OFA 8810 and RCA RTD300

[mulvaney]

I have an OFA 8810 (it actually says URC-8810B00) that has been working fine for a bunch of devices. I have not done JP1 with it yet, but I recently got an RCA RTD300 Home Theater system and would like to control it with my 8810.

I can't find any information anywhere about the remote that came with the RTD300. Does anyone know if there are codes (discrete or otherwise) that match this device and if the 8810 can be taught to control it?

Thanks.
John

[jon_armstrong]

John,

You should probably read this first.

I assume you bought your remote at Walmart, if so it IS a learning remote and should be able to learn the commands but that is probably not the best approach, other than to decode the commands to build a device upgrade.

You really need to get a JP1 cable and then you can program the remote to do what you want. Once we see the decodes we can make an educated guess at discretes and the other commands.

[mulvaney]

Thanks for the info. I ended up in the Beginners section instead of the Codes section first I guess.

I have ordered a cable and have now read some of the "intro" help documents.

My first step is going to be to capture my existing remote setup (which has a bunch of mods to accomodate my ReplayTV). Then I think I will send my remote back to OFA who say they will add some new code tables that might control my home theater.

From there, I'll go deeper into JP1 if I need to. Maybe I can be the one to post a device definition for the RTD300 and help someone else out (I could not find a file in the library that mentions my box).

Thanks for your help.
John

[Mark Pierson]

Then I think I will send my remote back to OFA who say they will add some new code tables that might control my home theater.

There's no better time than now to learn JP1!

Once you get your cable, why don't you learn some of the RCA signals and see how they decode in IR? Then you can go ahead and build your own upgrade that will likely be better than any "canned" code UEI will provide you.

Not to mention all the other customization you'll be able to do with JP1!

[mulvaney]

Mark,
To get the RCA codes in, I have to learn them one by one into the OFA remote keys right? Sounds kind of painstaking. Presumably I could "learn" the 1 and 9 keys an infer the others, that kind of thing? Are there strategies to doing this that could save me time?
John

[Mark Pierson]

Learning a few buttons to see how they decode might lead us to an existing setup code you can start with. If not, you would have to learn every button to create your own upgrade, but that's still a lot faster, and more rewarding, than sending the remote back to UEI.

[jon_armstrong]

John,

There are two issues. Some RCA rceivers are probably made by Pioneer and use their IR command set(s) and some use the RCA protocol. To make things more complicated, HTIB (Home Theater in a Box) systems tend to use several different IR command sets some for receivers some for DVD etc, so learning is a good way to nail down the command sets that are being used.

Don't forget, you can learn many keys at a time once you get the double blink from the 8810, then press another key to learn to (the LED starts flashing rapidly if you are still in the learn mode). If you get good at it you can probably learn an entire remote in 10 minutes. After ~25 keys the learning memory will fill up so download the file to IR, do a 981 reset and start with the next group.

[mulvaney]

Jon/Mark,

Thanks for the advice. I have all the tools, cables, and have been reading for what seems like days.

I sat down the other night and built a spreadsheet listing all keys on the OFA 8810w, and all the keys on the RCA RTD300 remote. Then I cycled through all the modes of the HT, hitting just about every key on the HT remote each time, and noting the ones I cared about propagating.

I hope to build multiple new devices, one for each main HT function (VCR, DVD, CD, RCVR).

Your mention of Pioneer as a possible underlying device has me wanting to search images of Pioneer remotes, looking for one similar, and then digging out those device codes and maps. Is there a good URL to go to for images of remotes?

Thanks.
John

[gjarboni]

Your mention of Pioneer as a possible underlying device has me wanting to search images of Pioneer remotes, looking for one similar, and then digging out those device codes and maps. Is there a good URL to go to for images of remotes?

We usually don't focus on remotes -- instead we use custom device codes (stored in device files). A device file is generated from KM (Keymap Master) or RM (Remote Master). It contains a listing of functions (usually with human readable names) which are "bound" (assigned) to buttons.

Device codes are found at the old Yahoo file area --> here. You'll have to sign up with Yahoo to get access.

If you know that your HTIB has Pioneer components, then look in the "3. Device Codes" or "4. RM Upgrade files" folders for a Pioneer whatever (receiver, DVD player, etc.)

The idea is for the device code to duplicate every function from the OEM (original) remote, but of course that isn't always the case. Sometimes you only get the upper level information (Protocol & device number).

Hopefully this will help and not confuse you.

[mulvaney]

If you know that your HTIB has Pioneer components, ...

Aye, there's the rub. I really don't know that. I don't know anything about it at all really. There is precious little info on the HTIB or its remote around.

I will go back to learning all the codes and building my own device(s). That's OK with me. I am stuck right now though. I have another post in "Beginners" asking about protocols to try to get moving again.

Thanks.
John