JP1 Remotes

My OARUSB04G remote arrived yesterday and I have run into a couple of walls, so, while the following questions don't directly relate to JP1, I'm hoping that someone might have answers.

The remote has "One For All" on the front and "RCA OARUSB04G" on the back.

Seems the OARUSB04G doesn't exist as far as OneForAll and RCA are concerned as searches for that model come up blank on both sites.

I would like to use "device codes" to initially set up the remote, AND the remote came with a sheet full of device codes, but no information on how to set up a device key based on one of these (4 digit) codes (The manual shows only how to use the "simple set" using one digit and wait for power on/off results.)

The one digit process works, but the problem is that the device key does not contain important commands such as audio input selection even if the "continue setup" option is used.

I know, go to RM, and I am headed there, but I'm not quite there yet.

Thanks in advance,
Beverly Howard

Related question;

If I set up the OARUSB04G using it's stored "upgrade" definitions, can RM then be used to add additional upgrades such as "X10" which seems to have been removed from the device codes list?

Thanks in advance,
Beverly Howard

fwiw, I just spent some time on the http://www.simpleset.com/ site...

pretty terrible, BUT if you dig around after you start the setup, there is an option to manually enter 4 digit device codes.

>> Will report back << (edited 8:42pmCDT)

Looks like the feedback on this I posted didn't make it to the board.

The "manually enter 4 digit code" option in the "simpleset" site DOES NOT work. The "setup.bin" file is altered, but the code entered to the device key does not work. (may be related to the need to "register" changes by executing a "turn off" command, but, all I know is that it does not work)


Beverly Howard

I will have to re-dig into the manual to see what the current setup method is for using 4 digit codes directly, but rest assured that you can still program them using RMIR, and of course, you can still add upgrades using RMIR just like always.

And yea, it's standard for this remote to say OFA on the cover and RCA on the back.

Here's a better manual tranx wangled out of OneForAll support.
To enter setup codes, hold Setup until 2 blinks, press the desired Device button, then enter the 4 digit code.

Thanks guys, especially for the link to the _real_ manual rather than just the "quick start" that comes on on google searches.

I had tried something similar, but reading the manual I just downloaded from here, I spotted the final "turn off" step I missed. I'll test and report back.

I spent a good part of the afternoon in RM and RMIR and details are slowly coming back. I found all of my KM and IR files from 2007, so, hopefully, I have a good foundation to work with.

Beverly Howard

That was it...

The "turn off" step of pressing the power button after manually entering a 4 digit code is apparently necessary to "register" that manual code entry in the remote.

Thanks again. Your help probably saved the OARUSB04G from being returned ;-)

Beverly Howard

You may not want to use the extender for the OARUSB04G, but the comprehensive 26-page manual for the extender, included in the zip package, contains a great deal of information that is also applicable to the unextended remote.

The extender converts the remote to support 12 devices and 6 activities and adds a number of additional features. In contrast to extenders for other remotes, it can be installed and many of its features set up without any use of RM/RMIR or other JP1 tools. All that is needed is the file-copying feature of Windows (or other supported OS), so you may find the extender itself to be of interest. Full installation and setup procedures are given in the manual.

I found it was a relatively much greater step to understand RMIR, while the manual then made the extender quite easy to grasp.

The small extra effort could indeed be worthwhile, especially because it transforms OARUSB04G from good to excellent (as does the matching one for URC6440)

Thanks for the replies.

As for the extender, I think four devices should suffice. Over the decades I have found that spending some time designing a main device pad containing buttons for multiple devices works best for me... i.e. in addition to volume punch through adding specific buttons for other devices that come up regularly so that switching pads is not required.

>> manual <<

Lost count of how many times I have already read the manual just on this attempt ;-)

>> OARUSB04G <<

I'm frankly a bit disappointed in the OARUSB04G so far. While the USB connection is nice, so much else has been changed it is essentially forcing me to use only JP1 programming and I am not there yet.

I splurged and also purchased an Inteset 422-3 which has a JP1 header. It has (at least for me) a much better button layout and it was pretty much a breeze to manually program and set up about 95% of the functionality I need using just the remote buttons.

I also purchased a diygadget JP1.2/1.3 (FLASH) USB Cable for Universal Remotes, but, it arrived yesterday, and I have not been able to get it to work on either the Inteset nor my other JP1 equipped remotes.

Thanks for the responses.

Beverly Howard

Wish you had told us and we could have warned you about the diygadget cable. Lots of folks have trouble with those. Generic ebay cable is better and cheaper.

In any case, what is it doing exactly?

>> we could have warned you <<

sigh... I specifically ordered that one since it was the one I saw recommended on this site ;-/

Nothing turns up on ebay when searching for "jp1 cable" nor "jp1

>> In any case, what is it doing exactly? <<

Essentially, nothing, no pc connect tone when it is plugged in, no entry that I can spot in device manager and RMIR reports no remote on all of the settings for all of the remotes.

I have a "ticket" in with diygadget, so, I will update.

Thanks for the info,
Beverly Howard

bevhoward wrote:Nothing turns up on ebay when searching for "jp1 cable" nor "jp1

They don't market it as a JP1 cable, the ebay listing calls it "PL2303TA USB Cable USB to TTL Serial Cable Adapter FTDI Chipset for Win 7/8"

Here is the JP1 page with all the relevant info:
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16360

and here is the ebay listing (under $10 shipped):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261101529602

Basically, the cable has 6 single-hole connectors on the end, rather than 1 6-hole connector, so you can either replace them with a 6-hole or just tape/glue them together.

bevhoward wrote:I also purchased a diygadget JP1.2/1.3 (FLASH) USB Cable for Universal Remotes, but, it arrived yesterday, and I have not been able to get it to work on either the Inteset nor my other JP1 equipped remotes.

Yeah, like Dave said, but furthermore, even a good flash cable won't work with older JP1 remotes, it will just work with JP1.x remotes.

bevhoward wrote:>> we could have warned you <<

sigh... I specifically ordered that one since it was the one I saw recommended on this site ;-/

This Sticky is what I hope is the first thing beginners see when considering a cable, which lays out the typical experience and some other options.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16200

It's kind of a touchy subject. We don't really want to discourage diygadget from making/selling JP1 cables since they're one of the few vendors out there. But we see many more issues with their cables than anybody else's. Hopefully DIY will make things right and eventually improve their quality control.

It could also be operator error, which is why I was asking what kind of symptoms you're seeing.