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varaonaid
Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 99
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 3:15 pm Post subject: Is it harmful to perform many up/downloads to remote? |
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Well, I finally have my remote more or less controlling all of my AV equipment - in a basic manner. I'm now looking into adding an extender and moving into more "elegant" remote control programming (hopefully!). My question is this: I'm afraid it will take me quite some time to get the extender understood, installed, setup and programmed to the desired state. In the meantime, my husband won't want to give up the remote control completely to my programming whims. So, can I save my current working config (non-extended), load the extender and save that extended config so that I can work on programming it on my computer and in the meantime reload in my un-extended config. Is it a problem to load and unload the un/extended configs multiple times? I know it completely changes the way the memory works so i don't want to cause my remote to "crash" or cause it undue stress!
This may be a really dumb question. Sorry if it is, but I'd really appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
Thanks!
Rachel |
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The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21271 Location: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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Like any component, the EEPROM will indeed wear out after a while, so once you start closing in on a couple of million uploads and downloads you might need to start thinking about replacing it! _________________ Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help! |
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underquark Expert
Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 874 Location: UK |
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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Or (if you are a man) you may go blind, or your hair may fall out. I no longer have the need for a comb but at least I don't require glasses yet. |
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varaonaid
Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 99
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Ha!
Guess it was a stupid question after all!
Well, I only have about 999,916 up downloads to go before I'd better look into replacing my EEPROM (didn't help that I got a memory failure reading on my remote last night after an upload, but repeating the upload fixed it!).
Sorry, not being a guy... |
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underquark Expert
Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 874 Location: UK |
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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I regularly save, change and then revert to saved configuration (usually afyer I've messed something up) but you're right, it can become a bit tedious. It doesn't really wear out your EEPROM unless huge voltage spikes were encountered (which you won't usually get from your parallel port unless lightning strikes).
Best thing to do is buy another remote. If you've got av equipment and are using a computer you can afford to by another remote to play about with to your heart's content. I have a Kameleon 4 (URC8040) for the main viewing room, a couple of ultracheapies (UET609) for elsewhere in the house, a 7562 (£5/$8 off eBay) for learning codes and playing around with and an 8550 about to undergo surgery (very cheap off eBay and free cat hair included as I discovered when I opened it up). I've ordered an 8910 as well and plan to keep it in a fairly stable condition to operate lots of devices in different parts of the house.
Think of all the more expensive and less fulfilling hobbies such as golf, smoking or collecting beanie babies. |
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varaonaid
Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 99
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe this is cheating but I'm really tempted to program the remote that the cable company gave us with our digital cable box. It's JP1 capable and ready to go. It might be nice to have two programmed remotes hanging around!
I'll look into some other options on eBay etc as you mentioned. I wish I could find another 15-2117 lurking at some out-of-the-way Radio Shack. Would make my programming ultra simple. |
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Mark Pierson Expert
Joined: 03 Aug 2003 Posts: 3017 Location: Connecticut, USA |
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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varaonaid wrote: | Maybe this is cheating but I'm really tempted to program the remote that the cable company gave us with our digital cable box. It's JP1 capable and ready to go. | Are you sure it's a JP1 remote? Many of the remotes being used with the digital boxes are the newer JP1.1 or JP1.2 flash memory remotes that the JP1 tools don't support. _________________ Mark |
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ElizabethD Advanced Member
Joined: 09 Feb 2004 Posts: 2348
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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varaonaid wrote: | My question is this: I'm afraid it will take me quite some time to get the extender understood, installed, setup and programmed to the desired state. |
Yeah, like forever, once you start you don't end 'cause it's fun
Quote: | In the meantime, my husband won't want to give up the remote control completely to my programming whims. |
My full, complete sympathies are with you here.
Always say 'I'm just making it easier for you'.
Beware of being faced with 'and what did you do to it now?'
A second remote is a wonderful solution. I only have one Cinema7 and it really was a drag doing anything there without a second one. Backup 8910/HTPro remotes make the life much easier.
Quote: | So, can I save my current working config (non-extended), load the extender and save that extended config so that I can work on programming it on my computer and in the meantime reload in my un-extended config. |
YES. Exactly how they do it here.
Underquark and others already answered most of what you asked, I'll just add this:
If you have a remote with the LCD you can go a very long way without ever touching the 'production' remote and upsetting your husband in any way, if it matters . It's just the remote, computer and you. Because, in my opinion, the roughest part of the extender is not to drop keysets at a wrong time. That little display shows the devices you're coding in a macro or keymove, so it makes it much easier to debug and follow than watching just blinks. |
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varaonaid
Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 99
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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Mark Pierson wrote: | varaonaid wrote: | Maybe this is cheating but I'm really tempted to program the remote that the cable company gave us with our digital cable box. It's JP1 capable and ready to go. | Are you sure it's a JP1 remote? Many of the remotes being used with the digital boxes are the newer JP1.1 or JP1.2 flash memory remotes that the JP1 tools don't support. |
Mark, not meaning to sound really stupid but how would I know? It has a JP1 plug in the back and is manufactured by OFA. Here are a couple of links to the remote I currently have from Time-Warner:
http://www.urcsupport.com/html.php?page_id=102
http://www.urcsupport.com/
On the second link, it's the second one from the left on the top line of remotes. |
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varaonaid
Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 99
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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ElizabethD, it does sound like you understand!
I think I actually made a mistake with this whole JP1 thing. I almost had my husband (and for that matter myself) convinced that the only way to simplify our A/V setup was to get an A/V receiver with multiple component video switching - that way when you press a button for the sound, the video switches with it. Oh well, JP1 was a lot less expensive...
Anyway, I read the excellent tutorial for 15-2117 ext 2, installed the extender, added my devices and created several macros, uploaded it to my remote and viola! all is working! Actually, in some ways, the extender was the easiest part of what I did with the JP1 stuff. It wasn't nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be. Things aren't perfect yet (for some reason the macros are a bit hit-and-miss on getting all the devices on board) but it's SO great to have a simple solution to video-audio-input-device switching by using macros. It's even improving our marriage (the 6+ remotes and a/v setup were wearing thin)! Wonderful stuff, this JP1! |
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The Robman Site Owner
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 21271 Location: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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varaonaid wrote: | Mark, not meaning to sound really stupid but how would I know? It has a JP1 plug in the back and is manufactured by OFA. |
It sounds like you have an Atlas remote, which means the chances are good that it's a regular JP1 remote. The reason Mark asked is because most Comcast remotes are JP1.1 or JP1.2 and these are not JP1 compatible.
You can usually tell if you have a JP1.1 or JP1.2 by looking at the 6-pin connector, as it will usually have it printed underneath it. _________________ Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help! |
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varaonaid
Joined: 18 Dec 2003 Posts: 99
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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My 6-pin connector says JP1 over it so I'm assuming that it compatible with regular JP1 tools, etc. |
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