URC-8200 & JP1.2

otherleg · Post by **otherleg** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 10:13 am

I just picked up a OneForAll URC-8200. It works great.
I wanted to know if anyone knows anything about the JP1.2 interface. What makes it different than the previous JP1's? I understand the 8820 uses flash memory instead of EEPROM, and understands 5-digit codes (whatever that does for me). I'm still getting my JP1 feet wet.
I haven't built a JP1 interface yet, as it appears no one has figured out the JP1.2 interface yet.

classicsat · Post by **classicsat** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 10:24 pm

Basically it uses a programmable microcontroller (HC08?), which gets programmed with what is now a complex interface circuit, and professional software.

underquark · Post by **underquark** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:22 am

classicsat wrote:...a programmable microcontroller [xxxx], which gets programmed with what is now a complex interface circuit, and professional software.

So do many modern cars (BMW, Subaru etc.) and it didn't take long for illicit hardware and software to be developed to modify their CPUs; similar with PS2 etc. It's just a matter of demand reaching a critical level to make it worth someone's effort. I'd keep an eye out for any damaged or faulty units going cheap and take it apart to see what the circuitry looks like to have a guess at a possible interface, voltages etc. Then I suppose I'd do an internet search for all info on that chip - it might be used in another application and someone will have already noted specifics for it. Demand from me isn't great enough yet and neither is my skill at electronics but I shouldn't think it will take too long for it to be cracked especially if older JP1s get phased out and the newer units have more or better features. As an aside, does anyone have info. on the raft of cheap "universal" remotes coming from China that don't ahve JP1 (or any other obvious) interface. I'll be many are cut-down clones of existing devices and it might be that some of them can be JP1 enabled.

classicsat · Post by **classicsat** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:53 pm

You just have to fine the data sheet. Electrically, I'd think the remote is rather simple, as is the JP1.2 connector(it connector to the appropriate pins on the micro directly)

The complex part is the black box to go between the PC and the remote, which last I looked itself is an HSC08 micro plus a USB interface chip, and is sold by one vendor for at least $60 US.

You can find more discussion at: https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3543

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:02 pm

You found a vendor that's selling an "E2 Loader"? Where?

classicsat · Post by **classicsat** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:47 pm

I think Robman had the link to a vendor of the unit, in the thread I linked.

Post by **The Robman** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:21 pm

Are you talking about this kit that Jim liked to...
http://www.newark.com/eflyer/softec/

I thought you were saying that you found someone who was selling the box that UEI use to load the remote. From what I understand, there will be password type things that you'll need to get past, so that kit alone probably won't be all you need.

mr_d_p_gumby · Post by **mr_d_p_gumby** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:43 pm

The Robman wrote:Are you talking about this kit that Jim liked to...
http://www.newark.com/eflyer/softec/

I thought you were saying that you found someone who was selling the box that UEI use to load the remote. From what I understand, there will be password type things that you'll need to get past, so that kit alone probably won't be all you need.

We're still looking into this, but it turns out that the BDM debugging interface probably won't be of much use in accessing the E2 memory. Once the protection is turned on in the processor (and you think UEI wouldn't?), the only practical thing you can do with it is erase the entire flash memory. Only code running in the processor itself can read or modify any memory contents. That, of course, means that UEI's E2 box has to talk to UEI-written code in the processor via a UEI-defined interface in order to alter the E2 memory area.