Re: Buying Harmony remote from the states

["Mal Lansell" <mal@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "andy_walkuk" <andy_walkuk@...>
wrote:
>
> I was thinking of making use of the good =A3 - $ exchange rate at the
> moment and getting a harmony remote from the states.
>=20
> However, there seems to be a difference in model numbers between=20
the
> American and European versions, i.e. the americans have the 890=20
and we
> have the 895, this is repeated on the whole range i think.
>=20
> I assume this is down to the power cord, can anyone with the=20
harmony
> remote docking veriosn tell me how the power supply works?  Is it a
> figure of 8 type power cord into a transformer, etc..  Do the=20
markings
> indicate universal voltage input?  Can I simply chop the plug off
> and put a 13A 3-pin on it?
>=20
> US Ebayers that ship to the UK (buy-it-now) seem to have these at=20
half
> the price of the UK shops (some of these are refurbished though,=20
but
> still, half-price!).
>=20
> Many thanks.
>

My Harmony remote uses a wall-wart - if the U.S. version is the same=20
you can just buy a suitable replacement for a few quid.

Don't bother getting the Harmony remote with Z-Wave support (890,=20
IIRC) - Z-Wave operates on a different frequency in the U.S. and=20
won't work with U.K. devices.

However, my experience of a Harmony remote has not been good and I=20
wouldn't buy another.=20=20

Their website-based setup is slow and cumbersome.

The charging cradle is horizontal and the remote isn't heavy enough=20
to maintain good contact (and it beeps when it loses/gains contact,=20
so when someone walks past it beeps away)

The remote locked up one time and burnt out it's IR emitters (I=20
replaced them with ones bought at Maplins).

It frequently forgets what mode it is in, so I press a button=20
expecting to change the volume and it turns off the DVD player=20
instead :-(

Mal