JP1 Remotes

[ilans]

Hey guys!
I have a question that has been bugging me, and I was wondering if you could help:
How do pre-programmed remote controls work?
- do they send serially every code they know for each appliance in each protocol for a given button?
- do they use some sort of raw super-code for each action(I'd love that to be true, but it's probably stupid just thinking it's possible)?
- any other way?

Thanks!

[mdavej]

There is no such thing. Even remotes that have no code entry but do a search are simply sending a few popular codes until you tell it a match is found. There is no master code that works with everything. It works kind of like languages. Good universal remotes have nearly every word for every language built in (or at least a way to re-construct it), and cheap ones have just a few words from each of the most popular languages. Some simply record the few words you teach it and play them back (learning).

[vickyg2003]

Well said dave.
_________________
Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.

Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.

[ilans]

Thank you, Dave!
My first guess was that it just transmitted popular codes. But I wondered, what codes, and how?
Does it send all codes of popular appliances on their respective protocols?
Does it send all codes serially each time, in hope that something hits home?
Yolu said something interesting -

[mdavej]

Gotta give me the make and model of this magical non-programmable universal.

[ilans]

Well, here's one for example

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Remote-Control-FX1-Preprogrammed/dp/B000N3118O

a pre-programmed remote that can be used on a variety of appliances, but what codes does it ptansmit, and how??

[mdavej]

That's a normal universal remote. "Pre-programmed" simply means all the codes are present in the remote. You still tell it which code to use. As I said before, there is no such thing as a non-programmable universal remote.

It does have all codes for all popular appliances. It does not send them serially. It sends what you tell it to send.

If you're considering buying the linked remote, be aware it is NOT a JP1 remote, hence significantly less programmable than other remotes and incompatible with our software, device upgrades and codes.

[vickyg2003]

Typically a Universal Remote comes with a booklet, listing major brands and a series of numeric codes for that brand. You follow the instructions in the booklet, trying each of the codes listed for the brand until you find the "best fit".

Your TV is looking for a precisely timed pattern of infrared light. When it receives that pattern it will react, changing the volume, changing the channel, etc.

The various codes, listed for your TV change the patterns of light that the various buttons on the universal remote sends. It may change all the buttons, or just some of the buttons on the remote. Typically major brands use the same patterns of IR light to power on and change the channels, but they may change the values for other functions, such as the menu keys. That is why I said you keep searching for the "best fit". Other manufacturers outsource so much, that the pattern of light expected totally changes for a different model, so there may be 20 to 30 codes listed for a brand.

Most cable and satellite providers here in the US come with a universal remote that is programmed in this manner.

Here in this forum, we take our remotes way beyond what the manufacturer had in mind. We use remotes manufactured by UEI. Out of the box, the remotes we support allow us to tweak what an individual key sends, via a keymove. Many of the remotes also support learning, so you can record the IR pattern that the original remote sends, for a given key. But then we tweak them with our tools to really tame the most complicated home theater setups.