JP1 Remotes

I've been using the 8820 extender for a while now, and the extender deactivates by itself from time to time. I'm not sure if it's because I accidentally presses the wrong key when it's in my pocket or it just deactivates after a period of time.

The extender works great, but I have to remove the batteries and press tv + power to reactivate the extender.

Is there any way to modify it, so it does not deactivates?

The extender can deactivate because of low voltage, or an error in programming where a setup code accessed does not reside in the remote.

If it was an error, then the remote would reset and the extender would not reactivate.

If its a low voltage error, then removing and reinstalling the batteries can do the trick. So I'm guessing this is a temporary low voltage thing. The low voltage situation can be caused by:

• low voltage in the batteries
  using rechargeable batteries that have a slow recovery period,
  the batteries actually being loose in the compartment
  a button being pressed while in the pocket until the batteries fatigue

.

Some knock-off batteries are undersized and will always shift. On older remotes, the spring on the batteries becomes compressed and will not hold the batteries tight. On some models the battery compartment door becomes weak and will bend. I use a tiny piece of lightweight sponge foam to keep my batteries from shifting. I don't have an 8820 here so I can't inspect the case to see if it would allow the batteries to become loose.

Is there any way to modify it, so it does not deactivates?

This is a Flash remote. UncleMilite's extender's for flash remotes don't deactivate, so in theory an extender can be written that doesn't need reactivation.

The problem with extenders that don't deactivate, is that the remote can't be reprogrammed without a cable. So you can't do a *981 reset and quickly drop into normal operation to do learning. You can't even change a setup code without a cable interface. And there is a high incidence of remotes bricking if a low voltage problem hits during activation or deactivation of the extender. UncleMiltie usually can successfully revive these bricked remotes, but the writer of the 8820 extender, feels like she is going to vomit when she bricks her own remotes, so she really doesn't want to be responsible for trying to unbrick other peoples remotes....Oh did I mention, I wrote the 8820 extender, lol.

So the short answer is yes it can be modified to not deactivate, but I'm not going to be the one to do the modifications.

the batteries actually being loose in the compartment

I was also suspecting this... I will look into it.

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation.

vickyg2003 wrote: And there is a high incidence of remotes bricking if a low voltage problem hits during activation or deactivation of the extender.

It's not a huge incidence and I have really never figured out if the extender was part of it or the cable threw the remote into "tool mode" which is an undocumented feature of the S3F8 processors that can program things. (none of us have ever been able to find any documentation on tool mode except for a reference in some of the docs to the chapter, not included, that describes this mode.

The only time I've seen an extender brick a remote is while I was developing them and did something wrong.

but the writer of the 8820 extender, feels like she is going to vomit when she bricks her own remotes, so she really doesn't want to be responsible for trying to unbrick other peoples remotes....

So I get my laugh for the night! that was good!



On the topic, it's a preference thing. When I wrote the first JP1.3 extender I experimented with an extender that doesn't deactivate when power was removed. I kind of liked it since my wife and kids could drop the remote, change the batteries and it would still work. Vicki makes a good point that it limits your ability to do certain things, although Vicky you CAN deactivate the extender, change a code and then reactivate without using a cable. But for the people who install extenders, I made the assumption that you had a cable.

The early extenders on the JP1 remotes didn't have this option since you were running out of RAM and had no ability to do anything once the power went away (RAM forgets) but the flash-based remotes that run the setup information out of a flash area offered the alternative to an always active extender.

To each his own....