Ramsey Electronics Model No. RRW1B
Have you ever been frustrated with the range of your remote
controls? Tired of having to bounce your IR remote off of
ceilings and walls? Do you want to run your system from
another room or floor? Here is the answer to your prayers!
Extend the range of your remote controls through walls, around
corners, and even from outdoors!
•
The separate IR Receiver module (RRW1A) with sensitive element
can receive your remote control’s signal up to 36 feet away before
re-broadcasting it wirelessly!
•
The receiver (RRW1B) reconstitutes the radio signal using a PIC
micro-controller to restore noisy or weak signals and then re-
broadcasts the IR remote’s signal to your components via a wired
high-efficiency IR LED.
•
Extend the range of your remote control to greater than 100 feet
wirelessly beyond the receive range of the IR sensor. Greater than
300 feet with a directional antenna pair (available separately).
•
•
•
Works with almost any remote control (38 kHz carrier), does not
need to be programmed.
Operate from 8V to 16V AC or DC. Use our AC125 wall adapters
for long operation.
LED indicator lets you know when you are receiving an IR signal
or not.
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Ramsey Publication No. MRRW1B
Price $5.00
KIT ASSEMBLY
AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR
RRW1B WIRELESS REMOTE
REPEATER KIT (Receiver)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction............................................4
Circuit Theory........................................5
Learn As You Build ...............................7
Parts List ...............................................9
Assembly.............................................10
Testing.................................................14
Using the RRW1 Pair..........................15
Schematic............................................16
Parts Layout ........................................17
Troubleshooting ..................................18
Warranty..............................................19
RRW1B • 3
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RRW1B INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the RRW1B kit (and if you don’t have the time, the wired and
tested version). Let’s take a moment to help you understand the basic workings
of IR remote controls and how the RRW1 pair works. This will better help you
understand what you are about to build. As simple as it may look, the RRW1
system is one of the best remote repeaters money can buy thanks to some
specialized technology we have added to restore normally unusable signals.
We will get more into that in the circuit description section.
The RRW1A and RRW1B system is used to extend the normal range of your
IR remote controls. The RRW1A receives the signal from your IR remote
control, converts it to an RF signal and then transmits it over the air. The
RRW1B receiver then receives the RF signal, reconstitutes it, and then sends it
to an IR LED to control your components.
Many stereo component manufacturers skimp on the IR receiver sections of
their equipment so the range of the remote is very poor. Have you ever thrown
your remote at the power switch because the darn thing wouldn't work from
across the room?!. This system helps to surmount that very problem. Another
common use is control your unsightly stereo components that are hidden within
a cabinet while you’re entertaining. The system allows your remote to control
these items while they are tucked away inside of a cabinet (or even locked
away for security reasons) with only the RRW1A exposed so it can relay the
information!
To use my house as an example, the stereo components are positioned
behind the couch and it is very cumbersome to have to reach way up with the
remote and beam it backwards in order to control them. Half the time it doesn’t
work even work for me because the batteries keep popping out of the remote (I
lost the remote’s back plate a long time ago in one of the many apartments I’ve
rented in the past, but that’s another story)! I don’t want to have to re-arrange
the room (that is the Wife won’t let me!) just so the remote will work better.
Instead I use the RRW1A in front of the couch someplace and have it relay the
signal back to the RRW1B to control the equipment for me.
To increase the effectiveness of this kit, we take advantage of a high-
sensitivity IR receiver element which claims on its specification sheet to work
up to 11 meters (about 36 feet) away from the remote control (that’s about 10.9
meters further than my VCR remote works!). Now I can truly atrophy on the
couch when my favorite program comes on and feel the pounds start packing
on! “Hey… another bag of chips when you get a chance Honey!!”
RRW1B • 4
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RRW1 PAIR THEORY OF OPERATION
The RRW1A (transmitter board) may look quite simple but there is actually
quite a lot being done inside each one of the parts. Many individual compo-
nents are packed inside of the IR receiver part (U2) itself; so many in fact that
if it was built up with discrete components, it would never fit in this little kit
case. Inside of the part there is an IR detector diode, amplifier, AGC circuit,
bandpass filter, a peak-hold circuit, an integrator, comparators, and an output
amplifier. Heck, the part is a kit in itself! Just be glad it’s all in one nice module
and ready to go.
