IR remote help needed please!

[auditude]

Hi Brethren,

The remote functions on my SP1000 recently gave up on me. I have the stock Onkyo RC-563DV remote that continues to control my integrated amp just fine however, it fails to control ANY functions on the player.

It was working intermittently a few months ago and I changed batteries which I thought alleviated the problem.

Well, now, even with battery changes, the remote does not control the SP1000 at all.

The player still operates flawlessly but I can't control it.

Has anyone experienced anything similar to this issue? Any tips on where I should start to troubleshoot? I've opened her up to see if I can find the IR wiring but there's a lot more to her guts than I anticipated.

I don't have a schematic and I don't want to lose the ability to play her by screwing something up.

If someone has a schematic and a few minutes to point me in the right direction I'd truly appreciate it.

I've opened up the chassis and located the ir sensor - it may be the culprit (looks dim/almost black).

I cleaned all contact points internally presumably associated with the ir towards the front of the unit inclusive of the solder points of the ir itself on the board without success.

Looks like I may have to replace the part U7501 on the board.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Angelo

p.s. I use the sp1000 sole as an audio source. I have yet to find anything in this pricerange that can outperform the organic audio qualities outside of my humble vinyl rig.

[auditude]

I can't seem to edit the original thread.

The question is regarding the remote operations for an Onkyo DV-SP1000.

Thank you and sorry for the missing information.

[Mooly]

Tough one to answer. As a repair tech I know 99% of remote problems are down to the remote itself or a software setting.

If the handset you have works other stuff OK (your amp) then my first thought is whether there is a setting/switch etc somewhere on the player/ or remote to use a "different" coding. That was often done to prevent interaction with other products. If so obviously both handset and equipment have to be using the same.

Can't really think of anything else tbh.

If player were genuinely faulty then a quick scope check on the IR receiver would prove if that was OK. Very rare for them to fail although it does occasionally happen. It's black to filter out light and just allow IR through.

[auditude]

But I will see if there is a way I can bring to a local tech.

I thought the same thing about the issue being the remote itself, but again, since it still controls the integrated amp, the remote doesn't seem to be the issue. There is still a slim chance it may just not operate the unit but it is the stock Onkyo remote which came with the player.

The only way to truly alleviate the remote from the problem is if I can locate another one and test it out.

With the scarcity of the DV-SP1000 I doubt that I will have an opportunity like that anytime soon.

Do you think connecting an IR repeater to the remote 1/8" jacks on the rear of the player will yield any success or does the ir capability lie solely within a chipset?

Ugh...I feel as if I have two turntables now (some may not see this as a problem ) however, I do enjoy being able to just sit and control everything from the captain's chair.

Thanks for your input Mooly and in advance for any additional help.

Regards and happy listening!

[5th element]

If the idea of the IR repeater is so that you can have the amplifier on show, but the CD player in a cupboard/another room and still have remote command of the CD player then this could be interesting.

I would imagine that in this instance the amplifier would decode the IR command and send it to the CD player through the cable on the back, thus giving you remote control from another room etc.

This might work as a get around for your problem, that is, if the IR receiver etc is broken in the CD player, but the rest of the circuitry/software is still working.

[Mooly]

If you point the remote at a digital camera/webcam etc you will see it flash. Doesn't tell you much but it might be useful to see if it seems similar when used in amp or cd mode. I just know from experience that the electronics are supremely reliable and a faulty chip in the player would be the very last suspect... that's not to say it won't be but 99.99% of the time it isn't.

Can't really say whether the repeater would prove anything or not. All the decoding is done in the player, the IR receiver just outputs a data stream of 1's and 0's corresponding to the appropriate button on the handset.

Have you tried a cheapo universal pre programmed remote to see if anything works.

[auditude]

I just figured if I'm going to plunk down money I would bypass the IR circuitry (am I mistaken by thinking this?) by going directly through the remote function.

My understanding of the repeater is that one does not need to have direct (line of sight) access from handset to player and, essentially, backdoors the remote commands directly to the player's internal receiver (as if it were wired vs. transmitted via ir)

I'm probably not using the correct terminology so please excuse my lack of technical terms.

The cost of a decent universal vs. an ir repeater is greater thus I wanted to go the cheaper, more direct, route as well.

I am doing so on the assumption that the repeater is taking the place of whatever faulty receiving circuitry on the "front end" of the player and trying to use a pseudo-direct remote command.

Am I making any sense using this rationale?

[auditude]

Originally Posted by 5th element

...
This might work as a get around for your problem, that is, if the IR receiver etc is broken in the CD player, but the rest of the circuitry/software is still working.

^^^
This is exactly what I am trying to achieve. I will happily live with an ir repeater plugged in to the player.

[Mooly]

I don't think you can assume the receiver is faulty... there are to many unknowns to guess.

Most receivers are simple 3 terminal components that cost little such as,
Search Results | CPC

The only way to know if the repeater will work is to try one.

[auditude]

Just figured this was simple way to eliminate a faulty receiving unit within the player.

Again, if the handset has the ability to control other units, a NAD 372 in this case, but not the OEM Onkyo player it was initially intended to, the tendency to direct attention at the player versus the handset may prove more fruitful.

Mooly, maybe you can further help me with my theory - if the repeater works and controls the player, how intricate is the circuitry, under the majority of units with ir problems, to repair/replace? I did locate the receiving unit, U5701 on the front board behind the fascia of the player but I can't even begin to track down where that puppy leads to.

I can only guess, without a schematic for the DV-SP1000, the receiving circuitry can be located anywhere within the chassis - is this usually lumped on to a board or isolated and easily replaceable?

On a positive note, I now have another project for this weekend

Thanks again to Mooly and all