How I Converted a Harmony IR Remote to RF

I picked up 2 Harmony remotes a while ago for about $30 each. They are the Harmony 520 and I like them a lot but I need RF in my setup.



So I bought 2 of the battery transmitter RF extenders (shown here). They are available in two frequencies so I can keep the remote signals separate to avoid equipment conflicts.



This worked pretty well but they use 2/3 AAA rechargeable batteries which after a while don't maintain a charge very well and cause the other batteries to deplete faster. So I decided to permanently integrate the transmitter into the remote.

There is not much room inside the Harmony 520 but luckily the transmitter board is pretty small once you remove it from the battery casing. Then there is a spot for it in a popout area of the casing.



So then I rewired the batteries so that one of the AAA batteries takes the place of the 2/3 AAA, insulated the transmitter with some electrical tape, and put it back together. Now I can just use 4 normal AAA batteries and hopefully get more battery life and stronger signal out of the transmitter since it is running on 1.5v instead of 1.2v.



Working well so far.

The output of the RF receiver is then tied into an IR distribution system and I can control everything with no exposed receivers and from multiple rooms.

Seemed like the ideal solution for me so thought I would share.

Total cost: ~ $65
Cheapest RF Harmony Remote: $200+

Very interesting. How do these RF extenders work?

I use the same "Next Generation" remote extender in the remote for my SA8300HD cable DVR box. The NexGen thing is pretty ingenous. I assume it monitors the current flow drawn by the LED emitter of the remote and converts that to RF, which then gets received and converted back to IR. Range is pretty good and should work with almost any device or remote (no training or programming is required). The RF receiver has a battery charger built in for the supplied 2/3AA rechargeable battery and I have to swap batteries about once a month between the remote and the charger. Pretty nice hack to permanently mount the RF transmitter.

The closest thing in function I ever recall seeing was some ugly thing you glued to the bottom of your remote which placed an IR receiver right in front of your remote emitter and then it got converted to RF.

Great hack! I have two questions:

1. How did you remove the transmitter from the sleeve?
2. Was the Harmony 520 easy to open? I see only 4 screws on the bottom.

David Rad said:

Great hack! I have two questions:

1. How did you remove the transmitter from the sleeve?
2. Was the Harmony 520 easy to open? I see only 4 screws on the bottom.

Click to expand...

1. Just push it out from the top.
2. Yes you can see the plastic clips along the sides in the photos. You just need to slide something along there.

What does it get received by?

--Dan