JP1 Remotes

I had been having intermittent problems before where sometimes it wouldn't work, but then if I took a remote battery out, pressed a button, etc I could get it to work again, but now it's stopped working completely. I always get the "No remotes found" message followed by "Download aborted". I un-installed the FTDI driver and then re-installed it, but it didn't make a difference. I think Java updated itself recently, don't know if that made a difference. I tried installing RMIR on a second computer in case it was a problem with my laptop, but I got the same results on that one too.

The lights on the FTDI (chip_partner) cable do flash when RMIR attempts to download. Any ideas?

I am using 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium on an Intel Pentium based laptop (I mention that because I see all the amd64 messages below).

RemoteMaster v2.06 build 5
Java Version 8, Update 191 (build 1.8.0_191-b12)

Here's some rmaster.err info...

Last load messages from before first download attempt:

libraryFolder=C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64
LibraryLoader: Java version '1.8.0_191' from 'C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_191' running on 'Windows 7' (amd64)
LibraryLoader: Attempting to load 'jp12serial' from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\jp12serial.dll'...
LibraryLoader: Loaded 'jp12serial' successfully from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\jp12serial.dll'
JP12Serial version 0.22
LibraryLoader: Java version '1.8.0_191' from 'C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_191' running on 'Windows 7' (amd64)
LibraryLoader: Attempting to load 'hidapi' from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\hidapi.dll'...
LibraryLoader: Loaded 'hidapi' successfully from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\hidapi.dll'
CommHID version 1.0
LibraryLoader: Java version '1.8.0_191' from 'C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_191' running on 'Windows 7' (amd64)
LibraryLoader: Attempting to load 'jp1usb' from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\jp1usb.dll'...
LibraryLoader: Loaded 'jp1usb' successfully from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\jp1usb.dll'
JP1USB version 0.031
JPS version 0.1
LibraryLoader: Java version '1.8.0_191' from 'C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_191' running on 'Windows 7' (amd64)
LibraryLoader: Attempting to load 'jp1parallel' from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\jp1parallel.dll'...
LibraryLoader: Loaded 'jp1parallel' successfully from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\jp1parallel.dll'
JP1Parallel version 0.12
JP1Parallel InpOutDriver is open
DecodeIR: Looking in 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM'.
LibraryLoader: Java version '1.8.0_191' from 'C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_191' running on 'Windows 7' (amd64)
LibraryLoader: Attempting to load 'DecodeIR' from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\DecodeIR.dll'...
LibraryLoader: Loaded 'DecodeIR' successfully from 'C:\Users\Rob Crowe\Documents\a JP1\RM\Windows-amd64\DecodeIR.dll'

With Remote > Interface set to auto-detect:

Starting normal download
Interface Name = NULL
Port Name = NULL
Testing interface: JP1.X Serial
Port Name = NULL
Testing interface: CommHID
HIDManager com.codeminders.hidapi.HIDManager@9f335d7 devices are:
Device 0: HIDDeviceInfo [path=\\?\hid#vid_046d&pid_c52f&mi_00#8&12ebcc&0&0000#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}, vendor_id=1133, product_id=50479, serial_number=?, release_number=8705, manufacturer_string=Logitech, product_string=USB Receiver, usage_page=1, usage=2, interface_number=0]
Device 1: HIDDeviceInfo [path=\\?\hid#vid_046d&pid_c52f&mi_01&col01#8&2945785d&0&0000#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}, vendor_id=1133, product_id=50479, serial_number=?, release_number=8705, manufacturer_string=Logitech, product_string=USB Receiver, usage_page=12, usage=1, interface_number=1]
Device 2: HIDDeviceInfo [path=\\?\hid#vid_046d&pid_c52f&mi_01&col02#8&2945785d&0&0001#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}, vendor_id=1133, product_id=50479, serial_number=?, release_number=8705, manufacturer_string=Logitech, product_string=USB Receiver, usage_page=65280, usage=1, interface_number=1]
Device 3: HIDDeviceInfo [path=\\?\hid#vid_046d&pid_c52f&mi_01&col03#8&2945785d&0&0002#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}, vendor_id=1133, product_id=50479, serial_number=?, release_number=8705, manufacturer_string=Logitech, product_string=USB Receiver, usage_page=65280, usage=2, interface_number=1]
Failed to open remote
Port Name = NULL
Testing interface: JP1 USB
Port Name = NULL
Testing interface: JPS
Port Name = NULL
Testing interface: JP1 Parallel
Port Name = NULL
Failed to open

With Remote > Interface set to JP1.x serial / COM4

Starting normal download
Interface Name = JP1.X Serial
Port Name = COM4
Testing interface: JP1.X Serial
Interface matched. Trying to open remote.
Port Name = NULL
Failed to open

The "No remotes found!" message means that jp12serial cannot open the remote, so it is nothing to do with the Java version. The possibilities to me seem to be that either jp12serial.dll or the FTDI driver has got corrupted or the Chip Partner cable has failed. Much the most likely one seems to be that the cable has failed. Have you another cable you can try?

