Niles Ms-2 Troubleshooting guide

Type of Cable

The MS-2 connects to the IR main system unit

with 2-conductor shielded cable. We recom-

mend "data grade" cables made of two 28 gauge

(or larger) conductors surrounded by a foil

shield and a bare drain (ground) wire. Data

grade cable provides the capability for runs of

up to 500 feet to each sensor. Examples are

West Penn D291, Belden 8761 or Carol C2516.

Any non-data grade 22-16 gauge 2-conductor

3. Infrared Flashers transmit the infrared sig-

nals from the main system unit to your A/V com-

ponents. Niles manufactures both "flooding"

flashers (model IRC-1) and miniature "pin-point"

flashers (model IRC-2). Flashers are the "voice"

of an IR extender system.

In a typical system (Figure 1) the MS-2 remote

room sensors are placed in convenient locations

and are connected to a main system unit. The

main system unit is connected to power via its

12VDC power supply. In this example, the IRP-2

main system unit powers four IRC-2

MicroFlashers™which are attached to the front

panel sensor windows of four A/V components.

shielded cable, available at an electronic parts

store, will enable 150 foot runs to each sensor.

Data grade cable is available from Niles:

Part# FG00668.

MS-2 Mounting Location

Locating the MS-2 in the center of a room usual-

ly results in the most even IR receiving cover-

age, especially if the room is square shaped.

Rooms that are L-shaped or long and narrow

require more careful consideration. With these

types of rooms, installing the MS-2 closest to the

primary location of the user will ensure the best

performance.

The MS-2 is designed to surface-mount almost

anywhere. Convenient mounting locations for

the MS-2 include:

●On the front panel of a television set, facing

the viewer

● On the front surface of a wall, a cabinet, an

appliance, or a speaker grille

●Behind a speaker grille (speaker grilles typically

reduce the effective range of an MS-2 to 15 feet)

Receiving Range and Pickup Angle

The receiving range of the MS-2 will vary accord-

ing to the IR output strength of the remote control

being used. Remote strength varies among brands

by the number and size of the batteries used, and

how many IR emitters the remote has. For exam-

ple, remotes that operate on two small AAA bat-

teries and have only one IR emitter are generally

not as strong as remotes that use the larger AA

size batteries and have two emitters. Tests with

various manufacturers' remote controls have

shown that the operating range can vary from a

minimum of 18 feet to a maximum of about 30

feet. The IR pickup angle of the MS-2 is 60ooff-

axis (horizontal and vertical) at 18 feet.

Infrared signals travel essentially line-of-sight. They

will not pass through or around solid objects. Do

not rely on an IR signal being able to "bounce" off

a wall or reflective object to the MS-2.

When installing the MS-2 behind a speaker

grille expect to reduce the range of your remote

controls by half.

Avoiding Optical Interference

As with any type of IR sensor, avoid locating the

MS-2 where it will be exposed to direct sunlight.

The sun emits an enormous amount of IR ener-

gy, many times stronger than that of a hand-held

remote. Keep in mind that the less sunlight the

MS-2 receives, the better.

DO NOT mount the MS-2 outdoors. During

daylight hours, you will experience poor opera-

tion and/or interference.

Other potential sources of optical interference

include:

1.Bright reflections from windows, mirrors,

swimming pools, shiny floors or objects.

2. Placing the MS-2 within a few inches of a flu-

orescent light.

3. Placing the MS-2 within the same room as a

Neon sign.

Avoiding Electrical Interference

Avoid locating the MS-2 near any potential

sources of Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI),

The most common sources are:

1. Some mounting positions on the front panel

of a television (particularly large direct view

sets ). If you are installing the MS-2 near a

television, test for an interference-free mount-

ing position (See page 9; Testing for EMI)

before permanently mounting it in place.

2. Light dimmers or variable speed controls for

ceiling fans. These controls emit more inter-

ference when turned down halfway. They

emit little or no interference when turned up

all the way (brightest or highest position).