IR remote controls send out their data on a 38 kHz carrier much like the way
your FM radio does. By modulating the carrier signal with the data you want to
send, it is possible to increase the range of the transmission and decrease in-
terference from other IR sources like ambient light (the sun pumps out lots of
IR!!!). The modulation style used with remotes is called OOK (on off keying).
In a nut shell, OOK modulation means the IR LED is switched on and off at a
rate of 38 kHz in order to send the needed data. The digital data being sent
(ones and zeros) is composed of a certain duration pulse for a one and a dif-
ferent duration pulse for a zero. There are pauses with no carrier in-between
each one and zero data bit being sent for easy determination of the bit
boundaries. A common format for this type of data transmission is called
60/30 PWM. While this may sound complex, it really is not. Let’s take a closer
look.
PWM stands for Pulse-Width-
Modulation, meaning we
0
0
change the on-time of the LED
within a certain amount of time.
If we send data at a rate of 1
bit per second (bps), each bit
would take up a second of
sending time. To represent a 1,
the LED may be switched on
and off at 38 kHz for 60% of
1
1
0Sec
1Sec 0Sec
1Sec
IR Detector
Output
IR Remote
Output
the one second time frame (0.60 sec.) of it. For a 0, the LED will be switched
on and off at 38 kHz for 30% of the time (0.30 sec.) of the entire second.
RRW1B • 5
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When the IR detector on the RRW1A (transmitter board) “sees” a 38 kHz IR
signal, the output of the detector goes low (it is inverted). When there is no 38
kHz signal present the output idles high. On the output of the IR detector you
won’t see the 38 kHz, just the data that the 38 kHz represents from your IR
remote control. This data from the IR detector is then used to switch on and
off a 433.42 MHz oscillator. Instead of switching an LED on and off at 38 kHz,
we are now switching an electrical field on and off at a rate of 433.42 MHz.
This acts as our new carrier frequency for the wireless part of the kit.
The oscillator section is a Colpitts style oscillator formed by Q2, C7, C8, R6,
and X1. The oscillator is turned on and off by Q3 through resistor R4 in accor-
dance with the received IR data. When a data pulse is detected by U1, its out-
put goes low pulling the base of Q3 low to turn it off. When Q3 turns off, the
collector (R3, R4, and Q3 junction) is pulled high so the needed bias voltage is
applied to R4 causing Q2 to turned on and begin oscillating with the surround-
ing parts. Turning Q2 on and off performs the on-off data keying (OOK modu-
lation) that we require to re-broadcast the IR signal.
The RRW1B (receiver board) has a specialized receiver chip which is also
set at 433.42 MHz. The receiver detects whether or not a 433.42 MHz field is
being broadcast and only sets its data output high if a signal is present. The
RRW1B will replicate the transmitted data by turning its data out pin on and off
at the received data rate. To re-send this data, we have to modulate a 38 kHz
carrier again in accordance with the data the IR detector puts out. By using a
micro-controller the data output from the IR detector can be sampled and a
Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) signal at 38 kHz can be generated in accor-
dance with the detected data.
By using this method with a micro-controller, we can add some intelligence
to the regenerated signal as well. The sample IR remotes we have looked at
send their data at a rate of around 2400 bits per second. This means that our
minimum pulse length for a zero should be 1/2400 x 0.30 seconds long (125
uS). Consider this example, let’s say that the signal from the IR remote is
weak and it fades out due to interference from some other IR source before
the data pulse is finished (i.e. 80 uS instead of 125 uS). The micro-controller
will continue to send the 38 kHz until 125 uS is up, not allowing the re-
transmitted signal to drop out the way the original source did. This error cor-
rection feature can be disabled in case you have a strange remote that is not
compatible (to this point we have yet to run across one that doesn’t work). Re-
move the jumper from J21 to disable this feature and have U21 blindly re-
create the data it sees.
Once the micro-controller on the receiver board has re-generated the 38 kHz
carrier (modulated by the data), its output is buffered by a transistor stage that
drives the high power IR LED used to control your equipment.
Wow! There’s a lot going on here!
RRW1B • 6
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RAMSEY “LEARN-AS-YOU-BUILD” ASSEMBLY STRATEGY
Be sure to read through all of the steps, and check the boxes as you go to be
sure you didn't miss any important steps. Although you may be in a hurry to see
results, before you switch on the power check all wiring and capacitors for
proper orientation. Also check the board for any possible solder shorts, and/or
cold solder joints. All of these mistakes could have detrimental effects on your
kit - not to mention your ego!
