Just in case someone is interested in a DIY IR extension: Just buy a standard 940nm 38kHz IR receiver module. They have three pins, come in different form factors (for example, looking like a 5mm LED), and are quite cheap (~1€/$). I used this one for my boombox. You just need to connect its pins directly to the GND, D3.3V, and IR pins, respectively, of the 9pin connector of the Arylic board. Voltage is not very critical, it can take everything from 2.7 to 5.5V (of course, it makes sense to use the 3.3V provided by the board). Put it into a standard 5mm LED mount in the control panel of the boombox. Works perfectly.