All about the IR4PS3.
Essentially, the IR4PS3 modification turns the official Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Disc Remote Control into a transceiver. So in addition to transmitting the commands entered on its buttons directly to the PS3, it’s also able to receive and process commands from your infrared remote. This makes it possible for your universal remote control to do absolutely everything that the official remote can do. That includes the infamous [PS] button, the [Red], [Green], [Blue] and [Yellow] buttons, the 10-digit numeric keypad, [Audio], [Angle], [Eject] and so forth. You’ll be able to power on the PS3 from your sofa, or shut it down with a single keystroke.
The true beauty of the IR4PS3 modification is that it is contained completely inside of the official PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Disc remote control. In fact, picking up a modified remote you’d be hard pressed to tell that anything had been changed, save for a small hole in the front of the remote for the IR receiver and a new DC power jack on the side. All buttons on the Bluetooth remote continue to operate just as they would have without the modification.
With no USB cable or other wires leading to the PS3, the IR4PS3 can be placed anywhere within Bluetooth range of the console – the only requirement is that the IR receiver on the front of the remote be within line-of-sight of where you will be using your universal remote. The IR receiver is extremely sensitive, so it can be placed almost anywhere: sit it beside the console... on your set top box... or peeking out from behind your TV. In a custom installation situation the IR4PS3 could be completely invisible, stored behind the equipment rack with an IR emitter stuck over its IR receiver for commands from an RF remote and/or IR distribution system.
While the new circuitry is capable of being powered by the remote’s internal AA batteries, due to increased power draw from the new circuit (even after extensive optimization) a pair of alkalines will only last about 8 weeks, with rechargeable NiMH batteries working for approximately 3 weeks. To ensure a no-fuss, “set it and forget it” solution, an optional external power supply capability has been added. This can accept from 3V to 9V DC input, requiring no more than 100mA capability, using a type “N” plug. Note that an adaptor is not included with the IR4PS3, but an appropriate one can be obtained from places such as Radio Shack or The Source by Circuit City in Canada.
Getting codes to the IR4PS3.
The IR4PS3 has been designed to work with as many standard universal remote controls as possible. By default it can accept codes from stock Sony DVD remotes, stock Sony DVD-R remotes, and stock Sony BD remotes. These three codesets integrate with standard Sony PS2 remote control codes to round out the feature set. Since some of the PS3’s new Blue-ray-related commands aren’t covered by standard Sony infrared functions, a little finagling had to occur – for instance on the “DVD” codeset the four Blu-ray color buttons have been mapped to the functions for “Disc1” through “Disc 4”. Regardless, the designer has tried to ensure that Logitech Harmony owners will be able to obtain full control over the 51 functions that the official Blu-ray remote offers using the Harmony database. And since the IR4PS3 can be user-configured via special command sequences to listen to all or only one of these codesets, if you already own a Sony DVD, DVD-R or standalone BD player you’ll be able to ensure that it doesn’t conflict with the IR4PS3.
For owners of Philips Pronto, Universal Remote Control Inc. and other computer programmable remotes capable of accepting infrared codes in Pronto hex format, I’ve personally created a configuration with every code to those three codesets. And, as a special bonus, there are also four additional self-contained custom codesets that don’t conflict with anything. So, theoretically, the IR4PS3 is capable of independent control of up to five PS3 consoles in a single room – all from one universal remote control.
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