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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 9:29 am Post subject: URC-6440 Extender v1.01 now available |
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Edit (May 11, 2015): Extender 1.01 is now also available . This is a revision of v1.00 so that (a) the final step of a macro is sent as long as the button is held, and (b) Multiplex no longer writes to flash memory.
Extender 1.00 for the URC-6440 is now available. It is unique among extenders in that, due to the nature of Simpleset remotes, it can be installed and set up without the use of any of the JP1 tools. It is supplied as a settings.bin file to be copied to the external drive that the remote presents when connected to a PC or Mac. All features and setup procedures of the unextended remote are retained, including the learning capability, either unchanged or in an improved form. It is therefore more like an upgrade with a built-in extender than it is like a traditional extender. The package includes a 20-page manual in PDF form that gives details of all the setup procedures, many of which work also on the unextended remote despite not being mentioned in the original documentation.
The extender increases the number of supported devices from four to eight and the number of activities (Combo modes) from two to four. All devices and activities, including the new ones, can be set up without RMIR. In the unextended remote, activities without RMIR are limited to a choice of four pre-defined setups, but the extender gives much greater flexibility in how they are set up. It allows macros to be nested, and both traditional and device-specific (DSM) macros can be created without RMIR. The unextended remote supports DSMs but they can be set up only with RMIR. Traditional macros can be set up without it, though the procedure for doing so is not in the original documentation. The extender provides a Shift key, by giving a dual use to the List button, that is used to access the additional devices and activities and which also enables a shifted function to be added to any button by means of a key move. Again this can be done without RMIR.
The extender includes the Special Functions that are common to most extenders, namely Long and Double Keypress (LKP, DKP), ToadTog, Device Multiplexer and Pause, in addition to DSMs that are for many remotes only available with an extender. These functions, however, do require RMIR for their setup. Full details about them and their setup are given in the manual. Note that installation and setup of the remote with RMIR requires RMIR v2.03 Alpha 25e or later. _________________ Graham
Last edited by mathdon on Thu Aug 06, 2015 6:56 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Jim-W
Joined: 15 Nov 2014 Posts: 62 Location: Dallas, TX |
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:01 am Post subject: |
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Will this extender allow a macro or DSM on a device button?
Thanks |
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mdavej Expert
Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 4500
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:08 am Post subject: |
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Extenders typically do allow that. But don't get your hopes up too much. This extender only works on the European 6440, not the US version. Don't attempt to load it onto yours. |
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tranx
Joined: 13 May 2012 Posts: 682 Location: Hants, UK |
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 3:18 am Post subject: |
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mdavej wrote: | ...This extender only works on the European 6440, not the US version. Don't attempt to load it onto yours. | I have seen 6440 advertised on amazon.com but is there a different 6440('US version'), or did you refer to OARUSB04G? |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:24 am Post subject: |
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Jim-W wrote: | Will this extender allow a macro or DSM on a device button? |
No, you cannot put a macro or DSM on a device button in either the extended or unextended remote, but you CAN put one on a combo (activity) button on both extended and unextended remotes. But to emphasise what mdavej says, this extender is ONLY for the URC-6440. _________________ Graham |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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This is just a note to say that there will be a version 1.01 in which the last key of a macro sequence repeats for as long as the button with the macro is held. It should be fairly soon, a matter of a few weeks at the most, but I want also to look at whether it is possible to do a multiplex function that does not write to flash memory. _________________ Graham |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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I have made a preliminary release of Extender 1.01 for the URC-6440. Currently it is in the Diagnosis Area, but if all is well, it will be moved unchanged to the Extenders file section.
It makes two substantial improvements to version 1.00:
1. The final key of a macro sequence repeats for as long as the button with the macro on it is held.
2. The Multiplex special function no longer writes to flash memory.
Perhaps I should never have implemented a special function that wrote to flash memory, but at the time I could see no other way of implementing Multiplex. However, necessity is the mother of invention. The writing to flash caused considerable consternation for user jeajea, see this thread, so I felt moved to see if it was possible to avoid it. I think I have finally succeeded. The change to macro implementation was again driven by jeajea's experiences and again was not originally implemented because I could not see how to do it.
