Remote dimmer switch "Commercial Electric"

fuzman65 · Post by **fuzman65** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 10:29 am

I am a recent convert to the world of JP1. I have had great success with getting my Zenith 520 sat box and Yamaha 1000 receiver set up through this method. However, the remaining device for which I still need to use learned keys is my dimmer switch. I bought it at Home Depot and it is manufactured by a company called "Commercial Electric" which I cannot find on the internet.

Has anyone tried finding the codes for this switch? Am I stuck using the learned keys? Also, if I must have a device that requires a learned key, does that mean I cannot use an extender?

Thanks.

Post by **The Robman** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 11:21 am

You do indeed need to use learning, you need to learn the buttons in order to determine what codes they use. You would then use this info to build a new upgrade for this device.

At that point, you would no longer need learning and would be free to use an extender.

fuzman65 · Post by **fuzman65** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 12:10 pm

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the reply. Here is the problem; when I go to the Learned Signals tab in IR and click on the one for my light switch remote, there is no #, Protocol, Device, OBC, HEX, and EFC. The "Sent Once When Key Is Pressed" field is blank.

However, the frequency box has the number 37914 and the following is in the "Sent Repeatedly While Key is Being Held"

+1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110136

Do you have suggestions on how I can find the various code numbers I need in order to add them to the "Devices" screen?

Also, on a different note, can I use ToadTog by itself and still keep Learned Signals. Thanks

usblipitor · Post by **usblipitor** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 12:35 pm

It is a protocol decodeir.dll has not seen yet, so we have to build a protocol for it.

Is there only 1 button on your light dimmer switch?

It looks like a lead in of 1688, -5100
It looks like a zero is 5064, -1724
It looks like a lead out of 5064, -110136

The meat of the signal looks like
000000

Post some more buttons if you have them so we can see what the "one" pair looks like.

fuzman65 · Post by **fuzman65** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:12 pm

Hi Steve,

There are only two buttons on the remote-one for zone 1, one for zone 2.
I have my light switch set for zone one and the one button is used to turn on or off with a quick release-or hold it in for dimming up and dimming down.

ONe thing that is interesting is that if you continuously hold the button down, the switch will only either dim up or down-you must release and hold it again in order to dim the opposite way.

So, I just ran an experiment where I learned the zone 1 key three times in a row onto my 2117 and then the zone 2 three times in a row. Here are the results.

Zone 1 on the first learn yielded codes in both the "Sent once" and the Sent Repeatedly" fields. Here they are respectively:

+1688 -5100 +5064 -1722 +3320 -28290 +156 -130914 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -110114

+1688 -5100 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -110114

Zone 1, second learn just in "sent repeatedly" field

+1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110110

Zone 1, third learn just in the "sent once" field

+1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +1184 -129886

Zone 2, first learn just in "Sent repeatedly"

+5064 -1724 +1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110108

Zone 2, second learn just in "Sent once" field

+5064 -1724 +1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110096 +5064 -1724 +1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110096 +5064 -1724 +1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110096 +2028 -129042

Zone 2, third learn just in "sent repeatedly"

+5064 -1722 +1688 -5098 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -110106

All six had 37914 in Frequency.

What do you think? Thanks again.

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:16 pm

usblipitor wrote: It looks like a lead in of 1688, -5100
It looks like a zero is 5064, -1724

That's a reasonable guess, but it is more likely that 1688,-5100 is the other bit rather than (just) the lead in.

If there are other signals, those would tell us the other bit and answer the above question.

Either way, if the other signals look anything like that one, the whole thing should be quite easy to define as a new protocol in PB.

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:27 pm

fuzman65 wrote: +1688 -5100 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -110114

That from zone 1 is the number '1' encoded in a very simple 8 bit system with no lead-in.

fuzman65 wrote: +5064 -1724 +1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110108

The from zone 2 is the number '2' encoded in the same simple 8 bit system.

All your other samples either match those, or look like bad learns. I don't believe the remote ever sends anything different on subsequent presses. I think the device receiving the signals remembers the state and is responsible for the behavior difference.

You could verify that by using one of the cleaned learned signals and making sure it duplicates the full behavior of the original.

As I said before, it would be quite easy to recreate with PB.

usblipitor · Post by **usblipitor** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:51 pm

johnsfine wrote:
fuzman65 wrote: +1688 -5100 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -1722 +5064 -110114
That from zone 1 is the number '1' encoded in a very simple 8 bit system with no lead-in.

fuzman65 wrote: +5064 -1724 +1688 -5100 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -1724 +5064 -110108
The from zone 2 is the number '2' encoded in the same simple 8 bit system.

John,
I am counting only a 7 bit system, followed by the lead out. Did I screw up, is it supposed to be 8 bits?

Fuzman,

I have your protocol, now I'll create a Device Upgrade and post it in the files>device codes>Misc folder and Ill call it Commercial_Electric_Dimmer_Switch.txt

Just in case you want to see the protocol here it is:
Upgrade protocol 0 = 00 DF (S3C8)
44 8C 01 8B 0E 84 41 08 07 03 4C 09 E2 09 E4 03
4A D7 1C 8D 01 46
End

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:56 pm

usblipitor wrote: I am counting only a 7 bit system, followed by the lead out. Did I screw up, is it supposed to be 8 bits?

There is no way to tell and it doesn't matter. You could define this in PB as eight bits using no On component to the Lead out (the Off component of the last bit merges into the much longer Lead Out Off), or using the On component of a bit (I think that will work only if you make the KM format LSB-comp, not LSB), or using a dummy Lead In as the Lead out (but that makes the protocol a little longer.

usblipitor · Post by **usblipitor** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 2:01 pm

OK, for some reason I cannot seem to get my IE browser to open the yahoo files site (anyone else having this problem?)

So this is the device upgrade:
Upgrade Code 0 = 22 8E (Home Auto/0654)
DF 00 81 00 7F BF 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
End

and you have the protocol upgrade from above:
Upgrade protocol 0 = 00 DF (S3C8)
44 8C 01 8B 0E 84 41 08 07 03 4C 09 E2 09 E4 03
4A D7 1C 8D 01 46
End

Try those. If they work on my first attempt I will be shocked.

Post by **The Robman** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 2:03 pm

Hey Steve,
You just beat me to it, here's the upgrade and protocol that I came up with...

Upgrade Code 0 = 07 D0 (Cable/2000)
FD 00 21 80 40
End

Upgrade protocol 0 = 00 FD (S3C8)
3D 92 01 8B 0E 84 01 00 08 03 52 09 B0 09 C4 03
3E D3 B8 8D 01 46
End

I assigned the 1 and 2 functions to the CH+ and CH- buttons. This upgrade should work in any recent (ie, S3C8+) remote.

Here's a KM file for it: Commercial_Electric_dimmer_switch.txt

usblipitor wrote:John, I am counting only a 7 bit system, followed by the lead out. Did I screw up, is it supposed to be 8 bits?

The last bit is included with the lead out string, that's why you missed it.

fuzman65 · Post by **fuzman65** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 2:48 pm

Hey Guys,

THanks a ton. I used Rob's codes and it works like a charm.Channel + works for zone 1 and CHannel - for zone 2.

Now I get to play with the extender and keep my light switch control on the remote. For anyone interested, this light switch is only $20 at Home Depot. It is a single pole. I could really use a 3-way but the only 3-way I found is a Lutron for around $90.

Again, thanks for all the help.