BTW The Windows-amd64 messages are nothing to do with the processor in your computer, it is just how Java has named 64-bit Windows.

Does COM4 look "sane" in the Windows device manager?

I have 2 FTDI cables, and both no longer work, so if it is a cable failure, both failed at exactly the same time.

barf, what should I look for? Btw, sometimes it's COM4 and sometimes it's COM5

Rob, does IR.exe still work?

The Robman wrote:barf, what should I look for?

That the device is recognized, i.e. shows up in the device manager. And of course the name it is presently assigned (COMX or whatever). If the driver is not correctly loaded, there is normally some way this is shown (crossed over symbol or something). (So, "looks sane" is not that bad of a description...) Double clicking shows some more detail of the driver.

Some time ago, there were FTDI drivers that "disabled" what it considered as counterfeit FTDI chips. Can this be the case? (There are postings in this forum on this topic.)

While in the device manager, consider nuking possible junk serial "devices", like Bluetooth, they just make finding "real" serial devices harder and more time consuming.

I hadn't thought to check IR.exe as I was primarily testing with a segmented remote, but I just tried it using a JP1.x remote and it doesn't work either, I get the "Jp12 read failed 0." message. Just for laughs, I just dug out a JP1USB cable and that does still work.

So, what should I be checking as far as the driver is concerned, I am using the following driver, and I have uninstalled it and re-installed it. Do I have to do something special as this is a 64-bit machine?

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=11199

Like I said, it was working then it got intermittent then it stopped completely.

Since neither IR.exe nor RMIR work, it looks as if it must be a driver problem. Your current one is old and may not work with the latest Windows. I think the next step would be to use Device Manager, select the serial port under Ports, right click and select Update Driver Software. Let Windows find the latest driver. I think Chip Partner cables have genuine FTDI chips, so there shouldn't be a problem with that.

I've done that many times and it always tells me that my driver is already up to date. Is the FTDI driver in the file section out of date? If so, do we know which one is the right one?

I have looked here but it's not clear to me which FTDI chip is in the chip_partner cables:
https://www.ftdichip.com/FTDrivers.htm

You want the Windows driver from the top row in the first table on this page:

https://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

The version is 2.12.28. Your version is 2.10.00 according to the link you posted. I am using 2.12.0 and have not had trouble with it. No guarantee that it will solve your problem, but definitely worth trying.

I'm on version 2.12.28 and it still doesn't work. I don't know what else to try.

Hey Graham, while I doubt it will make a difference, could you please zip up your copy of the 2.12.0 driver and post it so I can try that one, just in case this thing is fussy about driver versions.

Rob, I'm no expert on drivers. I wouldn't know what to zip up or where to find them. It is more than just the dll, but what, I don't know. I will have let Windows do the installation at that time and not known the details of what is was doing.

Have you tried doing the Uninstall option on Device Manager and starting the driver installation again? My guess is that the update process just sees the existing version number, says it is up-to-date and would not replace a corrupt file. Uninstalling and re-installing should do a more thorough job.

Oh yeah, I've uninstalled it many times and forced the new version in several times also, and I've gone to the driver details screen to confirm that it's the latest version.

I'm totally out of ideas. I think the failure both with RMIR and IR.exe rules out either of these being at fault. The only software in common is then jp12serial.dll. If, as is likely, IR.exe is using a different (older) version than RMIR then that would be ruled out too. I see that you have tried a second computer and got the same result, so it's nothing nasty hidden in the OS. The second computer test seems also to rule out a problem with the driver installation. I can't think of anything else but the cables. Is it just possible that both your cables went faulty at the same time? It seems like Sherlock Holmes said, when you have eliminated the impossible, then what is left, however improbable, must be the truth. Can you beg/borrow/buy a third cable? By now, I think that check must be worth doing.