15-2116 mem full

[venik]

I have an RS 15-2116 remote (with the parallel JP1 interace) that I have programmed, loved and enjoyed for several years now. It was the best $27 I spent in several years.
However, I have now bought a SONY flat screen LCD, and when I wanted the 2116 to learn its codes, I got: Mem Full.
Since I also upgraded my Thinkpad laptop a few years ago, and the new laptop uses low voltage that prevernts me from programming the 2116 through the wonderful programs that this group has produced, I HAVE to use the Learning feature of the 2116, since I can no longer use the JP1 programming.

My questions are:
1) Is there a way to clear some of the memory? Just a few keys will be enough for now.
2) Is there a similarly-priced remote that I could get to replace the 2116, which will have more memory? In the modern era, when I carry 4 gb in my flash drive, it is pretty frustrating to run out of memory in the remote.

Thanks--

[Capn Trips]

I wouldn't give up on the 2116 so quickly - particularly if you like it.

Are you sure you cannot get your laptop to communicate? Is your parallel interface built with the right diode and resistors? Have you tried the different battery tricks that sometimes affect communication capability with the simple parallel cable?

If the parallel interface simply will NOT work, then it's probably SIMPLEST to just get a USB JP1 cable and use it with your laptop, since you still want to be able to use JP1, simply getting a new remote won't solve that problem.

[venik]

Thanks for your quick reply.
I bought the parallel cable interface from someone on this forum, and it worked perfectly for a couple of years, so I assume it had the right diodes, etc. I tried it with the Thinkpad 43p many times, using all the dead battery tricks, etc. I got it to work once in a while, but I really need to have a reliable interface. I shunned the USB interface because of the price, which was almost twice what I paid for the remote itself.
I do not understand all the subtelties of the JP1 interface, so I am not sure how solving the interface provlem will clear up the memory. Is the LEARNING memory separate from the other portion of the JP1 memory? Why aren't the newly learned codes simply replacing the old ones?
While I have your attention, I am not clear on why the parallel interface fails with a Dell 4550 Dimension desktop machine, which (I thought) is old enough to use higher voltage?

[Capn Trips]

Thanks for your quick reply.
I bought the parallel cable interface from someone on this forum, and it worked perfectly for a couple of years, so I assume it had the right diodes, etc. I tried it with the Thinkpad 43p many times, using all the dead battery tricks, etc. I got it to work once in a while, but I really need to have a reliable interface. I shunned the USB interface because of the price, which was almost twice what I paid for the remote itself.
I do not understand all the subtelties of the JP1 interface, so I am not sure how solving the interface provlem will clear up the memory. Is the LEARNING memory separate from the other portion of the JP1 memory? Why aren't the newly learned codes simply replacing the old ones?
While I have your attention, I am not clear on why the parallel interface fails with a Dell 4550 Dimension desktop machine, which (I thought) is old enough to use higher voltage?

I can't answer any of your technical questions. I just know that I had to do various battery tricks with my remotes and my laptop and then I had a helpful forum member take a look at my (purchased) simple parallel interface and he replaced the 1K resistors with 10K (or possibly the reverse - I told you I'm not technical) and it has worked fine with all of my parallel ports on desktops and laptops since.

As for the memory full question, of course using JP1 doesn't make more memory for learning available, but the EEPROM memory is segregated into separate Upgrade, Keymove/Macro, and Learning areas, and with JP1 you can decode your learns, build an upgrade which uses (1) less, and (2) different memory than learned signals, and is likely to fit in your remote.

[barchamb]

I have a 15-2116 and a Thinkpad T43p as well. Years ago, I had a 15-1994 and stumbled upon this site and built the original parallel interface. It worked great with my desktop for many years. Recently, my kids broke the battery cover on the 1994, and the Power button stopped working. So, I used that as an excuse to get a 2116. I had not made the JP1 interface with any skill, and had never enclosed it or properly strain reliefed the wires. So, as I began to program my 2116, I broke some of the wires and it stopped working. I came back to this site only to find the plans for that interface long gone (maybe there are still on the Yahoo site?).

