URC 8820 extender

Chester · Post by **Chester** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:32 pm

I see one posted in the Diagnosis Area
will it work on a 10820
and is there an RDF available
Love to try it even if it is Beta

Post by **vickyg2003** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:42 pm

Don't try it yet. We need to make sure it doesn't kill the remote. It should be ready for general testing sometime in August.

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:45 pm

Programming the 10820 is basically the same as the 8820. If an extender works for the 8820, it should work for the 10820. (I haven't tried the 8820 extender yet).

Even the RDFs are close enough you can do fairly well using the RDF for one when programming the other. You need to know which device on the 10820 is the "CBL/SAT" on the 8820. Beyond that difference in button name, I think the 10820 just has some buttons that are missing from the 8820.

Edit: I posted before seeing the earlier answer.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:01 pm

John is right. It should work on the 10820. They are the same remote.

Evan_s · Post by **Evan_s** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:18 pm

Since this seems to be the only jp1.x extender going right now any progress update on this?

Post by **vickyg2003** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:25 am

I've had one person test the extender.

Issues to date:

It seems a little slow to respond. I dont notice it, but then I'm into remotes because of bad hand eye coordination. I can adjust the lead-in delay, to hopefully fix that.

The remote doesn't ALWAYS download properly There have been problems with the signature reverting. When the signature reverts, IR picks up the unextended RDF, and it APPEARS that all your keymoves and macros are gone. If you edit the resulting IR file with notepad you can again adjust the signature, and then once again you can see the key moves. This can be caused by user error (non existant protocol or device) but it also seems to happen randomly. This is not a show stopper as it doesn't effect upload.

General:

I'm not happy with the size of the special protocol code, its got some bloat because I'm so rusty an writing in assembler. So I want to revisit those.

And its not documented properly. I've tried to address the various quirks that have been noted. But communicating with humans is a lot more difficult than communicating with computers!

Now that UncleMiltie has ExtInstall-2 running from the command prompt for JP1.2 its easier to test, but I don't have anything but the bedroom tv to test with. The DH is parked in front of the main set watching baseball, golf, football!, and the speed channel, and when I come in to try to test I get a lot of grief!

I really need some testers. There is a small risk to testing though. [/b]

Post by **vickyg2003** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:15 am

NOTICE: My very first version of the URC 8820 extender the RDF had a misplaced parenthesis in the filename. If you downloaded this version please delete 1A631A63 (URC_10820_8820_6820) Ext A, because this version causes your RemoteMaster to stop functioning. The parenthesis is in the wrong place.

jetskier · Post by **jetskier** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 10:23 pm

Vicky,

I finally tested the x820 extender tonight. With the exception of the activation, I didn't have any issues. Did I mention I don't like activation? I don't use pause, LKP, multiplex, DSM, etc, so I can't comment on any workability issues pertaining to them. I was able to rebuild my unextended IR file without major problems (minor only-mainly typos nothing to do with the extender itself).

It'd be nice to have a way to activate it on any reset without have to press TV-power. I know that would require a flash, but it would be nice. I'm sure it will come with time.

Good work!

jetskier · Post by **jetskier** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 3:32 pm

I removed the VPT from the RDF. I don't think it's necessary since you have the V_ command

I deleted the following with no negative affects:

Code: Select all

VPT Status=$01E.2.1.0.0 (Off;On)
VPT Device=$0020.7.8.2.0 DeviceButtons
CBL  VPT=$0021.0.1.0.0 (Off;On)
SAT  VPT=$0021.1.1.0.0 (Off;On)
TV   VPT=$0021.2.1.1.0 (Off;On)
VCR  VPT=$0021.3.1.1.0 (Off;On)
CD   VPT=$0021.4.1.1.0 (Off;On)
DVD  VPT=$0021.5.1.0.0 (Off;On)
PVR  VPT=$0021.6.1.1.0 (Off;On)
AUD  VPT=$0021.7.1.0.0 (Off;On)
AUX1 VPT=$0022.0.1.0.0 (Off;On)
AUX2 VPT=$0022.1.1.0.0 (Off;On)

Post by **vickyg2003** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:05 pm

Depending on where you come from, you should turn the VPT off. My original RDF said turn it off, but then we found that the VPT overides the V_ and still works. Howerver this reuires a research of the setup codes to find the device and will slow macros.

Did I mention I don't like activation? I don't use pause, LKP, multiplex, DSM, etc, so I can't comment on any workability issues pertaining to them. I was able to rebuild my unextended IR file without major problems (minor only-mainly typos nothing to do with the extender itself).

Yes for some reason you guys don't like to press TV_power once every two years when you change the batteries. To program around that is quite daunting because you lose the ability to do a *981 without lots of extra programming. So I'd be writing quite a bit of code so the user can still have deactivate the extender to do learning.

I was able to rebuild my unextended IR file without major problems (minor only-mainly typos nothing to do with the extender itself).

Unclemilties ExtInstall works quite nicely with the JP1.2 extenders, and Binky123 is working on a version of IR that calls Extinstall with the new command line parameters. The new Extinstall preserves all the comments.

Evan_s · Post by **Evan_s** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:56 pm

I can't speak for them but it is a minor irriation for me not because I've replaced the batteries ever in the remote but because you have to reactivate it after every upload from IR. As someone just learning to work with the extender I've been making lots of changes =) Would it be possible to set it up to just be power rather than having to select the tv device and then hit power?

jetskier · Post by **jetskier** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:09 pm

Vicky,

I have little kids who like to remove the batteries. That is were the activation problem starts. I remedied it by changing the activation key to M3 as it is the "all on" macro in my remotes. My visiting family had to hit it twice if the kids pulled the cover (one to activate and once to power on everything). The good thing about the x820 remotes is the battery cover is harder to remove than the 8811w series.

Evan,

The default device on reset is TV, so technically you would only have to hit power.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:39 pm

The default device on reset is TV, so technically you would only have to hit power.

That's true for the 8820, not the Atlas. Those items need to be selected from the General Tab in IR for this to be true of the Atlas.

Evan_s · Post by **Evan_s** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:40 pm

I don't actually have a 8820. I've been playing with the Atlas extender that she has been working with this one and it defaults to cable or atleast does on the ones I've been playing with =).

That does make sense as to why you would have to frequently reactivate it then. Maybe you could do something to the remote to prevent them from removing the batteries. A little bit of hot glue in the right place would probably stop them but could be removed with a little effort when you actually needed to program the remote or change the batteries.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 6:30 pm

Oh my, at first I thought Evan was talking about using hot glue on the little fingers.