Macintosh TV remote options

wottle

Active Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
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I recently bought a Mac TV, but it was missing some accessories. One missing accessory was the remote control. I looked on eBay, but was unable to find any listings, and the original remote, a small accessory that came with a Mac that barely sold, is going to be tough to come by.

Fortunately, I also own a TAM (20th Anniversary Mac), which also comes with a remote, albeit a different style. The original was more of a credit card style remote:

57.jpg


I'd also heard that the remote used standard Sony IR signals, and many old Sony remotes would work. A few google searches later, and I found the Sony RM-K1T Mini remote.


It's very similar, except that it doesn't have the CD drive controls (stop/eject, play/pause, rev, fwd). I found one for $10 on eBay and ordered to see if it would work.

IMG_4537.jpeg


Well, it arrived today and I'm glad to say it works perfectly. The power button turns on / shuts down the machine, TV/VIDEO switches between the computer, the tuner, and the RCA input. The volume, mute, and channel buttons all behave properly to control the unit. I forgot to test the sleep button, and my MacTV is not setup at the moment as I'm replacing one final cap on the logic board, but I will try it and let everyone know what it does or doesn't do.

Anyway, if anyone is looking for a remote that closely matches the original remote, the Sony RM-K1T is a good option.


If you would rather have a dedicated Apple remote and don't care about it matching the original credit card style, the "Apple Mac 658-0086-A Remote Control" remote (pictured above on the left) will give you all the controls of the original, including the CD control buttons.
 
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Trash80toG4

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Apr 1, 2022
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Glad you like it, saw a LOT of use in the rug rat's bedroom. Quadra 630 was the heart of his home entertainment setup, homework station and I used the Q630 after he'd gone to sleep as needed for my working from home. Quadra 630/17" Sony Trinitron display and remote control of CDs from this tidbit of beauty and of the cable box and VCR in our bedroom remotely from his room was much envied by his Windows/Pentium afflicted friends far into its obsolescence.

What remotes shipped with the MacTV and TAM? I was under the impression that the above "credit card" remote, as pictured on the Video System boxes, shipped only in early production units for the 630 series? The vast majority appears to have shipped with the more conventional remote in your picture, though Apple never changed what became very misleading box art.

Credit card remote would have been long gone by x500/TAM production.
 
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wottle

Active Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
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Fort Mill, SC
The Mac TV shipped with the exact same remote as you used with the 630. RMC-A1.

The TAM came with the boxier, more traditional remote shown on the left in my picture above with the generic Sony credit card remote.

I may have a new revised search term to see if I could find an original remote to go with my Mac TV. I was thinking that that remote only ever came with the MacTV, which would make it harder to find.

Also, for anyone following along, I was able to test the sleep button on the generic Sony remote and can confirm it does not appear to do anything.