Projector remotes going missing from room

[ewanc1234]

We have the issue with projector remotes going missing from rooms, we have tried engraving them with the room numbers but they still disappear into other rooms. My thought is to chain them to the board so that they physically cannot be moved but I am not sure how I would go about this without drilling a hole in the remote.

 

Has anyone else encountered any similar problems, if so what did you do to prevent it?

[FishCustard]

Two-part epoxy - Glue a connector to the chain & remote?

[SamanthaD]

Remove remotes and have control panels on RS232. They tend to not move too much, but quite pricey...

[Zourous]

Try this site:

 

https://www.flex-lock.co.uk/flex-lock-sitepage_4

 

The sticky that attaches from the cord to remote is stronger than I thought it would be. It probably won't last if you've got destructive pupils. Ours are still good a few weeks in.

[Zourous]

Forgot to say. The problem is now the batteries are going missing instead...

[Fazza]

We use these:

 

 

They're cheaper if you buy 10+ (or so we've found) and since installing them 3+ years ago no remotes/batteries have gone missing (saving us a load of cash as we used to buy replacement remotes a lot).

 

[hardtailstar]

Charge the replacement remotes to departments.

 

They either dont lose them or they do but dont get a replacement as the department wont buy one.

[ewanc1234]

Try this site:

 

https://www.flex-lock.co.uk/flex-lock-sitepage_4

 

The sticky that attaches from the cord to remote is stronger than I thought it would be. It probably won't last if you've got destructive pupils. Ours are still good a few weeks in.

 

That seems like a good solution, it's usually the teachers that move them around the rooms rather than pupils as it's in our 6thform block. Then if it comes unstuck then I can glue/epoxy the pad back on

[ewanc1234]

the trouble with that @hardtailstar is that the rooms are shared and its people from different rooms taking the remotes so there is no way for us to work out who to bill. We do that for other parts of the school where the rooms are not shared though.

[ewanc1234]

@Fazza I saw some of them referenced on a different forum that I came across but I could not find anywhere to purchase them. Where do you get yours from?

[hardtailstar]

the trouble with that @hardtailstar is that the rooms are shared and its people from different rooms taking the remotes so there is no way for us to work out who to bill. We do that for other parts of the school where the rooms are not shared though.

 

We then split the cost according to the time table where the remote has gone missing in the first place.

[Zourous]

The Remoguard wouldn't work for us as the teachers would just loose the key to that instead.

[Norphy]

The Remoguard wouldn't work for us as the teachers would just loose the key to that instead.

Why would the teachers need the key to it?

[ewanc1234]

I assume that they keep the key and the remotes live in the box the whole time.

[LeMarchand]

Take a leaf out of Rollie Tyler's book:

[john]

I assume that they keep the key and the remotes live in the box the whole time.

 

You keep the key and you use it through the cut outs in the box

[Katy]

We splashed out the extra cash at the start and made it one remote per teacher rather than one per room - only works if you have the same projectors everywhere (or multiple models that share the same remote). They still go missing though.

[southhamster]

We splashed out the extra cash at the start and made it one remote per teacher rather than one per room - only works if you have the same projectors everywhere (or multiple models that share the same remote). They still go missing though.

Could you attach the remote to the teacher with a manacle or handcuff?

[eddyc]

We use the destec recoilers here.

http://www.destecsystems.co.uk/protect_remote_controls_55.html

 

They’re fairly cheap. We screw them to the wall in a convenient place near the teachers desk and that gives you around 1m of retractable cord.

 

We use 2-part epoxy to attach the remote to the end disc on the end and it works well.

[Fazza]

Why would you give them the key? The remotes work whilst in the guards. The keys stay in the IT department and are only used when the batteries need replacing.

[Zourous]

ok, I see now. Wouldn't the holder have to be at least the same height as the projector? Must be quite frustrating and fiddly to use. It wouldn't be long before a piece of chewing gum was applied to the mirror once the students saw it in operation.

[Fazza]

Wouldn't the holder have to be at least the same height as the projector?

 

No, if you look at the top there's a mirror that the IR beam bounces off.

 

Must be quite frustrating and fiddly to use.

 

No, the opposite as you use just one finger rather than your whole hand to hold it.

 

It wouldn't be long before a piece of chewing gum was applied to the mirror once the students saw it in operation.

 

After 3+ years of use our students who are not allowed chewing gum still dispose of it in the traditional way of sticking it under a desk!!

[Zourous]

No, if you look at the top there's a mirror that the IR beam bounces off.

 

Yes, but I'm guessing the mirror will reflect at a 90 degree angle and beam horizontally across to the projector's remote receiver meaning it would need to be the same height?

[Oaktech]

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/av-multimedia-related/161959-infrared-repeater-wall-mounted-remote.html

[Fazza]

Yes, but I'm guessing the mirror will reflect at a 90 degree angle and beam horizontally across to the projector's remote receiver meaning it would need to be the same height?

 

Around 90 degrees I would say is about right - although a few we did have to bend slightly to around 100 degrees or so but most stay at 90 degrees - including the one in the main hall where the projector is even higher than any of our other projectors. Light beams (including Infra-Red) are not straight lines and spread out. We have over 50 of these installed and all work OK.

 

 

Try pointing your remote controls to the left/right of you device (either projector, TV, VCR, Virgin Media Box, Sky Box etc.) and you'll see it will still work. If it only worked in a straight line you'd need a sight like you get on a sniper rifle putting on your remote controls and we'd all be shooting our TVs to change the channel!!