FYI - There is a U2 model now that is nearly identical to the U1 in form and function, but most importantly it does have improved IR signals. If you're ordering one of these now, make sure to get the U2.
Hey folks,
Revisiting sofabaton. And adding more info to the thread for those interested.
Ive been using the U1 model for about 9 months now, but the IR led that sofabaton chose, as others have pointed out, is flawed and has a very short range.
I even dremel tooled the front the front of case about 4 months ago to expose the IR transmit LED and it slightly increased the IR range. However this is still driving me NUTS.
Does anyone have a U2 model they are looking to sell for around $30. Otherwise I may try purchasing a different transmit LED and see if that can increase the range.
EDIT: I have ordered a replacement IR LED. Once it arrives here Ill detail my results, and if it increases the transmit range, ill publish a âhow toâ for others to followâŚ
For everyones info, I inquired with sofabaton about buying the LED that they use on the U2 model from them. They were extremely unhelpful, and suggested I use an IR extender from Amazon. (A dumb fix, because I would have to suspend the IR extender in free space three feet from my face in the middle of my living room to get any benefit. )
Has anyone else found another remote @Fofer that has both IR and Bluetooth capabilities?
The sofabaton U1 works fantastic for this, but it effectively has about a 4ft IR range for everything else. Lol
BTW : im still using my trusty old harmony 650 universal remote, and it does everything I need, except for the one case where for âquiet listingâ I need to send Bluetooth volume commands to the apple tv in order to control my airpods volume.
Im not interested at this point in getting a harmony hub type of solution if I dont have too. Id like to move forward with modern supported devices, if that makes sense.
I think the U2 would probably do it, but its a hard pill to swallow investing another $50-60 bucks for one of those, where I could put that towards upgrading my mac mini to an M1 or M2 unit.
Cheers
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U1 IR Range update
I received a replacement IR transmit led earlier this week.
After hacking my remote the range of my U1 sofabaton has greatly improved, and Ive even noticed much better âoff axisâ performance.
Your milage may vary, but so far I have had absolutely no issues with my equipment missing signals when running macros and other commands. It definitely feels more snappy.
If you are handy with a soldering iron and want to take the plunge, here is the thread that I followed with instructions.
The LED is .55 on digikey..
Some of my personal notes:
1: If you are picky, you may be able to carefully dremel out a cavity in the front of the remote case to seat the new LED as shown in the AVS formum thread.
I DIDNT BOTHER. I just dremeled out the front cover surrounding both the transmit LED and the receiver LED (used for learning codes). It still looks cool (kind of cyberpunkish) and more importantly IT WORKS.
2: I carefully used copper braid to desolder the existing LED. I DONT recommend a solder sucker - you might pull the pad of the PCB and ruin the connection. If you dont know what copper desoldering braid and a solder sucker is, than you probably shouldnât be replacing this IR led. Get a techie friend who has a quality Weller soldering iron with fine tip to do it for you.
3: Pulling the case apart is a finicky process. Your milage may vary. There is a tab on the battery end of the unit. Be patient.
Happy Macros!