No response from the interface

Mark Pierson · Post by **Mark Pierson** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:45 pm

venik wrote:it has now lost most of its brain

If it's that far gone and you need to reprogram it, you might want to try a full MFR reset of the remote to see if that helps with the comm troubles. It's a long shot, but at this point I don't think you can make things any worse...

venik · Post by **venik** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:25 am

Mark Pierson wrote:If it's that far gone and you need to reprogram it, you might want to try a full MFR reset of the remote to see if that helps with the comm troubles. It's a long shot, but at this point I don't think you can make things any worse...

Thanks, but it is a little expensive for a $30 remote.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:48 am

OK, I'm reading this thread and am trying to keep the picture straight.

(1) You have a 2116 that was programmed for your AV system.
(2) It USED to communicate via JP1 with your old IBM Thinkpad just fine.
(3) It FAILS to communicate with your new Thinkpad.
(4) You have/had a 1-time seemingly successful test using a Dell desktop, although you had to reverse a battery (a relatively common phenomenon).
(5) You NOW believe that THAT communication was no good either, but haven't really followed up on that - like downloading FROM the remote to see what is in the EEPROM.
(6) One user has recommended an MFR reset.
(7) You think that such a reset "is a little expensive" (?!?!) I'd like to understand how you came to THAT conclusion.

From what you have shared here, I would suggest that the main problem is likely LESS with the remote or the interface, and MORE likely the Thinkpad. You have been pointed to a series of posts detailing challenges folks have had with Thinkpads and JP1. I would recommend you use (or get access to, if you don't have one) a desktop with all of the tools and work from there, and investigate your conclusion (5). CONVINCE yourself that you cannot program the remote using a desktop before you give up on the remote.

Just my 2 cents.

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 8:17 am

venik wrote:
Mark Pierson wrote:If it's that far gone and you need to reprogram it, you might want to try a full MFR reset of the remote to see if that helps with the comm troubles. It's a long shot, but at this point I don't think you can make things any worse...
Thanks, but it is a little expensive for a $30 remote.

I have good news for you, doing an MFR reset is free, the remote won't ask for your credit number or anything. Give it a try and see for yourself.

Here are the instructions...
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4057

venik · Post by **venik** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:23 am

Thanks, but it is a bit expensive for a $30 remote..

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:10 pm

venik wrote:Thanks, but it is a bit expensive for a $30 remote..

I'm REALLY confused. What is expensive? There is NO COST to do an MFR reset.

Are we talking the same language here?

greenough1 · Post by **greenough1** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:34 pm

I think the $30 he keeps refering to is the cost of the USB JP1 cable from DIYgagets' link I posted at the end of page 1.

I'd argue that once you have the cable, each time you use it you're amortizing the cost. Also, if the simple interface doesn't want to work for you, and you need an interface that will work, you need to try the usb one.

Best,
jeff

Mark Pierson · Post by **Mark Pierson** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:47 pm

greenough1 wrote:I think the $30 he keeps refering to is the cost of the USB JP1 cable from DIYgagets' link I posted at the end of page 1.

My recommendation to do a reset was to potentially avoid needing to buy a USB cable.

It's quite possible that the 2116 has a scrambled EEPROM. Doing a reset just might cure its amnesia and allow it to communicate with the ThinkPad. My comment about not making things worse referred to the loss of any custom programming the reset would cause.

underquark · Post by **underquark** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:13 pm

I take it that it is felt that to spend $xx on a USB cable seems expensive as it will be being applied to a remote that only cost $30. So either but an expensive remote to "make it worthwhile" or just consider whether $40 or whatever is worth it for the task in hand.

I'm considering spending £70 tomorrow buying a mitre saw to use on a pile of timber that costs less than £50 for only one job and I don't know when I'll use the saw again for sure but the job will get done much more quickly and much better if I use the correct tool. I could measure all the timber, draw lines on it and then cart it all up to my Father-in-Law's place but I think I'd rather just do you job myself, learn from it and consider the overall cost to be reasonable for the job in hand. Anyway I know it'll get used again some day and it'll be there as and when I need it.

Either way, trying the reset first seems sensible since all it can do is wipe out any upgrades (and errors) and leave you with a clean remote in its out-of-the box state.

venik · Post by **venik** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 12:21 pm

Friends,
Even someone like me understands that a reset is free, although the justification for it is more emotional then rational. The $30 did refer to the cost of the USB cable, which can be viewed a becoming part of the price of the $30 remote, added to the $14 cost of the parallel interface, with less than perfect assurance that the USB interface will in fact work with the new Thinkpad.
I have read and followed ALL the posts about Thinkpads and the parallel interface. No suggestion made there solved my problem.
The situation now is that I WAS able to load the old saved settings from the desktop computer to the remote (I had to use the one reversed battery trick-- with the full battery set the Dell desktop computer generated the same error as the Thinkpad did, but it did work with the reveresed battery).
I now have again a functioning remote, but I would much rather regain the ability to program it at home, using my Thinkpad, as I used to be able to do.
By the way-- my resistors are 1k, the diode is Shottky, and all the pins from 18 to 25 are soldered together. I also tried various transmission delays and parallel interface setting in the BIOS, to no avail.

Mark Pierson · Post by **Mark Pierson** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:59 pm

venik wrote:I now have again a functioning remote, but I would much rather regain the ability to program it at home, using my Thinkpad, as I used to be able to do.

I'll say it again: try the reset. Since you have a working desktop you can restore from, what's the harm? I realize it's a long shot as far as correcting your ThinkPad issues, but isn't it at least worth the attempt?

venik · Post by **venik** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:50 am

Although I suspect that the suggestion for a reset is like the one for chicken soup )"It can't hurt!"), I'll try it. Can someone please remind me how do you reset an RS-2116?
Thanks,

gfb107 · Post by **gfb107** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:51 am

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4057