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Beware of 'Ghost Switching'

I have had a C-J Primier 17LS for over a decade and it has served me well. About a month ago it started switching from phono to C.D. or other modes, all by itself. I never had this problem before. I don't use the remote so took out the batteries thinking the remote may be the issue. No help. The Ghost Switching only occured while I was in the Phono Mode. I sent the unit back to C-J for repair. They had it for two months, could not replicate the issue and found nothing wrong internally. After I put the unit back in my system it started to Ghost Switch again. I placed a tin foil shield over the section where the romote sensor eye is located on a hunch. No more issues. It seems outside signals were causing my pre-amp to Ghost Switch. Not sure what type of signals could cause this, but if you experience such an issue save yourself some grief and money by placing a shield of heavy tin foil over your remote 'eye'. This may start to become a common issue with all the wireless devices in use.
quincy
zd542
5,339 posts
 
I can think of 2 things. 1. If your remote is RF, other remotes can effect it. You don't have to have line of sight. That said, I'm pretty sure CJ doesn't use RF. 2. This is definitely a long shot, but it is possible. If you have an IR remote, its possible that the signal from another remote in your house is being reflected off things in the house and is hitting the sensor on the face of your CJ. I don't blame you for laughing at me on that one. I'll admit, it really does sound far fetched.

I think Al is going to have to get involved on this one. If anyone can get to the bottom of this, he can.
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Thanks, Zd :-)

All I can offer is a guess, and my guess, assuming (as appears to be the case) that the remote control function is IR rather than RF, would be that the root cause of the problem is interference from a fluorescent or compact fluorescent light that is in the area. Electronic ballasts that are commonly used in fluorescents operate at frequencies that are not all that different than the pulse rates which are emitted by IR remote controls.

If nothing involving the room lighting changed around the time the problem began to appear, but fluorescent lighting is present, perhaps the problem was triggered by age-related degradation of one of the lights. Or perhaps something degraded in the IR sensor mechanism, causing it to become abnormally sensitive to interference from the lighting.

Just a guess, as I say.

Regards,
-- Al
swanny76109
382 posts
 
Another possibility could be the garage door opener. I swear this same thing happened to me with my Pass Labs XP 10 preamp right when my wife came home. Inputs switched somehow and I think the garage remote did it.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Wow, this is uncanny! I remember playing cards into the early hours one morning with a girl about 25 years ago. The fluorescent fixture's ballast was on it's way out. I don't recall the game we were playing but it was a type where you could surmise what the other was holding by what they discarded. Every time one of us was on to the other, the light would flicker...without fail!, and we'd look up at each other and giggle. I kid you not!!!
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
I was flying my stupid little remote helicoptor and hovered it for a second while adjusting my preamp with its remote...the preamp went ballistic with a runaway volume knob...I had to leap up from the couch to mute it. I learned.
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