View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
vickyg2003 Site Admin
Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 7073 Location: Florida |
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:04 am Post subject: Documenting a remote |
|
|
Documententing a remote is a real low priority of mine. Typically the documentation is just the summary page from IR. But I've found that I am the only one that benefits from this. My DH still can't figure out how to select the DVD player, gee long press of the DVD button has done it for 6 years, anywhere a TV is under my control. You'd think this would sink in sooner or later but nope. It isn't going to happen.
Does anyone have any good tools for documenting their remotes?
Document examples that your most obtuse users find very helpful?
Document templates?
Routines that mine RMIR or IR for data?
Drag and drop solutions?
I want to do it up right. I'd like to document my 8 viewing areas and then store the document on line, and just label the remote with the webpage, so there will be no more complaints about the documentation being missing.
I normally have gone with printed documentation, but it gets lost, or tossed when someone uses it as a coaster, or written on when someone can't find any blank paper. I don't think I could find a single piece of printed documentation anywhere.
I don't know if I want it to be printable/ Perhaps something that is just plain interactive, maybe something in flash, or some fancy java script. Learning new tools, would at least make things interesting. I do think it would be helpful to include the pictures of all the OEM.
Or maybe that would be too high tech, and I should just do a FAQ.
What do your user's like? _________________ Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.
Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.
Last edited by vickyg2003 on Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21237 Location: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
I don't think any of us have a spouse as stubborn as your DH so I don't know that any of us have needed this level of documentation. My wife and kids have all been happily using my 15-1994 remote for about 12 years now (and my youngest is only 12 years old).
Now, elderly parents can sometimes present the same challenges as your DH though. _________________ Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
pH7_jp1
Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 480 Location: Sterling Heights, MI |
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here is an example. This is for my sister-in-law and there is a nasty bit about how to get things back in sync, thanks to a cable box (not discrete power) and a recent low end LG TV that did not have discrete power or input device, or any of the usual workarounds to stay in sync. The rest is pretty straight forward, but necessary as I have found. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
vickyg2003 Site Admin
Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 7073 Location: Florida |
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Rob, you do the elderly a disservice with this comparison. I teach computer classes for a senior group, and because they come willingly they do just fine.
My DH is predisposed to dislike the remote because he hates my JP1 hobby. So imagine the angriest customer you've ever had and multiply that by 2. Then you have my DH.
----------
Phil, I outsmarted myself. I brought a complete JP1 toolkit to my babysitting gig, but I can't get my laptop to see the network! My phone sees it and is able to connect, so I have hopes. In the meantime, I haven't downloaded your file because I can't get to it with my laptop. The baby slept all day , and I'm bored as can be. If I ever get the laptop connected the baby will probably start to be demanding. Will look at it, as soon as I get thie problem sorted out. I can always wire in to the network but the modem is under the crib. Go figure. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21237 Location: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
vickyg2003 wrote: | Rob, you do the elderly a disservice with this comparison. I teach computer classes for a senior group, and because they come willingly they do just fine. |
Like any generalization, there are always exceptions, but I know my mother in law has never understood her remote. _________________ Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
vickyg2003 Site Admin
Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 7073 Location: Florida |
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
pH7_jp1 wrote: | Here is an example. This is for my sister-in-law and there is a nasty bit about how to get things back in sync, thanks to a cable box (not discrete power) and a recent low end LG TV that did not have discrete power or input device, or any of the usual workarounds to stay in sync. The rest is pretty straight forward, but necessary as I have found. |
Phil that's beautiflul. What do you call those dialog baloon shapes in Word, I need to look up how to do that.
EDIT: It is called a rectangular callout. Cool, learned something new. _________________ Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.
Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
greenough1
Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Posts: 659
|
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
pH7_jp1 wrote: | Here is an example. This is for my sister-in-law and there is a nasty bit about how to get things back in sync, thanks to a cable box (not discrete power) and a recent low end LG TV that did not have discrete power or input device, or any of the usual workarounds to stay in sync. The rest is pretty straight forward, but necessary as I have found. |
This is perfect and already set up for my remote
We've got a house sitter coming to stay while on vacation and this will help him remember how the remotes work. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
pH7_jp1
Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 480 Location: Sterling Heights, MI |
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 10:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Quote: | This is perfect and already set up for my remote | Glad to be of help.
I should have also commented. I have a "master" jpg file that is the layout of the remote with nothing shaded. For each of the figures, I start with the master, shade the necessary buttons using the paint bucket in MS Paint and then save it as a new jpg to insert in the Word document. I got the master from the PDF version of the remote manual.
This attempt to explain how to use the remote is probably my 3rd or 4th version. When I learn that my previous attempt did not make it clear enough, I just try again.
One thing that I have learned is that even though I find using a long press adds wonderful functionality, my non-tech users never seem to get it. So, I only use a long press for things that I might use and others never will. The most used functions I keep as a single short press. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
xnappo Expert
Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 861
|
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 3:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
pH7_jp1 wrote: |
One thing that I have learned is that even though I find using a long press adds wonderful functionality, my non-tech users never seem to get it. So, I only use a long press for things that I might use and others never will. The most used functions I keep as a single short press. |
Agreed.
I find it interesting after all the years of JP1 how many of us have settled on a setup like yours. When things first started we were all over the place! Of course Harmony helped with this I think...
xnappo |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|