Kit building tips:
Use a good soldering technique - let your soldering iron tip gently heat the
traces to which you are soldering, heating both wires and pads simultaneously.
Apply the solder on the iron and the pad when the pad is hot enough to melt the
solder. The finished joint should look like a drop of water on paper, somewhat
soaked in.
Mount all electrical parts on the top side of the board provided. The top side
is clearly marked with the word “TOP”, you can’t miss it. This is the side that
has little or no traces on it, but is covered with mostly copper. When parts are
installed, the part is placed flat to the board, and the leads are bent on the
backside of the board to prevent the part from falling out before soldering (1).
The part is then soldered securely to the board (2-4), and the remaining lead
length is then clipped off (5). Notice how the solder joint looks on close up,
clean and smooth with no holes or sharp points (6).
RRW1B • 7
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This project will not work as well as you may wish if you just slap it together
without following good assembly techniques and all of the instructions. No
matter how clear we may think our manual is, if you have any questions give us
a call at the factory instead of jumping to conclusions. We will be happy to help
you with any problems may run into.
It is always good practice to mount the parts AS LOW AS POSSIBLE to the
board. A 1/4” lead length on a resistor not mounted close to the board can act
as an inductor or an antenna, causing all sorts of problems in your circuit. Be
aware though that there are stand up components in your circuit. They don’t
need to be squished to the board, but keep the portion of the resistor closest to
the board mounted right on the board.
For each part, our word "Install" always means these steps:
ꢀ 1. Pick the correct part value to start with.
ꢀ 2. Insert it into the correct PC board location, making sure the part is
mounted flush to the PC board unless otherwise noted.
ꢀ 3. Orient it correctly, follow the PC board drawing and the written directions
for all parts - especially when there's a right way and a wrong way to solder
it in. (Diode bands, electrolytic capacitor polarity, transistor shapes, dotted
or notched ends of IC's, and so forth.)
ꢀ 4. Solder all connections unless directed otherwise. Use enough heat and
solder flow for clean, shiny, completed connections.
Keeping this in mind, lets begin by sorting out our components and cross-
checking them against the parts list to make sure we have received everything.
NOTE TO NEWCOMERS: If you are a first time kit builder you may find this
manual easier to understand than you may have expected. Each part in the kit
is checked off as you go, while a detailed description of each part is given. If
you follow each step in the manual in order and practice good soldering / kit
building skills, the kit is next to fail-safe. If a problem does occur, the manual
will lead you through step by step in the troubleshooting guide until you find the
problem and are able to correct it.
RRW1B • 8
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PARTS SUPPLIED WITH YOUR RRW1B (RECEIVER)
Capacitors
ꢀ 2 10 pF ceramic capacitor (marked 10 or 10K) [C27,28]
ꢀ 1 0.001 uF ceramic capacitor (marked .001, 102 or 1 nF) [C29]
ꢀ 1 0.01 uF ceramic capacitor (marked .01, 103 or 10 nF) [C20]
ꢀ 4 0.1 uF ceramic capacitor (marked .1, 104 or 100 nF) [C21,24,26,30]
ꢀ 1 1 uF electrolytic capacitor [C25]
ꢀ 3 10 uF electrolytic capacitor [C22,23,31]
ꢀ 1 1000 uF electrolytic capacitor [C32]
Resistors and Potentiometers
ꢀ 1 100 ohm resistor (brown-black-brown) [R23]
ꢀ 1 220 ohm resistor (red-red-brown) [R27]
ꢀ 1 470 ohm resistor (yellow-violet-brown) [R22]
ꢀ 1 1K ohm resistor (brown-black-red) [R25]
ꢀ 1 100K ohm resistor (brown-black-yellow) [R24]
ꢀ 1 1Meg ohm resistor (brown-black-green) [R21]
ꢀ 1 22Meg ohm resistor (red-red-blue) [R26]
ꢀ 1 100K ohm trimmer potentiometer (yellow top marked 104) [R20]
Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits
ꢀ 1 1N4000 series rectifier diode (black with white band) [D21]
-Note that 1N4000-1N4007 diodes may used.
