MRF-200 INSTALLATION MANUAL Multi-Room "No-Pointing" RF Control of Audio/Video Components MRF-200 Installation Manual © 2003 Universal Remote Control, Inc. The information in this manual is copyright protected. No part of this manual may be copied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent from Universal Remote Control, Inc. UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL, INC. SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR OPERATIONAL,TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS/OMISSIONS MADE IN THIS MANUAL. The information in this manual may be subject to change without prior notice. Home Theater Master is a registered trademark of Universal Remote Control, Inc. Entertainment Made Simple is a trademark of Universal Remote Control, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations. 500 Mamaroneck Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528 Phone: (914) 835-4484 Fax: (914) 835-4532 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Features and Benefits Parts Guide Front Panel Mounting Plate Power LED Status LED Front Blaster Rear Panel Flashers Power Supply Bottom Panel Receiver ID# A Standard MRF-200 System Standard Installation -- Step by Step Front Blaster Overload Disabling the Front Blaster - Step by Step Controlling An Array of Identical TV's Identical Components - Step by Step Programming For Multiple Equipment Locations Frequently Asked Questions Specifications 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 7 7 8 8 11 12 12 MRF-200 BASE STATION Introduction The combination of the MX-800 with it's companion MRF-200 base station will enable you to place your audio/video components out of sight behind closed doors and/or in another room of your house. The MX-800 sends radio signals to the MRF-200 throughout your house (50-100' away, indoors or outdoors). The MRF-200 converts your commands to the infrared signals that control your A/V components. 1.The MX-800 remote control sends radio waves in every direction, so you don't have to point the remote anymore! 2.The MRF-200's built-in Front Blaster sends commands to components in the same cabinet space as the MRF-200. 3. Self-adhesive "Flashers" affix to the Infrared sensors on the front panels of your components. The Flashers relay commands to components out of sight of the MRF-200's Front Blaster. The flashers plug in to the MRF-200's rear flasher line outputs via their 10 foot cables. Page 1 MRF-200 BASE STATION Features and Benefits No More Pointing - Radio Waves Penetrate Walls, Doors and Floors The MRF-200 receives the RF signals of the MX-800 remote control from any direction. You no longer need to point the remote control at any of your A/V components. You can also place the components distracting blinking lights and displays behind closed doors and/or in another room! Reliable Control Throughout Your House The MRF-200 receives RF signals from your MX-800 from within a radius of 50 to 100 feet enabling you to control out of sight audio/video components behind walls and closed doors. Range depends on the structure of your home and the amount of interference generated by computers, microprocessors and other devices within and nearby your home. Up To Sixteen Equipment Locations Controlled From Any MX-800 Each MX-800 can be programmed to operate equipment placed throughout the house, by installing an MRF-200 base station at each location. Each MRF200 is assigned one of 16 unique ID#'s. In operation it's simple: when you select a device located in the Den, the MX-800 only talks to the MRF-200 in the Den. When you select a device located in the Family Room, the MX-800 only talks to it! No Pointing Remote Controls In Every Room You can opt to control a multi-room or multi-zone system via RF remote control by placing an MX-800 in each room of your home. Control A Media Room Array of Identical TV's The MRF-200's unique assignable IR flashers enable your installation to control up to six identical TV's. The intelligent routing of the MRF-200 will send your commands only to the TV you select on your MX-800. The other identical TV's will not receive commands. Of course, if your system utilizes identical satellite receivers, cable boxes, VCR's or disc changers you can utilize IR routing just as easily for them. If you have more than six identical components, up to 16 additional MRF-200's can be installed to control them (thus allowing up to 96 identical components in one house). Parts Guide The MRF-200 RF Base Station includes: 1 - MRF-200 Receiver with integrated antenna 1 - Mounting Plate for wall mounting the MRF-200 4 - Screws for wall mounting the mounting plate 1 - 9V-300mA Power Supply 6 - Flashers with 10 foot plug in cables. Page 2 MRF-200 BASE STATION MRF-200 Details Red POWER LED lights when the MRF-200's power supply is plugged into an active AC outlet. Red STATUS LED lights when the MRF-200 receives an RF signal from the MX-800. The MRF-200's slots enable the Mounting Plate's matching guides to slide and "snap" into place for mounting on the wall. Front Blaster sends Infrared commands to all A/V components in the same cabinet space. The MRF-200 Mounting Plate Using the four enclosed screws, you can choose to fix the mounting plate to a wall or the back of your component cabinet. Page 3 MRF-200 BASE STATION Integrated Antenna swings in any direction to optimize RF reception and range. Included 9V power supply plugs into the MRF-200's power connector. Six Rear Flasher Line Output Jacks connect flashers for control of A/V components out of sight of the MRF200's Front Blaster. Six Plug-In Flashers are supplied with 10 foot cables and six extra self-adhesive pads (in case a flasher has to be repositioned). Bottom panel Dial sets the Receiver ID# when more than one MRF-200 receiver is used. Page 4 MRF-200 BASE STATION A Standard MRF-200 System A standard system utilizes no identical components and only one equipment location. However, you can add any number of MX-800 remote controls to your home! MX-800's are available as an accessory purchase without an MRF200 for standard system installations that already have an MRF-200. You can add any number of MRF-200 base stations in a standard system as well. If you need more than six flasher outputs you may add additional MRF200 receivers as needed by ordering an accessory MRF-200 base station. Do not change the factory default settings in RF Control section of MXEditor when you download to your MX-800's. You do not need to utilize MXEditor's