URC 8910 clock reset everytime it's connected

[samxxz]

Just bought a 8910 on eBay and made a cable myself. Every time I connect
the remote to my PC, and every time I upload/download data, the remote
would lose it's clock, i.e., the clock goes back to 12:00. Also, all the strokes
of the LCD would light up for a few seconds during these 3 occasions. Is
this normal? If not, what could be the cause? Thanks!

[Nils_Ekberg]

Just bought a 8910 on eBay and made a cable myself. Every time I connect
the remote to my PC, and every time I upload/download data, the remote
would lose it's clock, i.e., the clock goes back to 12:00. Also, all the strokes
of the LCD would light up for a few seconds during these 3 occasions. Is
this normal? If not, what could be the cause? Thanks!

Yes, it is normal.

The clock automatically resets to 12:00 whenever the remote is reset.

All the characters lighting up is a sign of a reset.

If you install the extender for the 8910 it will set the clock for you based on the system clock whenever you install the IR file in the remote.

[samxxz]

Thanks Nils. I can understand that the remote would reset
when I upload data to it. But it seems strange that it would
reset when I download data from it, and when I connect a
cable to it. So, I was wondering if I did something wrong
with the cable (I did check the connections/resistance
using a multimeter). If everyone sees the same thing then
I am not going to worry about it.

I will try the extender some time later.

[johnsfine]

I can understand that the remote would reset
when I upload data to it. But it seems strange that it would
reset when I download data from it, and when I connect a
cable to it.

The remote needs to be help in a reset state during upload AND during download.

For most PC printer ports it will be in reset state only during the upload and download.

But depending on a complex interaction between the PC printer port voltage and the battery voltage in the remote, it may be in a reset state the entire time that the cable is connected. If so, that is just a minor inconvenience and would be difficult to fix, so don't worry about it.

If I understand you correctly, your remote resets at the moment the connection is made, but doesn't stay in reset the entire time the cable is connected (or you wouldn't be able to see that transition out of reset after the upload or download). I don't recall hearing about that behavior before, but I think it is consistent with the common problem I described above. Maybe the voltage is on the border between that problem and not having any reset problem, or maybe the contacts of the 6 pin connector aren't perfectly aligned so the extra reset is a function of the sequence in which the 6 pins make contact as the connection is made. Either way, it is non serious to leave it acting that way and very difficult to further diagnose or fix.

[samxxz]

If I understand you correctly, your remote resets at the moment the connection is made, but doesn't stay in reset the entire time the cable is connected (or you wouldn't be able to see that transition out of reset after the upload or download). I don't recall hearing about that behavior before, but I think it is consistent with the common problem I described above. Maybe the voltage is on the border between that problem and not having any reset problem, or maybe the contacts of the 6 pin connector aren't perfectly aligned so the extra reset is a function of the sequence in which the 6 pins make contact as the connection is made. Either way, it is non serious to leave it acting that way and very difficult to further diagnose or fix.

You are right, it only resets when the connectors first make contact, then
everything is fine. After reading your message, I got an idea. I tried to
insert the plug at a slight angle. When I tilt the plug so that the pin
1 and 2 make contact with the plug first, the remote does not reset. So,
connecting pin 1 and 2 first ensured no reset. Then I tried connecting the
plug before connecting the parallel connecter. The remote never resets.
I will make this a habit then.

Thanks!

[unclemiltie]

When all is said and done, when you connect you are going to upload or download so the remote is going to be reset.

What happens is that the IR program puts the remote into a reset state so that it can then reach in and read the EEPROM. But to do so, the processor on the inside has to be in such a state that it's not interfering with the external connection, thus the reset state. When IR is done, it releases the processor and thus it resets the remote.


You should look into the extenders though, I'm pretty sure that the extender for this remote does set the clock every time the remote is uploaded to the time on your PC (you do need to activate the extender as soon as you upload it to have the time correct) It's quite convenient.

[samxxz]

Thanks for the explanations/suggestions. My main concern was to make
sure I wasn't doing something wrong to damage the remote.

I went to the extender section and finally understood what it means. So,
the "protocol" upgrade is data upgrade, and the extender is the program
upgrade. I think "firmware upgrade" is easier to understand for beginners.

hehe

[Mark Pierson]

So, the "protocol" upgrade is data upgrade, and the extender is the program upgrade. I think "firmware upgrade" is easier to understand for beginners.

Except that an extender isn't a firmware upgrade. It's installed in the EEPROM similar to the way protocol upgrades are. An extender is really just a very sophisticated protocol.