Lutron Spacer Installation 101 (Rev. 1/17/06 - Adding IR Emitters) - Page 3

About 12 feet.

I had posed this same question early on in this thread and I don't believe anyone has tried it yet. It would stand to reason that the clear back of the control unit would allow this to work. The alternative would be to stick an IR bug to the sensor at the front. But as the sensor is embedded in the Zone 4 button it would probably come off all the time from use. And it would look like hell to boot. Anyone who successfully installs a rear sensor please report. The rather insensitive and narrow-angle sensor on the controller is my only real complaint about this product.


More accurately the system has memory for four scenes across your two dimmers or zones (up to a maximum of ten zones split into two 5-gang boxes). A zone is dedicated lighting circuit, whereas a scene is a pre-programmed combination of on/off and dimmer settings for each zone.

You are correct - one remote would run both dimmers. You could use one or both flashers. The spec allows for one flasher to control up to five (5) switches (they can be dimmer or straight on/off) in a single gang, with the flasher located in the middle and firing left/right/down. You could have up to two 5-gang systems controlled by the two flashers, or a total of ten (10) independent lighting zones. These zones could be actually be anywhere in the house, but the actual switches would need to be in a single gang with no partitions between.

If you use only one flasher (which I would recommend as it will easily control two dimmers) you would clip it to the top of either dimmer as directed. If you had three dimmers it would be in the middle. Hang on to the second flasher and you could use it for another gang in the future if necessary.

My installation includes five zones all housed in a single box. Since there is no chance that I will need the second flasher to control anything else, and since I pre-wired two cables from controller to gang, I used both. One on the Zone 2 dimmer and the other on Zone 4. You can see this in my installation pictures. So there is plenty of light to go around and control all the gangs. Note that these flashers are uber-powerful. One was controlling all the dimmers even when it was hanging outside of the gang prior to final installation.

Hopefully that makes sense. Let me know if you need any clarification.

I have no experience with Niles products but presumably any home control system with programmable IR relays would work. You can get the codes to the Lutron remotes off Remote Central, but I'll bet Niles already has a set. The Lutron Master Control is nothing more than an IR repeater at the end of the day. It's transferring remote codes from one area (ex. the main room) to another (ie. the gang of zone switches).

That said the master control would simplify the whole layout and gives you a manual access point as soon as you walk in the room. Plus it's not that expensive. Biggest challenge is that it's designed primarily for new installations where you can easily run the traveller wires.

I'm glad this thread is still getting some use. Don, I don't know if size limits you from this type of product. Actually, some very dramatic lighting and control through multiple zones could actually expand the perceived scale of your theater. It adds to the wow factor. When people see my room they are invariably amazed at how the lights fade in and out from scene to scene. In reality it's a very simple process and system but to those unfamiliar with the tech it blows them away.

Hey All

There was discussion throughout this thread regarding the use of IR emitters to help control the Spacer Remote Master. As I indicated in my original post the only gripe I have with the Spacer system is the Wall Mounted Remote's lousy IR sensitivity. Because the case is clear we proposed sticking IR bugs to the back to facilitate better control. I finally got around to doing this now that my theater is complete and here are the results:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/gall...g2_itemId=4664

First off, just placing the emitter on the back won't work. There are two layers of circuit boards in the way of the sensor. Nor can you place them on the side of the case to flash the sensor directly as there's not enough room to install into the gang box. I chose to install the emitter (actually two emitters - had a dual head kicking around) right inside the case.

The reason why the remote sensor is so lousy is that it's not even located in the fourth scene button, which I had assumed given the IR pane. Turns out the IR window simply directs the signal to the sensor on the circuit board. I placed the emitters on either side of the inner case to flank the sensor. They are in turn connected via extension cable to my RF base station in the equipment room. I'm fortunate to have a wood basement floor so was able to go below to fish through the wall.

End result is perfect response (after a bit of a boost to the base station's output - I split a channel to accommodate both the lights and the projector). No more line of sight, with the ability to create slick macros for movie time, intermission, etc. The photos in the gallery will save you much of the time I spent staring at the thing figuring out how I was going to accomplish this. Only challenge is opening the case - the screws are small and they use a non-standard bit. I was able to use a little flathead screwdriver that had enough grip to get them out.

I'm looking forward to further results from you guys.

Hey David

That's great. I would strongly suggest you also consider running at least a CAT-5 for an IR installation as I documented above. To that you can wire the head for an emitter. Pre-wiring is cheap and well worth it even if you don't decide to do this in the future. Likewise I applaud your multiple zones. Double check before drywall goes up to make sure you don't want any more. A single Spacer master control can operate a total of ten zones split between two 5-gang boxes.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Pathetically so. It's my only complaint about the system. I think the big reason is not the sensor itself but rather how it's positioned. The actual IR sensor sits on the circuit board of the remote master, behind and off to the left of the window on the fourth scene button. You can see it here. So unless the IR signal is coming from dead on or slightly to the right of the master you're out of luck. Regardless of remote strength (and I've tried with a Pronto and Home Theater Master MX-850 both of which have very strong emitters).

If Lutron would have positioned the sensor a) directly below the IR window instead of being offset, and b) closer to the window itself it would perform much better. Someone handy with a soldering pen would be able to remedy this themselves. Alternatively you can just install emitters like I detailed above. If you already have an IR repeater system then the emitter install is the way to go, particularly if you run RF. I no longer have any line of site issues and can flawlessly incorporate lighting control into macros.