Thanks, that did it. I had looked at the wiki but I missed the the rpi specific changes were part of the same section. I did not need to create an empty rc_maps.conf though.
I know I should redo the config to the new method, but I created a fully custom mapping for my Logitech Harmony. I'm too lazy to update it. But I suspect I won't be able to avoid it in the long run. It sounds like eventually the new ir-keytable conf will be the only way.