View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:06 am Post subject: URC-7130 Essence 3 Observations |
|
|
I have some observations after using RMIR with this remote and want to share it in case they can be explained or resolved in future versions. I like the appearance and keys of this remote and have tried to tweak it for my equipment.
I have been using RMIR 2.03 Alpha version 21e and some updates provide in this thread; http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14028&start=49 . I also have an URC-8610 Xsight Lite that I only use for learning.
My observations;
1) On the 7130 I download the original image and store it. I had TV and cable-box manually configured using standard methods. The first thing I notice is that in the "devices" tab there are a lot (47 to be precise) of pre-installed upgrades. However, they are all of type 'cable', no 'TV' 'DVD' or anything, and the upgrades for my TV and STB is not there and this I find peculiar.
2) When using RMIR to create my remote image I notice that the 'Activities' tab is blank. After uploading and then downloading again, the activities tab gets filled in with 1 activity, the 'combi control'.
What I find is that when RMIR displays an image that was downloaded from the remote the 'Activity' tab displays OK, but when RMIR shows an image from scratch or loaded from an .rmir file, the tab is always blank.
3) If I use RMIR to create a macro that seemingly work OK. Until I activate another tab and then switch back to 'macros'-tab ; then they are vanished, gone.
4) After programming my 7130 with RMIR it works insofar as it gets the image as designed in RMIR. But there seems to be something strange going on; some standard 9xx commands do not work anymore. (I assume they worked before I programmed it with RMIR but cannot be sure since I did not try)
If I try to record a 995 macro it works OK until my termination 'magic' keypress; It then blinks 4 blinks instead of twice as manual says. Worse, when I download into RMIR, I can see that entire config is blank and gone.
If I do 980-reset it will blink back with 4 blinks, not twice as it says in manual, dont know if this is significant. Luckily I can upload new image again so it is not bricked, but also does not seem to be totally
as it was out-of-box.
5) A question ; is there any chance an extender will be made for this remote? I will gladly donate a couple of remotes if somebody steps up;-) |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
Issue 2) & 3) can be replicated just by using RMIR. Unless there is something fishy with my RMIR-install so it would be nice if someone could give it a try and check. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
greeno
Joined: 07 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
3FG Expert
Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 3367
|
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
Concerning 1) I've never seen so many upgrades factory installed, but it is certainly OK. The TV and STB that you had manually programmed are not upgrades; instead this setup data is, as usual with UEI remotes, stored in the factory installed firmware. You only need to assign a setup code to a device button to get access to this data. Setup codes TV 1663 and STB 1385 are seen on the General tab.
2) Activities are a recent addition to RMIR, and were developed from the URC 7960/7962 as well as the Xsight remotes. I only know of one other user of the 7130; he and I corresponded privately to generate a base level RDF file. I think you are more interested than he was to understand the behavior of the 7130. As it is, I don't know exactly what the Combi button is supposed to do, and I'm not sure that its behavior can be considered an activity, but that is the way we described the Combi button in the RDF. Of course, the RDF file may be wrong. Or, RMIR may not handle the 7130 correctly.
3) When you do File\New\RemoteImage, there are no macros displayed because none are defined. You'll also see that the setup codes are zero, and the various punchthroughs are plain vanilla. RMIR doesn't know anything about your particular remote unless you download from the remote. If you create a macro in RMIR, and then save the RMIR file, subsequent File/Opens on that RMIR file should display the macro. Are seeing something different?
4) I see that the manual says two blinks, but every other UEI remote we've seen produces 4 blinks after a 980 or 981 reset. BTW, 981 is a complete reset, and will erase the 47 upgrades and any other programming. The remote will issue a 981 itself is something goes sufficiently wrong, and that may be the 4 blinks you see when trying to do 995 programming. If the Combi button does place the remote into an Activity type mode, that may affect your ability to program a macro. I think that some activity based remotes can't accept macros when in Activity as opposed to Device mode. It may make sense to try 995 with and without the Combi button pressed.