3.Fluorescent Lights The electronic ballast

sometimes emits EMI.

4.Large appliances (air-conditioners, pumps,

motors, compressors; etc.)

5. AC line noise (noise brought into the system

via the wall outlet connected to the main sys-

tem unit)

Introduction

The MS-2 is a miniature IR sensor designed for

use with a Niles Infrared Extender System.

An IR (infrared) extender system enables you to

control your IR remote controlled A/V equip-

ment from a remote location. This allows you to

place your A/V components out of sight (behind

cabinet doors, in the rear of a room, or in a dif-

ferent room) and still conveniently control your

equipment.

The MS-2 is an IR Sensor. It is one of three

elements that make up an infrared exten-

der system:

1. IR Sensors receive IR commands from hand-

held remote controls and relay the commands

to the Main System Unit via a 2-conductor

shielded cable. Generally, sensors are placed so

that you can easily and naturally point your

remote control directly at them. Niles offers an

array of easily concealable sensors: wall-mount,

ceiling-mount, surface-mount and table-top. IR

sensors are the "eyes" of the system.

2. The Main System Unit provides a connec-

tion hub for the IR sensors and the IR flashers

and is generally located near the A/V compo-

nents. The main system unit’s level controls and

LED indicators enable you to calibrate and trou-

bleshoot an IR extender system. The main sys-

tem unit is the "heart" of an IR extender system.

Wiring MS-2 Sensors

From every IR Sensor location, you must "home-

run" a cable back to the main system unit.

"Home run" means an individual cable is con-

nected between each IR Sensor and the main

system unit. You should never daisy-chain (con-

nect in parallel) two or more IR Sensors to a sin-

gle input. (see Figure 2)

Combining MS-2 Sensors with Niles Keypads

There is only one exception to the "home run"

wiring rule is when you are placing both a key-

pad and a sensor (or two keypads) in one room.

Only in this case may you "daisy-chain" a single

cable. A cable is run between the keypad and

the sensor, then a single cable is run from either

the sensor or the keypad back to the main sys-

tem unit. See Figure 3.

12334567 OVER PLEASE

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Quick and Easy Placement

The tiny housing (available in black or white)

and attractive appearance of the MS-2 give you

many placement possibilities. For instance, you

could place a black MS-2 immediately above

the sensor window of your television set. A

white MS-2 could be mounted to the front of a

white speaker grille. In either case the sensor

blends with its surroundings and mounts quickly

and easily with its self-adhesive mounting strip.

Sensible Operation

Every time you press a button on your remote

control, the bright green "flashback" LED confirms

that the MS-2 has received a command. If your

remote control’s batteries are weak and need to

be replaced, the absence of the "flashback" LED

will remind you.

Universal System

The MS-2 is compatible with virtually all brands

of A/V equipment. You can freely mix compo-

nents for the best performance.

Performance Guaranteed

100% tested, electronically for range, angle of

pickup, and brightness. The MS-2 has a limited

two year parts and labor warranty. The MS-2 is

proudly made in the U.S.A.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

INTRODUCTION

INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

MS-2 PARTS GUIDE

High Sensitivity

Photo Diode

Green

“Flashback”LED

Adhesive-

Backed

Strip for

Mounting

6 Feet of 2-Conductor

Shielded 28 Gauge

Connecting Wire

FLASHERS

VAR FULL

SENSOR

IN SENSOR

IN IRDATA

OUT

NILES

IRP-2

FLASHERLEVEL

+12VDC

MS-2 IR Sensor in a remote location.

IR Main System Unit.

DO NOT USE UNSHIELDED CABLE WITH THE MS-2

Figure 1

“TECH TIP”

Wire size is

expressed by its

AWG (American Wire

Gauge) number. The

lower the number,

the larger the wire,

i.e. twelve AWG is

physically larger than

fourteen AWG.

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