ꢀ 1 2N3904 NPN transistor (marked 2N3904) [Q21]
ꢀ 1 2SC2498 or 2SC2570 NPN transistor (marked C2498 or C2570) [Q20]
ꢀ 1 78L05 5V voltage regulator (three leads, marked LM78L05ACZ) [VR1]
ꢀ 1 Large Green LED [D20]
ꢀ 1 IR LED (Clear body) [D22]
ꢀ 1 MICRF001 data receiver IC (14 pin DIP marked MICRF001BN) [U20]
ꢀ 1 PIC12C509A pre-programmed micro-controller (8 pin DIP marked with
a sticker labeled RR) [U21]
Miscellaneous Components
ꢀ 1 DPDT PC mount pushbutton switch [S20]
ꢀ 1 2.1 mm DC power jack [J22]
ꢀ 1 2-pin jumper header [J21]
ꢀ 1 2-hole screw terminal, .157 green jack [J20]
ꢀ 1 8 pin DIP socket used with U21
ꢀ 1 6” piece of #20 buss wire [ANT1]
ꢀ 2 33 nH 4-turn coils [L20,21]
ꢀ 1 3.3149 MHz crystal [X20]
ꢀ 2 feet of #24 two conductor hook-up wire for IR LED extension cable
ꢀ 1 1/8” diameter x 1” long heat shrink tubing for IR LED assembly
ꢀ 1 1/4” diameter x 1” heat shrink tubing for IR LED assembly
RRW1B • 9
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ASSEMBLY OF THE RRW1B
Assembly of the unit is straight forward but it does require some time and
patience. To get our bearings, we will start by mounting the power jack and
move on from there. It serves as a good reference point for the other parts.
‰ 1. Install J22, the 2.1 mm power jack. Be sure to get a solid connection to
all three pads as this will have to take some mechanical strain during nor-
mal use. Use ample solder (without ‘globbing’ it on of course).
‰ 2. Install J20, the screw terminal connector. Make sure and install this so
the mounting holes are facing the edge of the board. This is where you will
be connecting your Infra-Red LED at the end of the assembly steps.
‰ 3. Install R23, a 100 ohm resistor (brown-black-brown).
‰ 4. Install Q21, a 2N3904 type transistor (marked 2N3904).
‰ 5. Install C23, a 10 uF electrolytic capacitor. Electrolytic capacitors are po-
larity sensitive so you need to install them with the side of the cap that is
marked minus (-) away from the plus (+) marked side indicated on the PC
board silkscreen and the Parts Layout Diagram.
‰ 6. Install C24, a 0.1 uF ceramic capacitor (marked 104).
‰ 7. Install R25, a 1K ohm resistor (brown-black-red).
‰ 8. Install D20, a green LED. D20 is po-
A
larity sensitive so it only works in one
K
direction. The long leg of the LED indi-
cates the Anode (A) and the shorter is the Cathode (K). The Cathode is
also indicated by the flat side of the LED if you look at it end-on. The silk-
screen and Parts Layout Diagram show a flat side for easy positioning of
the LED. Orient the LED so its flat side is the same as shown. Do NOT
mount the LED flush to the board. Mount it as high as possible (about 1
1/4” off of the board). It will be bent over out of the front of a case later.
‰ 9. Install R27, the 220 ohm resistor (red-red-brown).
‰ 10. Install J21, the two pin jumper header. This header allows you to
choose if you want smart data restore turned on or not during reconstitu-
tion of the IR data. It is a tight fit so make sure the leads are through the
board before soldering.
‰ 11. Install the 8-pin DIP Socket used to mount U21. It doesn’t matter
which way the socket is oriented, as long as the IC chip is inserted cor-
rectly in relation to the silkscreen on the circuit board. You can bend two
of the corner leads out slightly to hold the socket in place when you flip the
board over to solder it in. Be sure to solder all eight pins!
RRW1B • 10
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‰ 12. Install U21, the PIC12C509A (marked RR). Make sure the notch indi-
cating pin one is in the same orientation as shown on the silkscreen and
Parts Layout Diagram. This is the “brains” of the RRW1B, generating your
38 kHz signal depending on the data seen from the receiver.
‰ 13. Install C26, a 0.1 uF ceramic capacitor (marked 104).
‰ 14. Install JMP1 using a spare piece of component lead formed into a sta-
ple like shape. Since this layout is on a single sided board, some routes
just couldn’t be performed without adding this jumper.
‰ 15. Install U20, the MIRCF001 IC (14-pin). Note the orientation of pin 1, it
is opposite of U21. Use the notch to align with the pin one indicator on the
IC itself. Make sure all 14 pins are through the holes before soldering.
‰ 16. Install R21, a 1M ohm resistor (brown-black-green) just above U20.
