Hauppauge 45-button remote stopped working

[h00ch]

I have a 6' 3.5mm stereo extension cable with 2.5mm adapters at each end (1 male, 1 female). To test the cable to make sure it worked, I hooked it up to my MP3 player headphone jack before using it with the IR receiver cable. I tried the cable on it's own with the MP3 player, then I connected the 2 adapters together. Both worked fine (I could hear music in stereo). I can't remember if the remote/IR receiver stopped working the first time I tried using this cable, but the first time I tried out the new card that I picked up yesterday, I tried it with the extension cable. That didn't work, so I tried again with the original IR cable only. That didn't work either. I tried using the cable and the adapters in my MP3 player again and that works fine. (Thanks if you've read this far!) Even though the cable & adapters seem to work fine playing music, is there a possibility that the cable is damaging the IR receiver jack?

[the_e]

Don't know if the cable can damage the IR jack.

2 other possibilities might be: Have you checked your windows folder to see if the irremote.ini file is in there and has the GB-PVR section in it?

Have you a direct line to the IR receiver, are you close enough and pointing at the right side of it?

I have my receiver stuck to the case of my TV and it sometimes comes off.

As I said, clutching at straws ...

[GoodGuys]

Yeah, the extension cable can't have destroyed the cable or plug, unless you used a 10-pound hammer to plug it into the card

So if it doesn't work without the extension cord, and no response on notepad Debug.txt, and if you *DO* have irremote.ini in the correct place, and it *does* have the [GB-PVR] section, plus - you say it doesn't work in WinTV then -
I recommend you take the PC to the store where you bought the card and ask them to install it or refund it because it doesn't work or doesn't fit your PC.

GGF

[h00ch]

Thanks for all your help guys. I checked my Windows folder and found the IRREMOTE.INI file and it does indeed have the [GB-PVR] section in it. I don't think asking the store where I bought it to install it for me would help because I bought it at Staples and I probably know more about PCs than they do. Plus as I said way back in this thread, the remote *DID* work fine for a few weeks. It just stopped working after the first time I tried using the extension cable. Are you sure a short in the (faulty?) cable couldn't damage the card?

[GoodGuys]

Are you sure a short in the (faulty?) cable couldn't damage the card?

Seems exceedingly unlikely.
GGF

[HtV]

Are you sure the remote works? You could test it (a little) by pointing it at your tv or dvd-player or....., when you push a button you should see the little light on the tv/dvd flash a bit. If it does that you can be sure that it is sending a signal. Have you checked all the buttons, I once had a button that got stuck under the cover, thus sending all the time.

[GoodGuys]

There's an easier way to verify that the remote actually beams some IR:
Point the IR LED towards a digital video camera and record yourself pressing buttons.
It will be visible in the recorded playback, because all digital cameras actually are sensitive to some IR as well as red.
If you have a digital preview window (LCD) you might be able to see it without recording at all, which is the case with digital still cameras - you might be able to see it on the camera's LCD...

GGF

[h00ch]

Thanks, that's a great tip! I'll try that when I get home this evening. Hopefully it is the remote that's pooched... (fingers crossed)

Also, if that doesn't work, I could try learning codes from the Hauppauge remote to my universal TV remote. If the code is learned, then it must be sending a signal.

Something else I noticed last night when I was fiddling around with it... when the IR receiver/blaster jack is inserted about half way into the PVR-150 card, the IR receiver lights up. Is that normal?

[GoodGuys]

I don't know - the Receiver shouldn't be "lighting up" in any way.
The Receiver is just a receiver, it shouldn't be emitting any light...
Unless I failed to understand what you mean.
In the 150, the only thing that could light up is the IR blaster, which is on a very thin cord. The receiver is on the thicker cord.
GGF

[h00ch]

I don't know - the Receiver shouldn't be "lighting up" in any way.
The Receiver is just a receiver, it shouldn't be emitting any light...
Unless I failed to understand what you mean.
In the 150, the only thing that could light up is the IR blaster, which is on a very thin cord. The receiver is on the thicker cord.
GGF

Yes, you're right... I saw a red light last night, but looking at it again today, it is indeed the blaster lighting up.