These are both very desirable improvements, so thanks, jeajea, for giving me the motivation to find ways to do this. Please report any problems with the new version by posting in this thread. _________________ Graham |
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jeajea
Joined: 24 Feb 2010 Posts: 283 Location: USA |
Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks
I have 1.01 installed and holding the final key in a macro is working for my
volume toad tog tests.
What is the initial combo setting after uploading to the remote? The reason
I ask is that I have a macro on blue2 (shift blue) extra2, phantom14, dcrestore that locks up the remote if used before using a combo button. _________________ Jim Anderson |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 6:34 am Post subject: |
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jeajea wrote: | What is the initial combo setting after uploading to the remote? The reason
I ask is that I have a macro on blue2 (shift blue) extra2, phantom14, dcrestore that locks up the remote if used before using a combo button. |
Combos are initially off. The initial state after an upload is as if the TV device button had been pressed.
Did it lock the remote with extender 1.00, or is this a bug specific to 1.01? Please post a .rmir file of your setup for me to test. _________________ Graham |
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jeajea
Joined: 24 Feb 2010 Posts: 283 Location: USA |
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:12 pm Post subject: Blue2 macro lockup solved |
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The problem was caused by changes I made to use the last key hold
feature in 1.01. For 1.00 I always use the AVR to control volume with the
URC-6440 and a different remote when not using the AVR.
The lockup was caused by blue2 followed by vol+, vol- or mute.
I posted the corrected file here.
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload.php?action=file&file_id=13344
TV2 is my Vizio and Extra2 is my Onkyo AVR. I had volume punch through
originally set to TV for every device including Extra2. The TV volume
macros are set to use AVR vol+, vol- and mute if it is on. However, volume
punch through caused the TV volume macros to be activated in an infinite
loop.
I changed Extra2 volume punch through to none to fix the problem.
Now if the AVR is off the volume buttons control the TV. If the AVR is on
the volume buttons control the AVR. _________________ Jim Anderson |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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jeajea wrote: | However, volume punch through caused the TV volume macros to be activated in an infinite loop. |
An infinite loop was the first thing I was going to look for. If you get into a similar situation again, try holding down the Pause key. This will exit an infinite loop caused by macro recursion and restore normal operation. If that doesn't work then it may be due to a bug, but it is the first thing to try.
I am glad that all now seems well, so far. _________________ Graham |
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jeajea
Joined: 24 Feb 2010 Posts: 283 Location: USA |
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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I didn’t know about pause – I removed one of the batteries _________________ Jim Anderson |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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Removing and reinserting a battery will restart the remote but it won't help to distinguish between lockup from macro recursion giving an infinite loop and a lockup from a bug in the extender. _________________ Graham |
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jeajea
Joined: 24 Feb 2010 Posts: 283 Location: USA |
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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If/when it locks up again I will try pause first.
Next time you edit the manual please add this macro debugging feature.
It will be a while before I test multiplex because I want to debug all my activities first.
Thanks again for these improvements.
![Smile](images/smiles/icon_smile.gif) _________________ Jim Anderson |
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mathdon Expert
Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 4515 Location: Cambridge, UK |
Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 5:59 am Post subject: |
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jeajea wrote: | Next time you edit the manual please add this macro debugging feature. |
I could have sworn that it was in the manual, but I can't find it so I will add it before I move v1.01 to official release. In the meantime, here are the missing features concerned with macros:
1. If you have a Pause (with the Pause special function) in a macro, you may terminate the pause early and continue with the next key in the macro sequence by pressing any key other than Pause. The key you press is not sent, it just terminates the pause.
2. If you have nested macros then pressing and holding the Pause button will exit the entire macro sequence at the point when the next nested macro is reached. Note that feature 1 also operates with the Pause key but it has this additional effect, so that pressing the Pause key during a pause duration will skip the remainder of the pause and will exit when the next nested macro is reached.
Feature 2 enables you to exit an unintentional infinite loop, but the two features were created for a practical use. If you create a series of macros on, say, phantom buttons, each of which sends the sequence to select a favourite channel and you then put a macro on a button that calls these in turn with a Pause of, say 30sec separating them then you can operate as follows. Press the button to start the sequence. You will get each channel shown for at most 30 secs, but as soon as you want to skip to the next channel, press a button other than Pause. It immediately selects the next channel. But if you want the channel it has reached, press Pause. It will exit the sequence and leave you in the selected channel. _________________ Graham |
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