‰ 17. Install R20, a 100K ohm trimmer potentiometer (yellow top marked
104). This trimmer is used to set the squelch of the receiver so that con-
stant noise isn’t sent while data is not being received.
‰ 18. Install C25, a 1 uF electrolytic capacitor. Again check polarity before
soldering.
‰ 19. Install X20, the 3.3149 MHz crystal. This crystal is used as reference
by the receiver to set it to receive 433.42 MHz. Internal to this part there is
a Colpitts oscillator much like the one used in the RRW1A transmitter
board used to make the crystal oscillate.
‰ 20. Install C22, a 10 uF electrolytic capacitor. Again note polarity.
‰ 21. Install R26, a 22M ohm resistor (red-red-blue). Yes this resistor value
is very large. It is a “tweak” which prevents the data detect output from
swinging to the wrong direction when no signal is present and making it
look like it is always receiving a signal (a little quirk U20 tends to have).
‰ 22. Install C21, a 0.1 uF ceramic capacitor (marked 104).
‰ 23. Install C30, another 0.1 uF ceramic capacitor (marked 104).
‰ 24. Install C27, a 10 pF ceramic capacitor (marked 10 or 10K).
‰ 25. Install L20, a 33 nH four turn inductor. Be careful not to distort the
shape of the coil when installing it.
‰ 26. Install R24, a 100K ohm resistor (brown-black-yellow).
‰ 27. Install Q20, a 2SC2498 or C2570 UHF NPN transistor. This transistor
is used to help increase the reception range of your receiver by boosting
the signal seen at the antenna a bit more before going to the receiver IC.
RRW1B • 11
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‰ 28. Install C20, a 0.01 uF ceramic capacitor (marked 103).
‰ 29. Install R22, a 470 ohm resistor (yellow-violet-brown).
‰ 30. Install C29, a 0.001 uF ceramic capacitor (marked 102).
‰ 31. Install L21, the other 33 nH four turn inductor. This coil combined with
C28 makes the amplifier of Q20 selective, so it only amplifies the desired
frequency area of 433.42 MHz.
‰ 32. Install C28, a 10 pF ceramic capacitor (marked 10 or 10k).
‰ 33. Install C31, a 10 uF electrolytic capacitor. Check its orientation before
soldering into place.
‰ 34. Install VR20, the 78L05 voltage regulator. Make sure the flat side of
this component is in the same orientation as shown on the silkscreen. This
part works by “smoothing” out any junk that may reside on the non-
regulated input side of the part. It also allows you to run this kit from a
wide range of supply voltages while it keeps the output fixed at 5V.
‰ 35. Install D21, the large 1N4002 regulator diode. If you are using an AC
power supply, this diode helps to convert the AC source voltage to pulsed
DC. C32 (which we install last for mechanical reasons) accumulates the
pulsed DC and smoothes it out so that regulator VR20 can process it the
rest of the way and provide us with a clean power source. Make sure the
line which indicates the Cathode is installed in the same orientation as
shown on the silk screen and Parts Layout Diagram.
‰ 36. Install S20, the power switch. Solder only one pin until you are sure
the switch is flush to the board. Then solder the rest.
‰ 37. Install C32, the large 1000 uF electrolytic capacitor. Double check its
orientation before soldering as this is especially critical with this part.
‰ 38. Install ANT1, the 6” piece of bus wire. Solder the wire in place where
the circuit board has been marked “ANT1” for easy identification. Use a
ruler and trim off any extra wire if longer then 6” (5.75 to 6.5” works great).
It looks like we have all of the holes stuffed with components now so I guess
we are finished, right? Actually we aren’t quite done yet. Take a moment to go
back through the steps you’ve completed and check the orientation of all the
installed devices before plugging in the power. This will help you to avoid
damaging any critical components by accident when you fire-it-up the first time
(note: we are trying to avoid the “fire” in fire-it-up). Make sure to check all the
capacitors for proper orientation, the micro-controller IC, as well as the rectifier
diode and VR20.
RRW1B • 12
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‰ 39. The IR LED wiring offers you a bit of flexibility to custom match the
RRW1B to your application. You will need to determine how long of a wire
you will actually need to fit the job at hand and then cut it to length. The 2
foot piece of wire that is supplied with the kit is more than enough for most
of the common component cases available today (we didn’t want to in-
clude an entire 1000 foot spool with every kit either!). The RRW1B has
been tested with upwards of 750 feet of extension wire for D22 so custom
wiring jobs can really increase the range of your system!