So, I decided to build the simple parallel interface and properly enclose it and strain relief it. After I got it built, it would not work. I must have compared the diagrams to my work 100 times. Frustrated, I started going through the posts here until I realized that the simple interface suffered from the voltage issues you are mentioning here, especially on laptops. So, I began attempting the various battery tricks. The only way I can get my JP1 cable to communicate with my remote on my T43p is if I switch one of the batteries around in the remote so that 3 are in the correct way, and 1 is backwards. Even then, I sometimes have to press "Upload to Remote" 2 or 3 times before it will work and give me the blinking red light (in the IR.exe program, not on the remote itself). So, I can confirm that at least in my combination of 2116 and T43p, it works.

As for your memory issue, I'm afraid that you're going to have to drink the koolaid and succumb to the world of the 2116 extender. It frees up a ton of keymove and upgrade memory. You lose the learning memory, but I'm not sure you need it. Like Capn Trips said, if you can decode the learned signals you have, you can just make them keymoves or upgrades. In fact, I completely switched from the learned stuff I had in my 1994 to all upgrades that I downloaded from here and then modified in my 2116.

So, that is my suggestion to you. Find the battery trick that works for you (keeping in mind that you may have to press Upload more than once before it works), then find upgrades here that match your devices and use those instead of learned codes.

[The Robman]

I shunned the USB interface because of the price, which was almost twice what I paid for the remote itself.

I have never understood this argument, and I've heard it many times as an argument against buying a remote and cable in the first place because somebody got an incredible deal on a DVD player, for example.

The true question is, what is the solution worth to you? Is it worth $27 + $35 to have a PC programmable remote, that you like, that will work all of your HT gear? If it's not, then fair enough, enjoy the pleasure of using all of your OEM remotes. (And I question your math, 35 is nowhere close to being equal to 27 times 2).

Anyway, a solution may be closer than you think. Tommy recently released the designs for 3 new cables, a JP1.x serial cable and both parallel and serial JP1 cables. I am in the process of arranging to get some of these made, but if you ask him nicely, Tommy might make one for you now.

[venik]

Thanks for these informative responses.
I have been away from this forum for a while, since I was happy with the fit between my 15-2116 and the various A/V hardware I had (while my wife has been waving her 3 original remotes, claiming that the 2116 was too hard to learn.
Now, however, I have returned because I have a new cable box (Scientific Atlanta 8300 HDC) and a new SONY LCD flat display (46XBR4). This addition has saturated the learning memory on my 2116.
How do I get in touch with Tommy?

By the way-- I really like the 2116 for its ergonomic design and robustness. I only wish it had more buttons!

[barchamb]

I only wish it had more buttons!

That's the point of going the extender route. You can make any of the buttons on the remote do anything you want. In fact, if you use the Long Press / Double Press protocols in the extender, you can make the buttons do one thing if you press them and let go, and something else if you press them and hold them. That doubles your keys right there.

[venik]

Barchamb,
I would dearly love to revive my 2116 (parallel) connection with the IR program on my TP 43p. However, when I tried your battery arrangement (as well as some others), I was unable to download from the remote. I do not want to try and mess around with it without being able to save the content of the remote, which took some time to program and teach various tricks.
Have you been able to download stuff from the 2116 remote with your battery arrangement (3 inserted properly, one reversed)?

I am using IR.exe version 6.15, if that makes any difference.

Thanks

[vickyg2003]

I fight with my simple interface all the time. I have one remote that needs to have fresh batteries in overnight and then have the batteries removed and a button pushed to get it to connect. One of my remotes works all the time. Some of my remotes work with any battery configuration, but some of them only work with a set of weak batteries, some only work with fresh batteries. Its always been trial and error. However I bought a usb cable to work with my laptop, and that one always works.

I'd recommend the USB if you are sticking with JP1 remotes.

[barchamb]

Have you been able to download stuff from the 2116 remote with your battery arrangement (3 inserted properly, one reversed)?

Yes, I was able to download with that config. However, I never really needed to download, as I was moving from a 1994 to a 2116/2117 so I pretty much started from scratch.

If you cannot get your simple parallel interface to work, and don't want to buy or build the USB interface, you can also try the complex ("ultimate"?) parallel interface, which is what I had before my poor soldering fell apart. It worked every time without fail. I never had to touch the batteries.

[venik]

I am afraid that the USB cable, which I am ready to buy, is no longer available for JP1. It seems as if my only choice is to get the fancy parallel interface, which I do not know where to get. I will not have the time to build an interface myself.