JP1 Remotes

[thedogzeus]

Hi Guys, Ok I'm am new at this so expect a few gaps, OK here goes .....

I have a "Total Control" (URC-6340) universal remote. It had the six pin socket for the JP1 header and a spot for the EEPROM to live also. I have now sucessfully fitted a six pin header and an EEPROM (24C16) and confirmed J2 is shorted as per Rob's How-TO.

The USB interface build is well underway and I am just awaiting delivery of the Delcom micro to complete it. I have downloaded and installed all of the relevant software (I think!!).....RM v1.77, IR v7.03, KM V9.08a and the Delcom USB driver.

Now for the BIG QUESTION, because there is no pre-made RDF for this remote, how do I create/edit one to suit. I have a JPG image of the remote and have created a .map file using MapThis1.3, but I am not sure how to go about making the RDF. Could anyone please provide some guidance?

Apologies if this question has been raised and answered already, but I haven't been able to find anything regarding this query. Thanks for all the great info so far, JP1 rocks!!!

URC-6340 Image :
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3967/urc6340go0.jpg

[The Robman]

There isn't really a beginners "how to" for building RDFs, the only doc of any description is the RDF3Spec.doc (and RDF3Spec_Addendum.doc) that's in the IR zip file.

At any rate, your first move should be to download the memory using IR and post a copy of the file. Please list what setup codes you have assigned to each device button.

When you had the remote open did you notice if there were numbers printed next to each of the buttons on the PCB? Typically these numbers are prefixed with an "S". If you did, please write down what each number is and the button it relates to as this will save time in building the RDF.
_________________
Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[thedogzeus]

Thanks Rob, I'll get that info and post just as soon as I've got my interface up and running.....I'm still waiting on the micro.

One query, by "setup codes" do you mean the URL name I gave each button when I mapped it using MapThis? Otherwise I'm not sure I've allocated setup codes.

I've just cracked the remote open again, and yes there are "s" numbers allocated to each button. I'll post a piccy of the board if I can get enough detail.

Thanks again for your help, and don't think I expect you to do ALL the work for me!!! I'm happy to have a go at building the RDF, but I will definitely need someone to hold my hand and move me in the right direction if I get stuck.

I'd also like to contribute something back to the forum, so if you think they'd be of any value I can post some pics of the interface cable build, it might help someone out with how to run the tracks for the circuit etc. Let me know the best place to post these if you think it's worthwhile.

[unclemiltie]

What you have to do is trial and error. It involves keying stuff into the remote and then reading the results into IR and seeing what happens in the RAW data tab.

For example, you key in a macro and then look to see where it landed in memory. (use the Set Baseline function to help you out a lot) Same with keymoves and learns if the remote does those.

After that, you can build more macros, this time paying attention to which keys you put in the macros. now that you know where the macro lands, dissect what got stored and you'll see the keycodes (and looking at themon the PCB is always helpful as well)

You're going to need some expertes to deal with the digit tables, the protocol lists, and the number maps so posting the output of your experiments will help.

good luck!
_________________
this JP1 stuff is a sickness!

[The Robman]

[thedogzeus]

OK, I'm with you.

When I get the micro in and I'm all connected up to IR, I'll will post "s" number to button allocation table ..... and then do some HEX dumps.

In the mean time.....when I get my self organised I post some cable build pics.

BTW, for a bit of background, my interest in this stems from working at a large AV/IT service company here in Australia, customers often forget to bring in R/C's and often we need these to access service menus etc. Getting hold of manufacturer service remotes can also be a hassle if you are not one of their Authorised Warranty repairers. We've got literally thousands of remotes.......so once I'm up and running with this JP1 stuff.....if anyone needs a particular ROM image chances are I might be able to oblige!!

[The Robman]

If you do get your hands on service remtoes from time to time, you should capture the signals and create upgrade files for them, because those can be useful for the DIYer. Also, if you have OEM remotes for devices that we don't have, you could create upgrades for those also.

And a quick terminology thing, when you download the memory from a JP1 remote, you're not getting the ROM image, you're just getting the EEPROM image.
_________________
Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[thedogzeus]

OK, good and bad news.........I have completed the USB link cable and it was correctly detected by my PC and the Delcom driver installed without a hitch. In IR the USB connection checkbox is available and the driver check comes up with USB driver installed and OK.

However, the problem is, when I go to either download data from the remote or check interface, I get the following error : "SDA is being held high". I tried taking out one of the batteries and replacing with a paper clip, as I read somewhere in the forums that this rectified some detection issues, but that resulted in the error ; "SDA is being held low. Make sure batteries are installed in the remote."

Any ideas guys.........I don't think it's a problem with interface cable.........do I need to initialise the remote somehow? I'm not sure where to go from here. Please Help!

[vickyg2003]

Hi, Did I just read that you're home with a new baby? If so congratulations. The battery tricks that you've read about are for the simple JP1 interface that goes to the parallel port.

I've had problems with the SDA held low message. My problem was caused by an out of date Delcom driver. When I'd get that message I couldn't make another connection without rebooting my machine. Now that I've got an up-tod-ate driver I only get that message if I'm not properly plugged onto all 6 pins with the head oriented the correct way.

Good Luck

[thedogzeus]

Yep, thank you, a new baby girl all happy and healthy.

The driver version is 3.1.0.0 dated 6/05/2005, I think this is the latest one, but I reinstalled it just incase. Still the same error message though.

I've checked and double checked the interface circuit and everything looks to be fine......I'm thinking that maybe the EEPROM in the remote needs to be initialized. There was something in a help docco (I think it was by Tommy) about installing the JP1 header and EEPROM on a URC and there was a step advising how to initialize the EEPROM. When I fitted the header and EEPROM I tried to follow the same procedure to initialize the EEPROM, but it didn't give me the "initialized" LED code and I didn't worry too much more about it.

Has anyone had any experience with this "SDA is being held high" error??

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

[thedogzeus]

Just a quick update. Had a look on Ebay and spotted a URC that was JP1 enabled, so I decided to save myself the hassels of creating an RDF and bought it.

Problem being, I was still getting the SDA held high/low error. Tried switching around the hplug orientation as per Vicky's post, but still no go. As a last ditch effort I thought I'd check the pinouts on the interface board...and sure enough I'd switched pins 3 & 4. So after a quick resolder, as Borat would say "great success!".

Thanks to Vicky whose pin orientation advice helped me find the problem. Over the next week or two I'll have a play around uploading and downloading some files. Once I've sussed out the process I'll start posting some files. Thanks to everyone for their help to date! Now fully JP1 enabled! 8)