Program Step 9 (RF Control), since the factory settings will work fine! Standard Installation -- Step by Step Step 1 - Program and Download to the MX-800 Connect your MX-800 to your PC and program the IR commands and macros as you like. Since your MX-800 sends both IR and RF, you can test your programming as you go by pointing the MX-800 at the components and using MXEditor's TEST and Macro Play features if you place your laptop PC in the same room as the components (with the cabinet doors open and in line of sight). For a detailed explanation of how to program, use the downloadable Programming Manual or the animated Tutorial. Both are available as free downloads from the www.hometheatermaster.com website. Important Note: Do NOT power up the MRF-200 at this point. You need to test your IR commands and Macros line of sight via IR only at this point! Once you have completed and downloaded your programming to the MX-800 remote control, you are ready to test RF operation via the Front Blaster and (if necessary) the self-adhesive flashers that connect to the MRF-200's flasher line outputs. Step 2 - Place the MRF-200 The MRF-200 should be placed so that the Front Blaster will control as many of the system's A/V components as possible. If you are connecting the outboard flashers to the rear Flasher outputs only, the MRF-200 may be concealed and mounted to the rear wall or back of the system cabinet.The mounting plate slides apart from the receiver, screws to the wall or cabinet Page 5 MRF-200 BASE STATION with the enclosed screws, then the receiver is slid back into place. Step 3 - Connect the Power Supply and Insert the Batteries Connect the 9V power supply to an active UNSWITCHED AC outlet. The MRF200 must always be powered up to operate.The red POWER LED should light. Insert the batteries in the MX-800 remote control. Step 4 - Test the MX-800 Observe the MRF-200's STATUS LED blinking while you press and hold a programmed button (one with an actual command).This tells you that the MRF200 is receiving the RF commands of the MX-800. Step 5 - Orient the Antenna for Optimum Range If you need to extend the range of the remote, try adjusting the angle of the MRF-200 receiving antenna via it's pivoting ball mount. Step 6 - Test Operation Without Flashers With the MX-800's IR output blocked by a jacket or pillow, test the control of your components using just the Front Blaster. In most cabinets, the MRF-200's Front Blaster will control any A/V components in the same cabinet space by reflections from the cabinet walls and doors. Make sure that the components operate with the cabinet doors closed or open. If a component is placed too far away from the front blaster, you will need to utilize the included Flashers plugged into the MRF-200's rear Flasher Line Output jacks. If you have problems with components that are close to the Front Blaster, see the next page and the section on Front Blaster Overload. Step 7 - Connect Flashers to Out of Sight A/V Components Important Note: Test the operation BEFORE sticking the flasher in place. Use a flashlight to identify the correct location of the component's IR sensor, then try a few commands while moving the flasher around the face plate of the component. The most reliable operation typically occurs a half inch or so away from the IR sensor. Once you have found the spot that gives the most reliable operation, peel off the protective backing of the self-adhesive tape on the included Flashers and stick them in place. Important Note: Always replace the self-adhesive tabs if you have to reposi tion a flasher. Six extra self-adhesive tabs are supplied for this purpose. Page 6 MRF-200 BASE STATION Front Blaster Overload A few models of audio/video components can be OVERLOADED by the Front Blaster. If you are having intermittent or inconsistent results with a particular component, try repositioning the MRF-200 and facing the Front Blaster in a different direction. If this improves the situation but is impractical, it may be necessary to utilize the self-adhesive flashers only and follow the steps below to Disable the Front Blaster. This will limit the number of components your MRF-200 can control to six. If you have more than six components you can purchase an additional MRF-200 (available as an accessory alone from your Home Theater Master dealer). Do not change the receiver ID# (use the same ID # as the first unit) then follow the steps on the following pages: Disabling the Front Blaster - Step by Step Plug the MX-800 back into the PC. Open your saved configuration and follow these steps to turn off the front blaster: Step 1 - Open the RF Setup Window The RF Setup window opens after selecting RF Control from the Program Menu. Step 2 - Reveal the Receiver settings Extend the RF Setup window by clicking on the Receivers button. Step 3 - Turn off the Front Blaster Click on the cell in the IR Blaster column. A list box will appear. Select OFF from the list. Next, click on OK to apply your change. Step 4 - Save and Download to the MX-800 SAVE your changes using File|Save and DOWNLOAD to the MX-800. Page 7 MRF-200 BASE STATION Controlling An Array of Identical TV's (or VCR's, Receivers, CD players etc.) There are several considerations to take into account when you are installing an MRF-200 to control an array of identical components: 1. You cannot use the Front Blaster to control identical components. You must use Flashers instead. You can still use the Front Blaster in a cabinet that is out of sight of the identical components to control the rest of your system. 2. Each identical component must receive IR commands ONLY from a dedicated Flasher affixed to it's front panel. The IR output of the MX-800 should be disabled for each identical component. It can still be utilized for the rest of your system! 3. You must note the NUMBER of the Flasher Output you have utilized for EACH of the identical components. NOTE: If the identical components are near each other the Flashers and the actual sensor window of the component should be blocked with black electrical tape (sometimes more than one layer is needed). Identical Components - Step by Step Step 1 - Create a Device for Each TV in MXEditor The MX-800 can control up to 20 devices. You must create one device for each of your identical TV's. In this example, six identical TV's are utilized in a Media Room array. The programmer has created devices for all of the equipment in the cabinet on Main Page 1. On Main Page 2, he/she has created a d ...