faunt@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM (Doug Faunt) (03/05/88)
I have now gotten the service manuals for the Rabbit/Archer VCR mukltiplying system, and the Memorex/Radio Shack universal remote controller, for about $4.00 each, and a month's wait. They were both ordered from a local Radio Shack store. The availability of service manuals is one of the good things about R S. The VCR multiplier system works by amplifying the channel 3 or 4 RF from the VCR by 25db, and then splitting it, and running it through a balun to go from 75ohm unbalanced to 300 ohm balanced, and just pushing that down the "miniwire" pair. I've not used mine for video, so can't address the quality of the system, but do use them as IR remote extenders, and for that, it works quite well for my set-up which has three remote pickups, currently. The universal remote controller manual has no surprises, although it does show a clock oscillator trimmer, to address a comment I saw earlier from an owner of one of the units about the inaccuracy of the clock in his. Mine seems to keep pretty good time. The manual also shows the Memorex part numbers, including the slightly different case with a cover for the programming controls. I also have a loaner CL9 CORE universal remote, thanks to apple!baum, and so have used both, also. My impression of the two units is that the CL9 is better in all ways, except the "user interface". The CORE has 20 switches, labeled with the hex digits, a-, b-,c-, and P (for page). Three pairs of switches are in a rocker configuration ideally suited for up-down type commands. The Radio Shack has 27 command switches, and they're labeled as the most common commands on your component remote, such as volume up, volume down, 0 through 9, rew, play, ff, stop, rec (two buttons required for this), etc. with a labelable overlay. This means that the RS unit can be used by a "user" with only moments of explanation, whereas the CORE requires that a table of programmed commands and their functions be available, or memorized. (Gross generalization follows) Your mother-in-law could use the RS, you will like the CL9. Unless it's changed since last I checked, while the CL9 unit can. I'm told, be connected to a computer and programmed, that's only for doing things like upgrading the firmware, not for consumers. Sigh. Oh, yeah. The CORE is quite powerful, and can be used around corners, but the RS has only the range of my component remotes, and is so physically designed that the IR booster that was available earlier from CL9 cannot be used with it. The CORE is a comfortable small handful, but the RS is big and clunky.