[mythtv-users] OT: Antec Fusion IR receiver

[John P Poet]

I have had a long running discussion with Antec support about where to
mount the IR receiver so it actually works.

The Antec product brief states:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aluminum plate front bezel with Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) and
Volume Control to work with media center applications. Includes space
for user-mounted IR Receiver
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And yes, there is a spot for an IR receiver. Unfortunately it is
behind the "masked" area of the display, and not the tinted area.
Infra-red passes through the tinted area just fine, but the VFD
completely covers the tinted area. The "masked" area seems to complete
block infra-red.

Has anyone actually had success mounting an IR receiver behind the
display of the Antec Fusion case, where they did not have to remove
some of the masking?


For the curious, here is the conversation I have had with Antec:

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I purchased an IR receiver from http://irblaster.info/

It is very small, and I figured it would fit in the Fusion, in the
space that is supposed to be there for it:

"Includes space for user-mounted IR Receiver"

I have dissassembled the VFD, and while I can see spots where I could
mount this IR receiver, none of them would be effective, since the
infra-red light would not reach them.

Can you please provide me with a diagram of exactly where you expect
me to mount the IR receiver?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antec: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the place for the eye is mounted behind the tinted area or the vfd
front and there is a space there on the vfd board it can be mounted on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I tried mounting an IR receiver as described, but it does not work.
The "masked off" area of the display does not allow for infra-red
light to pass through. If I put the IR receiver behind the "tinted"
aread in the middle of the display, then it works fine, but the tinted
area is completly filled by the VFD module -- the rest of the display
is completely masked off.

So, the only way I could mount it behind the display, and have it
work, would be to *not* mount the VFD, since it complete takes up the
"tinted" area in the middle of the display.

My other option would be to try and remove the masking from the
display, but since I am sure it is plastic and not glass, this seems
very dangerous to me -- I would be very likely to mess up the display.

I have to conclude that there is supposed to be a non-masked off area
beside the tinted VFD rectangle to allow the infra-red light to reach
the receiver. My case does not have this. It does not look like the
display is "user replaceable", so I would need to get a whole new
front panel from you, with the correct display on it. How do I go
about doing this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antec: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is no 'Correct' Front panel. IR light goes through the tinted
area, we have tested this and used it. Other customers have done the
same. If it does not work then the problem is with your IR reciever.
Maybe it operates diffrently. IR light does go through the glass.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree that the infra-red passes through the "tinted" area in the
middle of the display just fine. But, infra-red does *not* pass
through the "masked" area of the display surrounding the "tinted"
area. Since the VFD itself takes up the entire "tinted" area, my IR
receiver has to go behind the "masked" area.

I must not be understanding where I am supposed to mount the IR
receiver. I see a spot which is obvious, but it is behind the "masked"
area... Could you email me a picture or diagram on how this is
supposed to work?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antec: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IR light goes through the Masked area. I meant to say the tinted part
of the glass. We have done numerous tests and it does work. The IR
reciever mounts to the side of the VFD.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I assume you meant to say "IR light *does not go* through the Masked
area.". If you really did mean "IR light goes through the Masked
area", then the masking used on the display area of my case was the
wrong stuff, because it absolutely does *not* pass infra-red.

When you say "The IR reciever mounts to the side of the VFD", do you
mean *beside* the VFD, or do you really mean "to the side"? I tried to
figure out how the IR receiver could be mounted to the side of the
VFD, but there is no solid way to attach it. If this is really the
right way to do it, I assume that the IR must be passing through the
VFD? If this is true, I am still going to need a diagram.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I tried jamming the IR reciever right up next to the VFD. That
actually did allow some infra-red to reach the receiver. As long as I
held the remote at just the right angle, and it was within 4 feet, it
worked. As soon as I went beyond 4 feet, it stoped working again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have done quite a bit of searching on the internet. I have found no
one claiming that mounting an IR receiver behind the display "just
worked". Every single person says they had to remove some of the
masking, so the IR receiver could actually see the infra-red light.
One person tried using acetone to remove the mask -- Said that was a
big mistake. Others have tried using sand paper, but that can take
hours. Do you have any suggestions on what to use, to remove some of
the masking?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antec: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No i do not have any recommendations on what to use to remove the
masking, we have always had good luck with our fusions here that have
the IR reciever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Odd. I have to conclude that what ever is being used to "mask off" the
area around the VFD must have changed between your samples, and what
is actually being shipped to consumers.

It is annoying, because just about every person that has tried to
remove some of the masking to allow the IR to work, has reported that
it damaged the "looks" of the case. It is a very nice looking case,
and I really do not want to mess it up.

I would still love to see a picture of a IR receiver mounted the way
you intend. There is still a chance that I am just not doing it right
-- although I have tried everything I can think of.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


John