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OARUSB04 Extender 1.04 macro question

 
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jeajea



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PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:24 pm    Post subject: OARUSB04 Extender 1.04 macro question Reply with quote

Are special functions “macros”?

The manual states that that there is an implicit DCSave at the start of any/outermost macro.

Does this apply to special functions?
DSM
LKP
DKP
Multiplex
Pause
Toadtog
DSM

The reason I ask is I am trying using toadtogs(test) to have the volume buttons to send AVR volume if my audio video receiver is on or TV volume if the AVR is off.

This sometimes cause the remote to get into a state that it doesn’t send anything when the volume buttons are pressed.

I am struggling with when I need to use DCRestore and DCSave.
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mdavej
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't answer your question, but I can tell you what I do in this case.

In the macros (or toadtogs) that turn your AVR On, set the Vol keys to Dev_Aud. In the ones that turn it off, set the Vol keys to Dev_TV.

Alternately, make a simple macro to switch VPT manually. For example, shift Vol+ could do Dev_Aud and shift Vol- could do Dev_TV.
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jeajea



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PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mdavej
I use a variation of what you use for my Insignia remotes. However, the
OARUSB04G doesn’t have/use DEV_Aud and DEV_TV commands. It also
has combo (activity) volume punch thru in addition to device volume punch
thru RMIR settings.

To send volume to the TV you must use TV, Vol+ which changes all the buttons to TV mode unless it is done via volume punch through.

The complexity of this extender combined with the limited number of
physical buttons makes it a challenge for me to program.
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tranx



Joined: 13 May 2012
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the manual: "Because of the availability of device punchthrough, it may be desired to use the six combo buttons for other purposes than activity selection. This is where ComboCancel comes in. By including this as the first button in a macro sequence on a combo button, the activity selection of that button is cancelled and the remaining buttons in the macro sequence will then be performed as if the activity selection had not taken place. Note that ComboCancel does not have a corresponding save operation. A ComboCancel returns the mode to that of the last selected device button, whether that was selected by a physical button press or by the action of a device button included in a macro sequence. By following ComboCancel with DCSave, that device mode can then be saved for restoration later in the macro sequence."

Indeed, with the extender and the punch-throughs, I haven't found a use for the activity/combo modes.
To use no activity button assignments just seems to cut out that extra complexity, while ComboCancel also releases 6 buttons for other things (the two activity buttons, each with shift and XShift).

DCsave is 'implicit', but might just add a little clarity in the list i.e. when a DCRestore is to follow.

DCrestore achieves a return to the last 'implicitly saved'(/DCsaved) mode.
I think it is useful in a (nested) macro which can thus be shared by macros which 'refer' to it from several different modes.
e.g. a macro including the TV function 'Picture Mode' and ending with DCrestore, which restores the remote to the 'referring' macro's mode.

I think 'HoldTV' is equivalent to 'Dev_TV'
Hold, in the manual: "...[a.] is used to change the duration for which signals are sent within a macro sequence and [b.] to change the current device without activating any macro on the device key concerned....
Hold, when followed in the macro sequence by a digit, changes the signal duration to the digit value in units of 50ms, so that digits 0-9 give a range of durations from 0 to 450ms. The signal is always sent once, so a duration of 0 means that the signal will be sent exactly once. The digit forms part of the Hold command and is not sent..."
Quote:
Are special functions “macros”?
Re. implicit DCSave, yes I think so.
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jeajea



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PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My error

Hold,TV is essentially DEV_TV

What this extender doesn’t have is Set_Vol, Set_Chan …
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tranx



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PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It saves juggling that there is so much free memory, and perhaps keymoves or DSMs would mostly substitute for Set_Vol/Set_Chan?
- also employing the priority ordering of DSM, then key move, then learned signal, and finally traditional macro?

There is a lot to read up but in use the extras quickly become familiar e.g. each Special Function can be defined as 'Device' 'none', to make it global.
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mdavej
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Could you not use Activities to change the VPT device?
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jeajea



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PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tranx
I took your suggestion and switched from using the combo modes to using
the device keys for macros.
Everything I have tested is now working
My current Rmir file

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload.php?action=file&file_id=13842
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tranx



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 2:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad it's working. I see you are finding 'Hold;(device)' useful and was interested in all those Toad Togs, power buttons in some activities, and the way you have deployed combi-power,
but haven't yet quite understood all that!

P24 "...Note that although LKP and DKP send macros, they cannot be included as inner macros in a nested macro as there would be no meaning to the duration. If so included, they simply have no effect. On the other hand, a ToadTog can be included within another macro..."

