Can you speed up macros without an extender?

[Queeny]

OK, a ten command macro runs in about 1.6 seconds, about an 84% reduction.

The TV does not respond to any button. That is not a surprise as I already knew that this TV is sluggish in its response. It is of no concern for this project; I just want the Harmony to grab the signals.

It took a few tries, but the Harmony did finally say "key detected".

It is going to take me a while to determine whether it grabbed all the commands and whether the TV will respond reliably when the signals are sent by the Harmony. Despite the magnitude of the reduction, it may still take too long to fit a ten command macro within the Harmony window. If I am close on my estimate of the length of the window the upper limit would be six commands.

I'll report back after I finish testing.

However it turns out, I really appreciate the effort you have made. In fact, I have never seen a forum with a more helpful and knowledgeable group. Thanks.

[vickyg2003]

OK, a ten command macro runs in about 1.6 seconds, about an 84% reduction.

The TV does not respond to any button. That is not a surprise as I already knew that this TV is sluggish in its response. It is of no concern for this project; I just want the Harmony to grab the signals.

If the TV doesn't respond, The harmony isn't going to improve things.
Just to check my work, do the buttons work outside the macro.

Despite the magnitude of the reduction, it may still take too long to fit a ten command macro within the Harmony window. If I am close on my estimate of the length of the window the upper limit would be six commands.

.

I eliminated all repeats to get that reduction, but if the TV doesn't respond we may need to have at least one repeat of the signal. Replace the protocol with this and see if the TV responds.

Upgrade protocol 0 = 00 0D (S3F80) PID 00 0D (RM v1.98beta7)
47 A9 11 8B 0E C5 41 08 08 00 96 01 B8 00 96 04
1A 68 E2 E6 0D 02 8D 01 46
End

[mdavej]

Queeny,

I think you're making things unnecessarily difficult. Realize with the harmony that you don't have to cram the whole 15 step macro into a single raw learn (unless you have a model 900 or 1100). You can spread it out over 5 learns, since that's your sequence limit. So just try to learn 2 or 3 commands at a time and put those together in a 5 step sequence. That should work fine. I only did 15 steps to see if it could be done.

For example, make a new command called CCStep1 which could have the first couple of commands, then CCStep2 and so on. Then use those to build a 5 step sequence.

Also realize that you have to do a normal analyzed learn for any new command first. The go back and do it again in raw mode.

[vickyg2003]

Queeny,

I think you're making things unnecessarily difficult..

Yea Queeny could just chuck the Harmony and use the JP1 remote.

[Queeny]

Queeny,

I think you're making things unnecessarily difficult. Realize with the harmony that you don't have to cram the whole 15 step macro into a single raw learn (unless you have a model 900 or 1100). You can spread it out over 5 learns, since that's your sequence limit. So just try to learn 2 or 3 commands at a time and put those together in a 5 step sequence. That should work fine. I only did 15 steps to see if it could be done.

For example, make a new command called CCStep1 which could have the first couple of commands, then CCStep2 and so on. Then use those to build a 5 step sequence.

Also realize that you have to do a normal analyzed learn for any new command first. The go back and do it again in raw mode.

I know all that and am using that technique. As I said in a previous post, I would be content to continue using it but for the fact that the H1 is putting a delay of about one second between groups of three which were learned (raw) manually even though the interkey delay is 0. We always want to tweak don't we?

[Queeny]

Queeny,

I think you're making things unnecessarily difficult..

Yea Queeny could just chuck the Harmony and use the JP1 remote.

Should I dig out my old Z80 and 8086 assembler stuff and jump back into real programming instead of this Visual stuff?

In reading these threads I was reminded of how hard we fought for every byte.

[Queeny]

If the TV doesn't respond, The harmony isn't going to improve things. Just to check my work, do the buttons work outside the macro.

No buttons were getting a response from the TV - unless I goofed and had the TV getting input from the TiVo at the time in which case I would not have seen any response on screen from using TV buttons.

But here is the weird thing. A little later I deleted the new Device and Protocol and reloaded into the remote. Should that not clear the Device and Protocol out? All buttons are working (well, Guide doesn't seem to work with 0150) and the macros are still running at that new fast speed! I re-download just to make sure the Device and Protocol code were not there; they aren't and the upgrade memory box shows 2040 free. As expected the TV can't handle that macro speed. That may not a problem because the Harmony defaults to a 1/2 second interkey delay for this TV; the TiVo defaults to 0 delay.

As far as I can tell, the RCA with your mods is doing the job but I still need to test all this out on the H1 to see if it will cooperate. More later.

/edit

I thought I had better do an actual stopwatch check on the macro speed after removing the Device and Protocol. The ten command macro runs in 2.2 seconds, slower than 1.6, but still 79% faster than before.

[vickyg2003]

My mods are not doing ANYTHING if they have been removed. So it would seem we're having a problem somewhere, but I dare not say where.