‰ 40. Trim both the red and black hook-up wires on each end to 1/4”. Tin all
four ends with solder to prevent them from fraying.
‰ 41. Cut the 1/8” piece of heatshrink in half and slide a piece onto one end
of the red wire. On the same end, slide the other piece onto the black
wire. These will keep the leads of the IR LED from shorting together later.
‰ 42. Bend the leads of the IR LED outward in a slight ’Y’ formation to give
yourself some space between the two leads to solder the hook-up wires.
‰ 43. Attach the IR LED to the hook-up wire by soldering the black wire to
the Cathode (K) and the RED wire to the Anode (A). Use the end with the
1/8” heat shrink tubing in place so you can slide them over the junctions
later. Look at the LED diagram of D20 for clarification if needed. A pair of
needle-nose pliers work well to make small loops in the wire ends to slide
the IR LED leads through. After you slide the leads through the loops,
tighten them down so the IR LED leads are held in place for soldering.
‰ 44. Trim back the excess IR LED lead wire for a nice, clean assembly and
slide the heat shrink tubing up and over the leads to the base of the IR
LED. You may need to trim any sharp edges off of the solder joint before
the tubing will slip over.
‰ 45. Install the other end of the Black wire into the J20 terminal jack closest
to the corner (labeled BLACK) and the Red wire into the other hole
(labeled RED). Use a small screwdriver to gently tighten the down screws.
FINISHED!!! Now we are ready to begin testing our handiwork!
RRW1B • 13
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TESTING THE RRW1B
To test the RRW1B receiver, you will need to use a functional RRW1A trans-
mitter. You just need to have faith that you have assembled everything cor-
rectly up to this point! It can be very difficult to troubleshoot this item without
some good equipment so we will have to do it the old fashion way if it comes
to it. See the troubleshooting section for more details if you need to.
For now you will need:
An IR remote and equipment this goes to (Cable box or some-
thing).
Two “wall wart” power supplies, one for each the transmitter and
receiver.
A working RRW1A transmitter.
Begin by setting up the transmitter and receiver where you would like to use
them. The receiver is usually set on top of the components you wish to control
with the IR LED positioned so that it will beamed downward into the face of
the components where their IR sensors are located. The transmitter can be
set up wherever you are planning on using the remote control. For now, keep
it in the same room so you can see the Data LED on the front panels of both
units. Keep in mind that you do not want your remote control directly activating
the target equipment without being repeated through the RRW1 system first!
Turn on the power to both the receiver and transmitter. The Data LED on the
transmitter (RRW1A) should be on by default while the Data LED on the re-
ceiver (RRW1B) should be off. If the Data LED on the receiver is flashing or
continually on (without sending data through the transmitter of course), R20
(on the receiver) will need to be re-adjusted. Use a small screwdriver to adjust
R20 on the RRW1B if needed so that the LED just turns off. It may slightly
flash a little due to noise in the receiver being seen on the data line. Adjust
R20 until the LED just goes out and stays out; leave it at this setting. The best
possible adjustment is where the LED is out, but it is really close to the point
where it turns on again. You have successfully adjusted the squelch setting!
With the receiver properly tuned, aim the remote at the transmitter and press
a button. The Data LED should flicker on the transmitter from the remote’s
data. The Data LED on the receiver should begin blinking at the same time.
This means your wireless link is working!
Now just test some functions on the remote to see if it controls your device
and your off to the races! Try moving the transmitter to another room now and
see if everything still works. You should get a fairly decent range that should
more than enough to cover most people’s homes.
RRW1B • 14
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USING THE RRW1
There really is no secret to using the RRW1 system. You primarily want to
position the RRW1B in the stereo cabinet or on top of your components so the
antenna can stick up. The RRW1A should be placed so that the IR sensor can
see your remote control’s IR signal and is in the location you want your remote
to work from. Put the receive on top of a book shelf or even between books to
hide it. I am sure you will think of something clever.