I think this can work to advantage so that LKPs can live on device buttons where they don't get in the way if you just say '(device)' in a referring macro to select that device,
while pressing that device button itself can also have two effects:-
e.g. short press for Input Tv on XShift-AV, long press to select device only:
(Macro) Device: TV - LKP(2) -[Short]:XShift-AV [Long]:<none>

- perhaps also in that context see P8 shift cloaking?
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jeajea



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A brief explanation of my current setup
The TV (TV1), AVR (AUDIO2) and Sony BD player (DVD1) have discrete on and discrete off.
I assign discrete on to phatom14 and discrete off to phantom 15 (in the upgrades).
I use shift phantom 14 for toadtog force on and shift phantom 15 for toadtog force off.
For TV force on a 9 second pause (phantom 1) is added after the discrete
on because it won’t respond to input selects for 9 seconds after it is turned on.

I use shift phantom 13 for toadtog toggle.
The Sony doesn’t use a toadtog because I don’t need to track its power state.
I use toadtog 1 for the AVR so I can track its state for switchable volume control.

STB (1) is the Windows Media Center PC. It must be turned on at the PC to be used.
AUDIO (3) is a Monoprice HDMI switch. It is always on.
AUDIO (1) is a WDTV Live media player. It does not have discrete
on or off so I use toadtog 5 to track its power state.
STB(1), DVD(1) and AUDIO(1) have volume punch through set to TV.
DVD (1) and AUDIO (1) are connected to the AVR so the AVR must be on to use them.
The TV optical out is connected to the AVR. Either the TV or AVR
may be used for volume control.
The PC is connected to the TV through the HDMI switch. Either the TV or AVR
may be used for volume control.
The AVR HDMI out is connected to the PC via the HDMI switch.
TV Vol+, Vol- and Mute are toadtog 1 tests the AVR).
If the AVR is on the AVR volume command is sent.
If the AVR is off the TV volume command is sent.
The DCRestores are used to return control to return control to the “current” device.
For each device except AUDIO (1) Power is assigned a long keypress duration 4 (LKP).
A short key press is power toggle for TV, DVD and AUDIO2.
Note that the short key press side of STB (the media center PC)
is empty (does nothing)
While writing this I discovered that for TV and AUDIO2 (the AVR)
shift phantom 13 should be used instead of shift power.
A long key press calls global macro shift phantom 7 to turn “everything” off.
Because AUDIO (1) (the WDTV Live) requires sending power for several
seconds to turn it completely off it doesn’t currently use LKP for Power.
Global macro Shift-SkipFwd turns the AVR on.
Global macro Shift-SkipFwd turns the AVR on.
Global macro PrevCh is mapped to AVR late night.
Global macro Shif-PrevCh is mapped to TV Vol- (with cloaking).
Because I use fast forward/rewind more than Ch+/CH- I have mapped CH+
to fast forward and CH- to rewind in the STB (1), DVD (1) and AUDIO (1) upgrades.
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tranx



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought about asking, and that is quite a lot of bits and pieces to control.

For us Toad Togs would not be much help because we use a remote each, so both of us can imagine we are in charge!
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jeajea



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you TV has discrete on/off you can eliminate the TV toadtog and push the device
button a second time when the TV is off. This was my workaround when pause
wasn’t working for me.
A workaround for the AVR toadtog requires pressing the AVR on/off keys on both remotes
to keep the toadtogs in sync when switching between TV and AVR volume control.
However, you still have to us a toadtog for selective volume.
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tranx



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have not had a problem with selective volume control because our Samsung Tv's volume controls operate the Panasonic home theatre volume up/down automatically somehow by CEC, while that also switches to the Tv's digital sound input from the home theatre when that is switched on. Just as well because the HT seems unique in not having discrete inputs and has horrible menus! Even so, it takes a 29secs delay for the HT to go live, when the Tv senses the sound output by HT, then DCRestore followed by the relevant TV Hdmi video input back to the Tv, or to the device currently being fed to it. Turning on the internet media player (even with its CEC off) switches off the TV if it is fed directly to it, so it has to go through the HT, but that is another story Smile

Obviously it all depends on the way the gadgets are connected and interact, but we can see if the Tv or PVR's etc. are on and off, so power them manually with their toggle commands as needed, and wait for them to warm up before changing the Tv's input, so the screen is not left blank. Delays could do it in macros but upon reverting to Tv we also prefer to decide whether or not to leave them ready. Always interesting to see how it can be done though, and just trial and error to find what works best.
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