Niles LS-1 Owner's Manual

The Niles LS-1 is designed to
provide reliable on/off status
feedback when audio/video,
voltage, or current sensing is not
possible. The LS-1 can be adjust­ed to detect a change in the
component’s front panel display.
The display can be virtually any
color from an LED, fluorescent or
backlit LCD design.

Key features include:

• Universal System — works with
virtually any electronic A/V
component.

• Small size of only 3-1/2” x 2­1/2” x 1-5/8”, fits almost any­where.

• Compatible with almost any
type of electronic device that
has a visual indication of its
on/off state.

• Adjustable “Sensitivity” feature
enables precise trigger level
control and optimum front
panel placement of the LS-1.

• Red “Power” LED enables test­ing of proper power supply
operation.

• Green “Sensitivity” LED detects
interference and enables test­ing for proper operation while
monitoring the on/off status of
the component being sensed.

•10 foot Control Output cable
provides fast and convenient
“sync” connection to the
IntelliControl MSU, or any
other device requiring a 12V
DC control voltage.

• Two year parts and labor war­ranty.

• Proudly made in the USA.

Note: The LS-1 may be unable
to monitor certain components
if there is only a very minimal
change in the illuminated char­acters of a backlit display, or if
the front panel display changes
colors without changing bright­ness.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

The Niles LS-1 Light Sensor is a
device used to monitor the
on/off status of almost any
component. It is used to pro­vide a 12V “sync” or status
feedback signal to the
IntelliControl®Home Theater

Automation System; IntelliPad

®

Wall-Mounted Keypad; a Niles
infrared repeater system, or any
other device that requires a 12V
DC control voltage.

When the source component is

powered up, the LS-1 sensor
detects the change in bright­ness of the component’s front
panel display or on/off indica­tor. This change in brightness
triggers the LS-1 to output a
12V DC “sync” signal.

INTRODUCTION

NILES AUDIO CORPORATION 12331 SW 130 STREET MIAMI, FLORIDA 33186 TEL: [phone] FAX: [phone]

© 2003 Niles Audio Corporation. All rights reserved. Because Niles constantly strives to improve the quality of its products,

Niles reserves the right to change product specifications without notice. Niles, the Niles logo, IntelliPad, Intellicontrol and

Blending technology and Architecture are registered trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation. Printed in USA 2/03

DS00198A

INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE

B LENDING T ECHNOLOGY AND A RCHITECTURE

®

LS-1 LIGHT SENSOR

may be interference in the instal­lation environment. Proceed to
the Interference section detailed
below.

Interference

Problem: If the green
“Sensitivity” LED stays lit con­stantly and the troubleshooting
steps listed above have failed to
rectify the problem, either opti­cal or electromagnetic interfer­ence may be present in the sys­tem.

Solution: Optical interference
could cause the LS-1 to operate
incorrectly if the sensor receives
too much direct or ambient
light. Be sure to use the included
blocking cover to shade the LS-1
from optical interference. In
order to avoid the possibility of
electromagnetic interference
affecting the LS-1’s operation, it
is suggested that the LS-1 chas­sis, the sensor, and the associat­ed wiring be kept away from
television sets (especially large
direct view sets), wall-mounted
light dimmers, fan controls, and
other motorized devices. If any
of these devices are suspected of
causing problems with the LS-1,
try moving the sensor away from
the source of the interference, or

move the source of the EMI
away from the LS-1 and its
wiring.

Power Supply Failure

Problem: If the red +12V
“Power” LED on the LS-1 chassis
does not light, the power supply
may be defective or maybe the
wrong voltage/current rating.

Solution: Check the label on the
power supply and be sure it
reads 12V DC 500mA. If there is
any question as to the power
supply’s actual output, it can be
measured with a multimeter (tip
is +12V DC, shaft is ground). If
no voltage is measured, replace
the power supply.

Bad Connections or Wiring

Problem: If the connections or
wiring are wrong, loose, short­ed, or open, the system will not
operate properly. Symptoms
may include: “Power” LED flick­ers or is off, “Sensitivity” LED
flickers or is not lit, intermittent
or no operation.