I know that the other 7130 user could record macros, because that's how we mapped the button numbers. It would help me if you could describe what the Combi button does. A few months ago, I tried to understand it from the 7130 and 7140 manuals, but I couldn't discern if it is a mode button or it it provides some action. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
1) OK, that makes sense. I misunderstood then and incorrectly assumed that the preloaded 'upgrades' was the full list of setup data. Now I understand there are more in a fixed flash area.
2) It looks to me like 'combi mode' activates the 1 and only 'activity', yes. My 'issue' is that RMIR will only ever display this activity just after downloading an image from the remote. If I then save that image to an .rmir file and load it again from file then the activity is gone while all other data in the image is as expected.
3) A picture says more than 1000 words so a movie must say a lot : http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload.php?action=file&file_id=12270
4) Will try again. I think I was already in device mode, but will double-check. If the remote can auto-issue a 981 if something is wrong, it looks to me like that is exactly what happens, yes. I just dont know what could be wrong because I tried to record macro also after re-loading my original.rmir backup and it still fails (and deletes everything) |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Recording macro with 995 wipes my remote, result is same as when I do 981. My (noob) guess would be that something is a little messed up after uploading images with RMIR, but not fatally messed up.
If I was able to create macro using RMIR I would not even care that 995 does not work;-) Is there anything else I can try or provide?
Describe combi button ; I have an XSight Lite that lets me add multiple 'activities' and then makes a 'soft-button' for each of those. Pressing a soft-button then enters the associated mode. It is my impression that 'combi-button' does the same; it enters a different mode that is geared to control TV+SAT device.
When in device-mode any button-press gives a short blink to the current-device-led. In 'combi-mode' a led also blinks when hitting a button, but now some buttons light TV-led (vol+/- mute etc) and some light SAT-led (ch+/- etc). Manual says "In Combi Control the POWER key will switch ON/OFF all devices within the activated Combi Control Setting – simply by pressing it for 3 seconds." - This does not work for me, LKP power has no effect at all.
I think you got the model just right with how you made it, however I suspect there is a little glitch (in RMIR?) when save/load an .rmir so that the activity does not come up when loaded from file. There is also no 'create activity' button so make one (which is also correct, I think) so the only way to display the activity is to download the image from the remote. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
3FG Expert
Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 3367
|
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the video, that is very clear. I tried it here with several different remote images, and got the same behavior. So this looks like a bug in RMIR 2.03 Alpha21e.
I'm not sure when we will be able to fix the bug. I tried RMIR 2.02a and it handled the macros without difficulty.
Regarding the apparent reset when defining a macro, I want to make sure I understand this. If you do 981 reset, and then enter a macro using 995, does it fail? If so, it is likely that the remote's firmware became corrupted-- perhaps during initially getting the remote to communicate. RMIR can't write to the firmware section of the remote memory. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I did this ;
-981 reset
-direct code setup with builtin TV1663, 2 blinks, verified TV operates.
-995 macro record, 2 blinks and macro now functions
This was surprise to me, first time 995 did not wipe my remote!
Next;
-download current state to RMIR, macro tab displays the recorded macro!
-upload from RMIR to remote (without changing anything)
-remote operates and macro is still working
-record new macro, success again, now I am baffled
I will try again to setup the remote with the stuff I need it to do but more stepwise and try if I can locate what breaks the macro if it happens again. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I am confused and everything works better for me now. The way to make 995-macro fail consistently is to upload my original.rmir! The first backup I made. I attached this in a previous post.
I think maybe my previous images was made with this as a staring point so they would also fail when recording macro.