The real trick is how to get the IR LED on the RRW1B mounted so that all of
your components can its relayed signal. The optimum way would be to use a
coat hanger to suspend the LED out in front of the components and have it
shine back at them. Unfortunately this is quite ugly and could poke out too far
to be able to close the doors of a cabinet. If it will be inside of a cabinet, you
can conveniently bounce the light off of some small pieces of aluminum foil
mounted to the back sides of the doors and reflect the IR down to the compo-
nents. With a little work, you could even permanently mount the IR LED on the
inside of one of the doors. This configuration might take a bit of wire however
in order to discreetly snake the hook-up from the RRW1B receiver down
through the cabinet and along the door. So far the longest piece of wire we’ve
tried was about 750 feet… no problem!! However the output of the IR LED is
intense enough that it will probably activate all of your components just by re-
flecting around inside of the cabinet.
If you do not have doors to reflect the RRW1B’s emitted IR signal from, try
angling the light from above somewhere. This usually works well also. In my
case my components are currently sitting on a coffee table behind the couch
until we save enough pennies to buy a cabinet. In this case I can actually
mount the IR LED in a crack in the couch to aim it at the components. This
worked out quite well for me since the IR LED is now all but hidden from view.
Hopefully it doesn’t get yanked out the next time I’m scrambling through the
cushions for change to tip the pizza delivery guy!
To determine the maximum range of the entire system, add up all of the indi-
vidual component ranges that make up the entire system. Your remote’s sig-
nal can be picked up by the IR receiver (RRW1A) up to 36 feet away. It can
then broadcast that signal with the included antenna more than 100 feet. Now
run the IR LED emitter wire from the RRX1B as long as you like up to 300 feet
or so (I’ve used up to 750 feet while testing!). The output of the IR LED will
then span another 20 feet to give you over 450 feet more of extended range!
Change the stock whip antennas to one of our 433 MHz directional antennas
(RMZ# 4004 or LPY41) and you may be able to reach 1/4 mile or more! I
can’t imagine a scenario where you would want to do that, but it can be done.
Notice how the ground area on the bottom side of the circuit board near the
antenna position has been left open for your to attach the ground shield of the
coax should you choose this optional configuration.
RRW1B • 15
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RRW1B • 16
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RRW1B PARTS LAYOUT DIAGRAM
RRW1B • 17
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TROUBLESHOOTING THE RRW1B
PROBLEM: No matter how I adjust R20, the LED will not light.
SOLUTION: Check the orientation of D20, it may be you installed it back-
wards. If not, check your power, you should see +5V on pins 5 and 6 of U20. If
you have no power, check the wall transformer to make sure the center lug is
plus, and the ring is minus. AC transformers like the AC125 should be no
problem.
PROBLEM: The green LED doesn’t light up and blink when I aim my remote
at it.
SOLUTION: There is a lot that can go wrong here, so we will go from the most
likely to the least. We will assume D20 has lit up at some point before you ad-
justed R20. 1. If you have not tested the RRW1A, do so at this point, it may
not be transmitting. 2. You are too far away from the transmitter, bring them
closer together. 3. You have the squelch control (R20) turned too far up, try
turning it back to where the LED is just flickering, and see if the remote begins
to make it blink or not. 4. The receiver has a assembly problem. Check part
installation and orientation.
PROBLEM: Everything else is working, but my devices aren’t responding to
the remote signals.
SOLUTION: You will need to check your IR LED installation. It is easy
enough, just swap the red and black wires on the screw terminal. Things
should start working nicely unless there is an assembly error on the board.
RRW1B SPECIFICATIONS
Power Supply:
•
•
AC supply = 6 to 12 VAC or DC supply = 8 to 16 VDC @ 100 mA (+ tip)
Current draw with a 12VDC source averages about 20 mA (RRW1B).
Dimensions:
•
•
PCB size: 4.0” x 4.7”
Max component height: 7/8”
Miscellaneous:
•
•
•
•
Works with any standard 38 kHz carrier IR remote.
Max effective BAUD rate: 2400 bps – standard for remotes.
IR receiver module has an effective pick-up range of 11 meters (36 feet!).
Max IR LED (D22 of RRW1B) wire extension length: Unknown!! Tested
over 750 feet and still going!
RRW1B • 18
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The Ramsey Kit Warranty
Please read carefully BEFORE calling or writing in about your kit. Most problems can be
solved without contacting the factory.
Notice that this is not a "fine print" warranty. We want you to understand your rights and ours too!
All Ramsey kits will work if assembled properly. The very fact that your kit includes this new manual
is your assurance that a team of knowledgeable people have field-tested several "copies" of this kit
straight from the Ramsey Inventory. If you need help, please read through your manual carefully.
All information required to properly build and test your kit is contained within the pages!
