URC-9811 IR Command center randomly turning on my TV

jhulbert · Post by **jhulbert** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:26 am

I have the all for one 8 device remote control and it works great except the IR command console randomly turns on my TV without touching the remote. I searched the forums and there was talk of a hack to alleviate this problem but I cannot find it. I notice there is a red LED that does do a lot of blinking on it. Hard to see because of the red screen in front of it.

Is this a common fixable problem? I am pretty good with a soldering iron

Thanks,

jimdunn · Post by **jimdunn** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:43 am

jhulbert wrote:I cannot find it.

I've no experience of this actual issue, never having personally used this unit, but, in case it saves you some searching time, these 2 threads seem to be ones which discuss the "random red flashes" and some related issues...

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4213

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2935

jhulbert · Post by **jhulbert** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:06 am

Number 2935 was the ticket. Sounds as simple as stacking another resistor.

Thanks a lot for the help!!

Once I apply the fix I'll reply with the results.

jimdunn · Post by **jimdunn** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:46 am

jhulbert wrote:Once I apply the fix I'll reply with the results.

Great - look forward to the results - feedback is very important to us here.
I hope it solves your problem.

MaskedMan · Post by **MaskedMan** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:28 am

Sounds like a neigbor has the same tv and IR repeater using the same frequency.

jimdunn · Post by **jimdunn** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:20 pm

MaskedMan wrote:Sounds like a neigbor has the same tv and IR repeater using the same frequency.

Great call that never occurred to me - I guess I'd maybe expect random "turning offs", "channel changes" and other stuff to perhaps also happen if that were the case.

But if it were just a similar TV, where just the "On" signal was common - or another TV/other device and signal close enough to cause problems through a similar repeater...

Or the neighbour just watches TV at different times...

Hmm. Certainly worth investigation... Couldn't hurt to ask around.

Running with this lovely theory - the unexplained "blinks" on the unit that don't cause anything to happen to the OP's equipment, and aren't caused by his own remote, could, I guess, be the majority of the neighbour's commands that don't affect the OP's equipment in any way, but still get repeated?

...Regardless, that's all still "interference" - so, whatever the source, could still possibly be solved by reducing sensitivity...

I don't know if you can alter the channel/frequency of these gadgets - but if you can, I'd probably be considering that, if it's easy to test.

It'd be too simple a solution for there just to be a built in "unit id" which the user can set, I guess.
(I know very little about these "command centers", except that they repeat IR signals, so just throwing stuff out - one of our neighbours got the same cheap RF cordless doorbell as we have, and it was setting ours off - turned out there were 4 jumpers in the transmitter unit to set a unit ID (channel/frequency, I assume) - once we altered that, no more problems...)

Of course, in this case, the RF transmitter is the remote control itself, so altering channel/frequency for both that and its receiver may not be such an easy option, I haven't been able to do enough simple/lazy research to know the answer to that, sorry...

zaphod7501 · Post by **zaphod7501** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:42 pm

Low batteries in a remote have also been known to cause them to send random commands without pressing buttons.