networks that require a network controller

Here's a youtube video of some MythTV/Lighting control integration:

Insteon IR Receiver

2008-01-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

The new Insteon IR Receiver will be available starting mid February to link your insteon devices to a universal ir remote control. You could also use it to link your pc to your insteon devices using one of our ir blasters instead of using an insteon usb or serial bridge.

The MSRP of this device is $100. As always, I can give much better insteon pricing on bundles so feel free to e-mail me a list of insteon equipment to get a price quote.

Also of note, if you don't mind running your insteon devices in X10 compatibility mode the X10 IR-543 is available today for $30 and is in stock and ready to ship. I have used the IR-543 on several projects to allow control of insteon lighting from the logictech harmony series of remote controls. Just e-mail me to order an IR-543. US shipping is still just $3.95/order.

Thanks,
mike /at/ irblaster /do/t info

HD Mediabox IR Receiver

2007-12-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Jeff in California about my Hauppage PVR-250 replacement IR Receiver cable. Apparently, some folks on the pixel magic forums for the HD Media box MB100 and MB200 figured out that the IR Receiver input on the back of their HD Media boxes was the same as that of the Hauppauge PVR-250 cable. Only problem is the PVR-250 cable is a 3/32" plug and the HD media cable is a 1/8" plug. Adapters to convert are generally available at Radio Shack for this type of thing, but I had my wire shop build up something for Jeff pretty quickly to try out the theory and save some adapters. Jeff informed me the solution worked great so I'll be offering these cables for sale to the general public for the same price as the PVR-250 version ($10 + shipping). I'll add a cart button soon. In the mean time, you can just e-mail me at mike at irblaster dot info to order.

Latest Home Theater Installation

2007-12-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

This picture is from the first test of our latest home theater installation.

This job used the following equipment available from irblaster.info:

In wall IR Repeater Kit

6 Button Insteon Keypad

3 Insteon Dimmer modules

X-10 IR-543 IR Receiver

Plus the following equipment from other sources:

1 Pair JBL HTI-8 In Wall Speakers

3 Pair JBL HTI-6 In Wal Speakers

Onkyo TX-SR575 7.1 Channel Receiver

EliteScreens R100WH 100" 16:9 Screen

Benq W500 3LCD Projector

All audio, video, and lighting systems are controlled via a logitech 880 universal remote control