1. DEFECTIVE PARTS: It's always easy to blame a part for a problem in your kit, Before you
conclude that a part may be bad, thoroughly check your work. Today's semiconductors and passive
components have reached incredibly high reliability levels, and it’s sad to say that our human
construction skills have not! But on rare occasions a sour component can slip through. All our kit
parts carry the Ramsey Electronics Warranty that they are free from defects for a full ninety (90)
days from the date of purchase. Defective parts will be replaced promptly at our expense. If you
suspect any part to be defective, please mail it to our factory for testing and replacement. Please
send only the defective part(s), not the entire kit. The part(s) MUST be returned to us in suitable
condition for testing. Please be aware that testing can usually determine if the part was truly
defective or damaged by assembly or usage. Don't be afraid of telling us that you 'blew-it', we're all
human and in most cases, replacement parts are very reasonably priced.
2. MISSING PARTS: Before assuming a part value is incorrect, check the parts listing carefully to
see if it is a critical value such as a specific coil or IC, or whether a RANGE of values is suitable
(such as "100 to 500 uF"). Often times, common sense will solve a mysterious missing part
problem. If you're missing five 10K ohm resistors and received five extra 1K resistors, you can
pretty much be assured that the '1K ohm' resistors are actually the 'missing' 10 K parts ("Hum-m-m,
I guess the 'red' band really does look orange!") Ramsey Electronics project kits are packed with
pride in the USA. If you believe we packed an incorrect part or omitted a part clearly indicated in
your assembly manual as supplied with the basic kit by Ramsey, please write or call us with
information on the part you need and proof of kit purchase.
3. FACTORY REPAIR OF ASSEMBLED KITS:
To qualify for Ramsey Electronics factory repair, kits MUST:
1. NOT be assembled with acid core solder or flux.
2. NOT be modified in any manner.
3. BE returned in fully-assembled form, not partially assembled.
4. BE accompanied by the proper repair fee. No repair will be undertaken until we have received
the MINIMUM repair fee (1/2 hour labor) of $25.00, or authorization to charge it to your
credit card account.
5. INCLUDE a description of the problem and legible return address. DO NOT send a separate
letter; include all correspondence with the unit. Please do not include your own hardware
such as non-Ramsey cabinets, knobs, cables, external battery packs and the l ke. Ramsey
Electronics, Inc., reserves the right to refuse repair on ANY item in which we find excessive
problems or damage due to construction methods. To assist customers in such situations,
Ramsey Electronics, Inc., reserves the right to solve their needs on a case-by-case basis.
The repair is $50.00 per hour, regardless of the cost of the kit. Please understand that our
technicians are not volunteers and that set-up, testing, diagnosis, repair and repacking and
paperwork can take nearly an hour of paid employee time on even a simple kit. Of course, if we find
that a part was defective in manufacture, there will be no charge to repair your kit (But please
realize that our technicians know the difference between a defective part and parts burned out or
damaged through improper use or assembly).
4. REFUNDS: You are given ten (10) days to examine our products. If you are not satisfied, you
may return your unassembled kit with all the parts and instructions and proof of purchase to the
factory for a full refund. The return package should be packed securely. Insurance is
recommended. Please do not cause needless delays, read all information carefully.
RRW1B • 19
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RRW1B REMOTE REPEATER KIT
Quick Reference Page Guide
Introduction............................................4
Circuit Theory........................................5
Learn As You Build................................7
Parts List ...............................................9
Assembly.............................................10
Testing.................................................14
Using the RRW1 Pair ..........................15
Schematic............................................16
Parts Layout ........................................17
Troubleshooting...................................18
Warranty..............................................19
REQUIRED TOOLS
•
•
•
•
Soldering Iron Ramsey WLC100
Thin Rosin Core Solder Ramsey RTS12
Needle Nose Pliers Ramsey MPP4 or RTS05
Small Diagonal Cutters Ramsey RTS04
<OR> Technician’s Tool Kit TK405
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED ITEMS
•
•
•
Holder for PC Board/Parts Ramsey HH3
Desoldering Braid Ramsey RTS08
Digital Multimeter Ramsey M133
Price: $5.00
Ramsey Publication No. MRRW1B
Assembly and Instruction manual for:
RAMSEY MODEL NO. RRW1B
TOTAL SOLDER POINTS
23
ESTIMATED ASSEMBLY
TIME
Beginner...............1 hrs
Intermediate.........0.5 hrs
Advanced .............0.5 hrs
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