IR receiver for computer stopped lighting up

[jmrexhau]

I am trying to get my computer respond to my Noah Company MediaGate GV-IR05WT Windows Vista MCE Learning Remote Control. The computer says the receiver is working fine, the remote is working and blinks, but the receiver which normally blinks to let you know it is getting a signal does not light up. I would be happy to fix it instead of get a new one, but I don't know where to start. (The reason I joined this forum is to get my RCU810 to control the computer as well, but that is a different project.)

[zaphod7501]

I don't have any specific knowledge of the system but the first thing is to determine if the remote control is putting out an IR signal. For this, you can look at the emitter with almost any digital camera, camcorder, or even cel-phone cameras. The emitter will blink in the camera if it has a coherent output. The LED you see blinking on the remote is most likely an indicator, not the IR output LED.

Next would be to unplug and reconnect the wiring associated with the receiver to the PC.

If the remote has an output and the PC thinks the receiver is working, then the receiver has probably failed internally.

[jmrexhau]

OK, so you are saying to check the remote with a digital camera, is that to prevent eye damage? I should take video of the emitter while pressing buttons to see if there is any blinking and then watch the video?
Here are pictures of the remote:
http://pbckt.com/s2.Rc2
At the top of the remote are two power buttons, and between them the LED. After opening the remote, I see there is an emitter and a receiver(?). I pressed a remote button and took successive pictures, I think the camera takes them at about 3 per second. I don't see any difference in the pictures. Are you thinking the remote is dead? Could I possibly get a reading from my RCU810 while learning a remote function from this remote (which I have been unable to do, but can't remember if the RCU blinks to let me know there is a signal.)

[vickyg2003]

OK, so you are saying to check the remote with a digital camera, is that to prevent eye damage?

No that's to make it visible. You can't see IR with the naked eye, but if you view it through the viewer, you can see that it is really lighting up.

[jmrexhau]

The eye damage was kind of a joke, like they tell you to not point them at your eye. I used the camera on this remote and another. This remote did not appear blue, but the other did. What is most likely broken, the emitter or another part in the remote?

If you are wondering how it may have been broken, I have a 9 month old who is sometimes given remotes for teething despite my protest. Or it may have been dropped from about 5 feet to a hardwood floor.

[vickyg2003]

I shouldn't have added my two ¢, since I don't know squat about the electronics, but I did know about the IR viewing. My only recommendation would be to make sure you have working batteries in the remote. You'd be surprised at how often that is the solution to remote problems.

[jmrexhau]

The batteries work well enough to light up the remote. But after switching the batteries (which I would bet money I did already) I see the blue light (IR in camera). If a remote doesn't have the power to send an IR signal, why would it still light up? That seems like a design flaw. Thanks Vicky for adding to the discussion without knowing about electronics. I guess this is good that I don't have to try to replace parts on the remote.

[zaphod7501]

There has even been another anomaly seen with low batteries, the sending of random commands without pushing any buttons at all. Any time you corrupt the power supply of a microprocessor system, you can get all kinds of strange behavior.

[jmrexhau]

That explains another problem with a different remote. Our ceiling fan would occasionally turn on by itself.

Also I realized last night I need to post my question above about mimicking the remote in another place. Thanks to both of you and anyone else who read this.