I installed 2.02a and uploaded original.rmir with it and the remote auto-wipes when trying 995 then, too. BUT ; there might be a clue here because 2.02a complained when opening original.rmir (missing protocol, it says) |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
3FG Expert
Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 3367
|
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:05 am Post subject: |
|
|
Best thing to do is to not use the original RMIR file. Pretty obviously something is defective about it. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
t4_ravenbird
Joined: 01 Jan 2014 Posts: 38
|
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 2:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yes after I realized that everything has been smoother;-)
Also you gave me another clue when you said 2.02a - macro editor is OK. I started using that version now and can setup things the way I want with it. But when I upload image with it my altibox does not work so I need to use it only for editing and then save to file and use 2.03 alpha21e to do the upload. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
rosito
Joined: 28 Jun 2014 Posts: 14
|
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:51 pm Post subject: URC-7130 Essence 3 Observations |
|
|
Hi all,
A couple of ideas for these nice OFA JP1.4 remotes (including the 7120/30/40 and the more complex 7960).
It would be nice to be able to have a ShortKP for the Power button while in Activity/Combi Mode (in case one wants to turn off/on just the TV, leaving the STB on, for example).
And also to be able to assign a Macro on the Activity/Combi button(s) (retaining its activity selection).
Cheers!
P.S. I actually have the URC-7340, which is the Latin American version of URC-7140, the bigger and learnable brother to the 7130. |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4523 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 6:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
I am sorry for not having noticed this thread sooner. I hope the following will be of use.
The latest version of RMIR is RMIR v2.03 Alpha 23. This catches more errors during downloading from a remote, or loading a file, than earlier versions. Earlier versions often accepted files that contained errors or inconsistencies, leaving RMIR apparently working but probably not correctly. You will find that Alpha 23 will not load your original .rmir file, instead displaying a message that an error has occurred in loading it.
The error occurs because all other JP1.4/JP2 remotes with Activities have two buttons, Audio Help and Video Help, that cycle through the audio and video inputs of the TV or AV Amp. As far as I can see from the pictures I can find on the web, this remote does not have those buttons. RMIR cannot yet cope with such remotes, so it is necessary to include the entry for them in the RDF even though they are not present. If you insert a new section
Code: | [Settings]
AudioHelp=2.0.1.0.0 (Off, On)
VideoHelp=3.0.1.0.0 (Off, On) |
after the [General] section in the RDF then the original .rmir file WILL load and it does NOT have the macro bug that is shown in your video.
Another minor issue is that the RDF should be re-named from
326605 (URC-7120_30_40 OFA Essence).rdf
to
326605 (URC-7120_7130_7140 OFA Essence).rdf
to make all three remotes show up in selection lists in RMIR.
I would like to know if Alpha 23 works correctly with the URC-7130 when this change is made to the RDF. I will look into modifying RMIR to handle remotes such as this that do not have such buttons, and in which there is only one activity that is pre-set. _________________ Graham |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
rosito
Joined: 28 Jun 2014 Posts: 14
|
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
Tested my URC-7340 with RMIR 2.03 Alpha 23.
Did some Key Moves and Macros and it seems to work.
Both through 99x commands and directly in RMIR. No errors nor resets.
In the Activities tab there is one listed Function #1 with two selectable on/off Audio and Video Action fields, one Notes field and finally a Size & Color which shows 11.
I changed the RDF file name to:
335502 (URC-7320_7330_7340 OFA Essence Lat).rdf
Internally in the .RDF what I did was:
A. Added the Settings entry for AudioHelp and VideoHelp as requested by mathdon;
B. In the [Buttons] section I added ":group5" (w/o quotes) right after Info=$20, in order to have 6 additional keys under the 6th group under Combi/Activities. Those "missing" keys were INFO, EXIT, RED, GREEN, YELLOW and BLUE.
C. I also renamed the [General] name from "URC-7140 OFA Essence" to "URC-7340 OFA Essence Lat" and manually added the setup codes for my TV and STB
(only needed for this particular LatAm version).
Regarding 7140 vs 7340 (326605 vs 335502):
I assume the main difference between the Latin American URC-7340 and the european URC-7140 is restricted to their stock Setup Codes.
I am not so sure about Protocols, but maybe. Looking at their manuals, they seem to be exactly the same (different to the European 7960 and American OARI06G which seem to have some internal differences).
My 7340's Raw Data signature is:
335502OFA Lat Essence
Samsung S3F8
JP1.4 |
|
Back to top |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
|