You can find EFC's that worked from the 1250 to use with the 0150 if you use the lookup tool. Find the code that says TV/0150 but has the protocol name that has something to do with "Mitsubishi".

You'll still need to insert a PAUSE anywhere you have Left Left, or UP UP as these might not be the right. Our special Pause protocol needs to be tweaked to work with this remote, because UEI usurped OUR Pause protocol PID.

[binky123]

I believe the posted device upgrade has an incorrect Fixed Data byte of FF. It should be 1D. I've corrected it below.

Upgrade Code2 = 10 96 (TV/0150) TV/0150 (1150) (RM v1.98beta7)
00 0D 26 7E FC 10 00 80 00 03 1D BB AB B3 AF B7
BF B5 A3 7D 6D 59 49 53 0F 41 01 27 93
End

[vickyg2003]

Whoops. I KNOW I should ALWAYS test everything. I got lazy. I had hoped Queeny could have answered that when I asked if the "buttons work outside the macros", but I'm having trouble figuring out what IS going on, since things aren't going the way I anticipated. I just haven't come across the RCA when I've had money in my pocket.

[Queeny]

You'll still need to insert a PAUSE anywhere you have Left Left, or UP UP as these might not be the right. Our special Pause protocol needs to be tweaked to work with this remote, because UEI usurped OUR Pause protocol PID.

I have found the tweaked Pause and know how to add it. Now, how do I insert it in the macro? This TV actually has a command on the Pause button (it freezes the video but not the audio).

[Queeny]

I believe the posted device upgrade has an incorrect Fixed Data byte of FF. It should be 1D. I've corrected it below.

Thanks, I'll make the change.

[vickyg2003]

I have found the tweaked Pause and know how to add it. Now, how do I insert it in the macro? This TV actually has a command on the Pause button (it freezes the video but not the audio).

The Pause we are talking about here is not a button function, but rather a small gap of 'dead air' between the signals, just enough to let the TV think you actually pressed the button a second time.

I didn't fill you in before because I couldn't find the thing, but Jim explained it in this other thread.

I need to insert a pause in a macro after turning my TV on before I send it a discrete input select command or the input select fails. One of the files included with the RDF contains a special upgrade protocol

Code: Select all

Upgrade protocol 0 = 01 F0 (S3F80) Pause Protocol (Special) (RM v1.95)
 00 00 01 E4 03 C2 C6 C0 00 00 0A FE 1A FC 2A FA
 AF
End

It also has a device upgrade

Code: Select all

Upgrade Code2 = 14 50 (TV/1104) Macro Pause (RM v1.95)
 01 F0 00 01
End

The RCA rdf file also has

Code: Select all

[SpecialProtocols]
Multiplex=01FE
Pause=01F0
DSM=Internal:0

Do I need to add something to the Atlas RDF file?

I gave Jim some bum advice, so I'll try to do a little better here.

Because UEI has used the PID that we normally use for a Pause, this alternate Pause came with the RCA RDF. This just uses a different PID.

Its my understanding that if you add both of the Device and the Protocol listed above, that IR will display the Special Protocols Tab and allow you to create a keymove with a pause of your choosing.

You assign that to a key and then insert that key between the Left and the Left in your macro, so that you can create enough dead-air between the two lefts so that your TV doesn't ignore the second left because it "thinks" you're still holding the same key.

[Queeny]

We are back on track. With binky123's correction and no repeats the ten command macro runs in 1.6 seconds as before AND the TV responds to TV buttons normally.

The macro executes only partially and I assume that is because of the need for those pauses. But won't those pauses make the macro take longer to execute? I will be adding three commands to each one. And when I teach the macro to the Harmony will those pauses be sent along too and be meaningful to it? The Harmony has a user settable interkey delay but I don't know if it would be used between commands in one of these multi-command buttons. I would have to experiment to see.

[vickyg2003]

The macro executes only partially and I assume that is because of the need for those pauses. But won't those pauses make the macro take longer to execute?

Yes it will, BUT your TV can't react any faster, so you'll need to work on that.

I will be adding three commands to each one. And when I teach the macro to the Harmony will those pauses be sent along too and be meaningful to it? The Harmony has a user settable interkey delay but I don't know if it would be used between commands in one of these multi-command buttons. I would have to experiment to see.

I'm not sure how the Harmony works, that is where does the Interkey happen? On our remotes a learned signal is just played.

One other thing to try is to repeat a search for a possible discrete codes. The time before we had a setup code that didn't understand these codes.


I'd like you to retry these to efc's .

Press TV

The point the remote at the tv and see if we can turn on CC with any of these discrete codes. The setup key will be a short press

Setup-0 0 0 4 2
Setup-0 0 1 8 2
Setup-0 0 0 8 4
Setup-0 0 1 2 0
Setup-0 0 2 1 4