JP1 Remotes

drummer_geek · Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 8

I'm beginning to wade through the mass of literature on the web regarding how to get my OEM remote's OBC's into the UEIC EFC's for my OFA remote via KM and IR with RDF's and my JP1. It's a bit daunting, but I think I'm "O.K." However, I began to wonder if there was an easier way. I own a Compaq Pocket PC (with IR) and wonder if anyone has even thought of software for this that could even simply display IR codes it received from an OEM remote? I appologize if this has already been covered. I did a search here on Pocket PC but came up empty. I thought it would be nice to be able to shoot my old remote at the PPC and have the EFC (or I'd even settle for the OBC) appear on the screen.

Mark Pierson · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 5:15 pm Post subject:

If your OFA remote is a learning model, you have everything you need. Why bother with the Pocket PC? Wink

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Mark

drummer_geek · Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 8

Ok, more to my point...
I have the Replay remote that is based on the Catalyst 34 (not a learner?) and I believe my father's replay remote is older and based on the Cinema 7, and I don't know if it's a learner. Regardless, I'd like to gain experience with mine before I fly to Oklahoma to program his in January. I need to be able to take any given remote, determine it's codes and then download them via the JP1 to his and my remotes. I'm working on a Sharp 750 DVD remote and I think his remotes are Pioneer and some old thing like Zenith or something. He does not have internet access there, so I'll be on my own, once I arrive. I'm thinking of trying to use MS Visual Studio to write some Pocket PC app to display IR recieved data, but don't have much time to learn how, and wouldn't want to re-invent the wheel if already done. Armed with the OBC, I presume it would be fairly easy to get it into IR.exe to download to the Replay remote. Anyone concieved of such a nice thing, or am I the first? Also, if there's an easier way, I'm open for instruction, just speak slowly and clearly into the mic.

jamesgammel · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am Post subject:

If his is a C-7 type, you know you'll have to solder in pins and an eeprom if it's a non-learner? Your pocket Pc will need to have windows installed to run IR. Most I know of use CE. Then there's the matter of the cable. does the pocket PC have either a serial, usb or parallel port? then to make any upgrades or whatever to install you'd also need either KM or RM. That means either Excel or Java loaded as well. I can see this maybe working with a Lapper, but not so sure about a pocket PC. does the pcket PC even have enough memory space for windows+IR + (KM and EXCEL /Java and RM), plus the program needed to convert Ir signals to some semblance of JP-1 data?

Jim

jamesgammel · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 1:07 am Post subject:

lemme guess, you are taking a lapper, but don't have a *known* learner. You want the pocet pc to be the learner. You might be able to install LIRC and then have to convert LIRC data to ueic data. If it was me, I'd just go to wal-mart and get a 8810W. Less than 20.00 and no screwing around with making or getting some oddball IR scheme and converting it to something you can use. besides, in the end you'll have a pretty nice remote that you can install an extender or 8K eeprom in and really have a powerful remote.

Jim

The Robman · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 10:05 am Post subject:

I agree with the others, if you need the ability to learn signals for the purpose of decoding them, get a cheap learning remote, such as the $20 URC-8810w at Walmart.

As for your father's "Cinema 7" style ReplayTV remote, forget about it, there's nothing you can do with this remote. It only has a 0.5k byte EEPROM chip and there's no provision for JP1 pins. I replaced the chip in mine with a 2k chip and I assembled a JP1 connector onto it, only to discover that it doesn't support upgrades or keymoves. From a JP1 point of view, this remote is completely useless.
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

