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For this project I wanted to solve a small, yet annoying, problem with my cable box. Unfortunately, my media center is oriented in such a way that the face of the electronics do not face the couch. This makes it difficult to change the channels on my cable box. Luckily I found that my cable box (QIP 7100) has a connector on the back labeled IR Remote Input. I assumed that all I needed was an IR receiver module and an old speaker cable with the 3.5 mm jack on it to correct the problem. A quick run to radio shack and about 30 minutes on the bench and I was able to create an external IR receiver cable for the cable box. The pictures below show the build. Enjoy!

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My cable box.

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Work bench ready? Yes!

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Do I have everything I need? Yes!

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Wait! What kind of IR module is it? Unfortunately I paid $4 for it!

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What kind of cable do I need and how should I prepare it?

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Make sure that the cable box is providing some voltage! 5V for my box.

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Found a random capacitor in my junk-box. Yes everyone needs a junk-box with capacitors in it!

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Poor soldering job? Of course! Will it work? Let's hope!

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First round of heat shrink. Who doesn't love heat shrink!

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Second round of heat shrink. Who doesn't love heat shrink!

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Final picture! How does it look? Thankfully it performs great! Now I can control the cable box without having to turn the cable box!