Solution for “Power” LED malfunc­tion: If the “Power” LED flickers

or is not lit, check the power
supply. The label should read
+12V DC 500mA. Check the

power supply’s connection. The
mini-plug should be connected
to the LS-1 chassis at the +12V
DC “Power” connection. Plug
the power supply into an
unswitched wall receptacle, and
the “Power” LED should light. If
not, see the Power Supply Failure
section above. If the power sup­ply checks out okay, the LS-1
may be defective.

Solution for Sensitivity LED mal­function: If the “Sensitivity” LED

flickers or is off, increase the
“Sensitivity” adjustment. If the
unit still does not operate consis­tently, the LS-1 may be defec­tive.

Solution for Control Out mal­function: If the LS-1 appears to

be operating correctly but the
IntelliControl system (or any
other device requiring a 12V
control voltage) is not able to
monitor the On/Off status of
the source component being
sensed by the LS-1, the Control
Out cable may be damaged.
Check the output voltage at
the mini-plug (tip is positive,
shaft is ground) with a multi­meter for +12V DC when the
green LED is lit.

Compatible with all colors of
LED, fluorescent or backlit LCD
displays. Detects all light wave­lengths ranging from 600nM
(blue/green) to 1000nM
(infrared). Frequency response
of DC to 100Khz.

Unit Dimensions

• 2-1/2” wide x 3-1/2” long x
1-5/8” tall (including adjust­ment pot)

Power Requirements

•12V DC 500mA power sup­ply (included).

• 73.4mA current consump­tion, 400mA current output.

SPECIFICATIONS

LS-1 PARTS GUIDE

Red Power
LED

Blocking
Cover

Power Socket for 12V DC
Power Supply (included)

Sensor

Adhesive
backing

Green
Sensitivity LED

Sensitivity
Adjust Control

10’ Control Output Cable
with 3.5 Mono Mini-Plug

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDELINES continued

www.nilesaudio.com

P
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+12V DC

SENSOR 12V CONTROL

LS-1 Light Sensor

OUTPUT

®

MAXMIN

SENSITIVITY

ADJUST

Placement of the LS-1
Chassis

Place the LS-1 chassis conve­niently close to the component
it will be sensing. Generally, the
unit is placed in a concealed
location because its controls and
indicators are only used during
installation. If necessary, the
power supply cable and/or the
control output cable can be
extended up to 100 feet with
two-conductor cable. DO NOT

EXTEND THE SENSOR CABLE.

Placement possibilities include:

1) Tabletop (on the floor or
shelf behind the equipment).

2) Wall-mount (affixed to the
back of the equipment cabi­net or a nearby wall).

IMPORTANT: Do not place the
LS-1 on top of, or directly behind,
a television set. Some televisions
produce intense electromagnetic
interference which may disrupt
your LS-1’s operation.

TABLETOP PLACEMENT
(Figure 1)

1) Make sure the bottom of the

LS-1 chassis is clean and dry.

2) Affix the enclosed self-adhe-

sive rubber feet to the bot­tom of the LS-1.

WALL-MOUNT PLACEMENT
(Figure 2)

1) Make sure that the Sensor

cable, 12V DC Control
Output cable, and the 12V
DC Power Supply cable will
all reach the proposed instal­lation location.

2) Mount the LS-1 chassis to the
wall with drywall screws
inserted through the holes in
the LS-1’s mounting wings.

Placement of the LS-1
Sensor

The LS-1 Sensor is best placed
on the component’s front panel,
in an area that will not impede
operation. This mounting area
must receive more light when
the component is on and less
when it is off. Use the plastic IR
blocking cover to shade the sen­sor and its immediate surround­ings. Use electrical tape to tem­porarily affix the sensor and its
blocking cover to the compo­nent’s front panel until thorough
testing has resulted in an ideal
mounting location. The plastic
blocking cover may be cut to
size if necessary (USE CAUTION:

cutting the blocking cover too
small may render it useless).

When consistent operation is
achieved, remove the backing
paper from both the plastic
blocking cover and the sensor,
and mount the LS-1 Sensor to
the component.

working correctly if the green
LED is lit when the power is
on, and unlit when the power
is off.

Note: It may be necessary to
tweak the LS-1’s “Sensitivity”
adjustment with the source com-

ponent powered on and off in
order to get consistent results.

9) If the LS-1 triggers reliably,
note the sensor’s exact loca­tion, remove the backing
paper from the plastic
blocking cover, and re-

attach the sensor to the
component’s front panel.

10) If the LS-1 does not trigger
reliably, proceed to the

Troubleshooting Guidelines

section below.

INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

There are four basic problems
which could prevent proper
operation. In the order of proba­bility they are:

Improper Sensitivity
Adjustment

Problem: If the “Sensitivity” LED
remains constantly lit, the LS-1’s
“Sensitivity” adjustment may
not be set properly. If the
“Sensitivity” adjustment is set
too high, the LS-1 will detect any
light output from the compo­nent’s front panel and fail to rec­ognize the difference between
on and off.

Solution: With the component’s
power off, slowly lower the
“Sensitivity” adjustment until
the green LED is no longer lit.
The green LED may stay lit even
at the minimum sensitivity set­ting, which would indicate that
even in standby, there is too
much output from the front
panel. If this is the case, try affix­ing the sensor to a different loca­tion on the front panel, and be
sure to use the plastic blocking
cover to shade the sensor from
any ambient light in the area.
Once the “Sensitivity” LED is
able to stay

unlit when the unit is

off, power on the source compo-

nent. The green “Sensitivity” LED
should light, indicating proper
operation. If the green LED does
not light, slightly increase the
“Sensitivity” adjustment on the
LS-1 until it does light. If you are
still unable to trigger the LS-1
reliably, move the sensor to yet
another alternate location on the
component’s front panel display
and test as described in installa­tion steps 4-7. If the “Sensitivity”
LED remains lit with the adjust­ment set at minimum, regardless
of the sensor’s placement or the
component’s on/off state, there

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

LS-1 Installation

12V DC Power
Supply (included)

Audio/Video
Component

Sensor Cable

Control
Output Cable

LS-1 Light
Sensor

IntelliControl
Main System
Unit (or other
device
requiring 12V
DC control
input)

For proper installation (Figure

3), follow the steps outlined

below in the correct order. If you
discover a fault during the course
of the installation, go on to the
Troubleshooting Guidelines section
of this manual before continuing
with the next installation step.

1) Make sure that the Sensor
cable, 12V DC Control Output
cable, and the 12V DC Power
Supply cable will all reach the
proposed installation location.

2) Connect and test the power
supply. If it tests okay (indicat­ed by the red “Power” LED on
the LS-1 chassis), disconnect
the mini-plug connector from
the LS-1’s +12V DC “Power”
input and proceed. (All power
supplies are 100% tested to

ensure reliability, but it is a
good practice to always dou­ble check.)

3) Use the ten foot mini-plug
cable (attached) to connect
the 12V Control Output cable
to the IntelliControl Main
System Unit (or any other
device that requires a 12V trig­ger). The Control Output
cable can be extended with
two-conductor wire to the
desired length if it is too short.

4) Reconnect the 12V DC power
supply to the LS-1 chassis.

5) With the component’s power
off, temporarily mount the
LS-1 sensor to an area of the
component’s front panel
which will become illuminated

when the unit is powered on.
Use the provided plastic block­ing cover to help eliminate
optical interference.

6) Slowly increase the
“Sensitivity” level control
from the minimum position
until the point where the
“Sensitivity” LED becomes
constantly lit. This is the off
position threshold.

7) Slightly decrease the
“Sensitivity” level control only
enough to turn off the green
“Sensitivity” LED.

8) Test the LS-1 by turning the
source component on and off
while monitoring the output
of the LS-1’s green
“Sensitivity” LED. The LS-1 is

INSTALLATION

Rubber Feet

Drywall Screw

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDELINES

INSTALLATION (continued)

LS-1 Light Sensor

P
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+12V DC

SENSOR

12V CONTROL

OUTPUT

SENSITIVITY

ADJUST

®

MAXMIN

200 1 3.22

64

LS-1 Light Sensor

P
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+12V DC

SENSOR

12V CONTROL

OUTPUT

SENSITIVITY

ADJUST

®

MAXMIN