drummer_geek · Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 8

Thanks for all the advice. No I wasn't planning to run IR, KM, etc. from the Pocket PC, only the "phantom software" (since it doesn't exist) to decode/translate the Sharp, Pioneer, etc OEM original button codes to extended codes. I WAS planning to take a laptop with JP1 cable for the rest. With a Pocket PC program, I wouldn't have to wade through extra steps to figure out which code matches the button, etc. If I understand your process right, with the Wal-Mart 8810 solution I have to teach the 8810 my OEM remote's code, i.e. put the 8810 into "learn mode" and press a button on the OEM remote. Then I download the 8810 to my laptop's IR program and find and extract the code (say the power button) from IR. At this point, I am finally where I would have been if I only had a PocketPC program to simply read the code directly. Seems like a big difference in steps, so I still tink it would be nice to have PPC program someday. For now, can you give me just a short and simple on how to get to the power button code quickly in IR. There are lots of tutorials on the web about how to find the rest of the remote's codes, once you have one of them, so I can probably take it from there. Assuming I put the 8810 into learn mode, aim my original remote at the 8810, press the power button on my OEM remote, download the 8810 to IR, where would the code that I'm after appear in IR and would it be OBC or EFC?
I sure do thank you for all the help, and so does my dad. BTW, I plan to get him a Cinema 7 to replace his Replay remotes, since he is used to that layout and it would be able to be JP1 programable for his other equip.
Mike

The Robman · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 11:16 pm Post subject:

I forget if the POWER button is learnable with the URC-8810w, on some remotes it isn't, but if that's the case you would simply learn the power function to another button instead.

Anyway, once you have learned the button, you would download using IR.exe, as you correctly guessed, then you would find the learned signal information in the cryptically titled "Learned Signals" tab! Smile

It will display the protocol used, along with any device codes and the command codes in OBC, EFC and HEX formats.

The big advantage of doing it the URC-8810w way over the pocket PC way is that the software, etc has already been written, whereas for the PPC you would have to write it yourself.
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

drummer_geek · Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 8

Success! I read in three Sharp DVD codes (Power, play, and stop) into IR via my universal and was able to translate them. Thanks for the help!!!! I have one issue that came up I wanted to run past you. It was when I was trying to determine the "device code" to use. First I wanted to know if one already exists for my Sharp remote. I loaded the DEVICES4.XLS spreadsheet (seems DEVICES.XLS is obsolete, is that right? I couldn't locate it anyway) and selected VCR, since there was not a DVD choice. One at a time, I proceeded to key in device numbers, i.e. 500 wait, compute, nothing. OK, go to the next code 501, wait, compute, nothing. 502.... etc. Is this way it's done? Seems really slow. I wanted to just "go behind the scenes" in the spreadsheet and find the "valid" codes, but it was password protected. There must be a better way. Finally, I just assigned 1500 in IR and proceeded since it's a bit arbitrary anyway, but I'd like to know if there's a better way to locate codes than hand entering each one in Devices4.

The Robman · Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 12:37 pm Post subject:

The term "device code" refers to the number encoded in the signal itself, this is the number reported to you as "device code" in the learned signals tab in IR.exe You don't have any choice regarding this number, you have to use the number reported by IR.exe or your upgrade won't work.

However, I suspect that you were really referring to the "setup code" number that you want to assign to your upgrade. The answer is that you are making this mor ecompilcated than it needs to be, you are free to use any number you like, in the range 0 thru 2047, even if there's already a built in code with the same number. Just don't re-use a setup code number that you are already using as your upgrade will override the built in code.

The purpose of the devices4 spreadsheet is to tell you what codes are behind the scenes for any given setup code (found in the 15-1994). For example, if you found that your TV responds to TV/0156, you could look up that code in devices4 to see what protocol, etc it uses. You could then use this info to build an upgrade for your TV where you could improve the button layout.
_________________
Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

drummer_geek · Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 8

Very well. Below TYPE in the Devices4 spreadsheet is the term CODE. That number helps you find the entire list of buttons and their EFC's. I just would like to enter the right CODE there to get the list of EFC's for my device, if it exists. Am I making sense? This would be far more convenient than hand searching for each EFC button code that corresponds to each OEM button. I don't really care about the arbitrary number you assign. I want an easier way to list the button codes for my OEM remote. Otherwise, I have to "learn" each button into my learning remote 4 at a time (that's all it has), then dump them to IR, then write them down, copy them into KM to build the whole remote, cut/paste that to IR, then download that to my final target remote.

jamesgammel · Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 9:06 pm Post subject:

you can learn to almost any button, not just the four so-called learning keys. generally you can learn about 20-34 in a "batch"

Jim

The Robman · Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 9:14 pm Post subject:

drummer_geek · Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 8

I only don't care to re-invent the wheel if it's allready been done, but how would I know. Thanks for all the help,
Mike

Mark Pierson · Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 4:11 pm Post subject: