JP1 Remotes

[GTTech]

Hi Folks,

I'm new to this but have been looking for a solution to my smart home video distribution setup for a while that doesn't involve buying a Harmony from a scalper or teaching the older generation how to drive a mobile app.

In short, I'm looking for a simple traditional style remote that has device selection buttons that can fire off short macros or even just single commands while also changing the device selection of the remote.

I have a HDMI distribution matrix system throughout the house with 8 sources (each zone only needs a subset of 4 devices 99% of the time) and 8 zones, it has IR receivers in every zone that are connected to the matrix to pass on commands to the selected source that is active in that zone and also to respond to IR commands to switch the source for that zone. I have those codes in pronto format. Currently this all works fine with multiple remotes, and I did get an IR learning remote from aliexpress that worked really well but didn't have enough buttons or any device switching so I couldn't fully control each source as it was just one static layout for everything.

Currently I have a URC1240 and URC7935, but it seems from some browsing that the 1240 might not be able to send an IR command when it changes device, which would then require multiple button presses to change to source x, then change the remote to device x, that is not an option for me.

Any suggestions for a simple, "old person compatible" remote with a D pad, numpad, volume, transport controls and at least 4 device selection buttons capable of sending an IR command or better yet a short macro of 2 commands upon changing device?

Regards,
Gary

[The Robman]

Most JP1 remotes do not allow macros on the un-shifted device buttons (I think there are exceptions but I forget what they are), but most WILL allow macros on shifted device buttons. "Shifted" means that you press the SETUP button first and then press the device button.

Personally, that is my preferred approach as there are cases when you want to switch the device mode on the remote without having it fire off macros.

As for a current remote that might otherwise meet your needs, there is this:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=103213
_________________
Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[MaskedMan]

The original urc-6820, 8820, and 10820 remotes allowed for programming a macro on the device keys directly on the remote, but it was a press and hold macro. I don't know if the latter 8820N or 10820-N kept that feature?
_________________
Edmund

[GTTech]

Thanks for the reply, i'm still researching remotes and would plan on buying 7 matching remotes so leave one in each TV zone with the required power/volume commands for each TV setup as some of them are different brands.

Double/triple button presses or shift commands is the main thing i'm trying to avoid.

The main reason for all of this is that I'm trying to make it work for my dad who I help care for. he loves to watch TV but his mind is slowly going due to parkinsons and struggles with multiple remotes, the house has multiple watching areas and he tends to move around and tries to watch his TV in a different room, thus I've built the setup with a central stack of sources and a video matrix so every zone can be "his tv" just by pointing the remote at it and pressing the button for the source he wants. that way the interfaces he sees on the screens are always the same, but the current issue of multiple remotes is hard to deal with. also since the source devices are shared he has to remember to take a remote with him to control that device.

I suspect he would also struggle with shift+device to change source with the custom Ir command to the matrix, then also remembering to press the device button again to switch the remote itself over to that control set. He will forget to press shift, or forget to switch the remote device and get out of sync all the time so i'd rather be able to lock them together in the simplest dumb fashion, if the source is changed the remote is always set to control that source.

I am looking into other ways to do this, including combining a basic remote with some custom codes and some smarts in my automation system to intercept those codes, check the room it came from then send out the right command or sequence via the existing network of IR emitters in each zone and on the source devices.

[HamburgerHelper1]

I'm not sure I should mention this due to the possible complexity of setting it up
Both the URC-3660 and the URC-3680 support macros on the activities keys
So therefore a Macro to set up your system on the "Watch TV" Button just might work for this purpose.You would just need the correct devices set up on the correct device keys for the particular activity
I would read More about the 3660 /3680 in this forum before actually purchasing the remote's though

Randy

[GTTech]

3 activity keys would probably be the bare minimum I need, if I had each remote configured specifically for the room it is in, which I plan to do anyway for TV controls...

each room doesn't necessarily need one button access to all 8 source devices, or even 4 for that matter, I could put the other less used devices on shifted keys as they are only needed once in a blue moon. 90% of the time the devices used in each room are one of the Nvidia Shields and one of the satellite tuners so each room remote could use one of each of those.

I'll get a 3660 for testing and see what I can come up with.

[GTTech]

Looks like the URC1240 that I got for testing doesn't support anything fancy on the device select buttons as far as I can tell, I can program it but then nothing happens. it's unexpectedly cheap and spongy too (compared to the 7935's nice snappy clicky buttons), so I might just keep this as a spare. there is another thread asking the same and having no luck.

I'll look into the 3660/3680 but it seems they aren't available in my country so i'll have to import them.

[HamburgerHelper1]

Is the URC-3661 available in your area ?
It is equivalent to the 3660
Or anything else that would be less expensive than importing ?
I don't want to see you spend the money and then find out it won't work for your needs
Also do you have the cable to connect a JP1 Remote to a computer?
Maybe do more reading in this forum make sure this is what you want before investing any money

[greeno]

(sorry if this is an intrusive post) i've been using atlas remotes (1056B01) with the extender since my old one for all remote died (forgot the model number). these are $15-20, still available on ebay in either a backlit (my preference) or not. i have one in each room (4) and they all work the same.

with the extender it'll do everything you're asking about. press and hold to switch from one watching mode/activity to another. say from xfinity cable/dvr to roku, or dvd player. the ordering of the buttons in the long keypress macro dictates how the buttons work (i.e. which button groups are tied to which device). when watching cable, volume controls the receiver output, channels, transport, menu, guide, etc. is the cable box.

best,
jeff

[GTTech]

[GTTech]

So an update for anyone following along at home.

the 3661 activity buttons are pretty useless here as they cant be customised much if at all, all options are greyed out and if your setup doesn't match the preconfigured setup there isn't anything you can do about it.

however, the app keys under the colour buttons work perfectly for standard macros, including pressing a device key to change the active device.

So with those 3 keys, I can have a one button press that sends a command to the HDMI matrix to set the current room to the requested source, then switch the remote over to that device for control.

I just have to make sure that I duplicate the required input switching controls onto each required device so that the buttons do the same things regardless of the current device.

Ill keep poking away.

[mdavej]

That's strange. I can put anything I want on any button on my 3661, including the activity buttons.

If regular function assignments, macros, key moves or learns truly don't work, then we need to know so we can fix the RDF. Can you list the steps you took when trying and failing to program an activity button?

[GTTech]

so far I've tested basic macros on the app buttons, they work fine and allow me the one button press actions that I was looking for that I couldn't get working on the 1240, though that might have been my lack of experience or knowledge of certain remotes quirks.

I've tested learning, that works fine, I was able to learn a few commands from my Anthem receiver and then use that information plus IRscrutinizer to convert the codes Anthem provides on their website into a nice custom configuration as the Anthem rmdu's available here didn't work (they are for older models with a different protocol). when I complete that I will upload it.

Keymoves and punchthroughs all seem to work fine too.

The activity buttons do work, I can assign a command or even a basic macro to them and it fires of just fine, however I cant disable the pre-programmed activities, so the buttons are then all mixed up unless I rebuild my device profiles custom to match the default setup of the activity modes. even setting the activity key assignment to 0 the default setup remains, so I cant use those buttons for my intended purpose unless I can find a way to disable the built in functionality.

[The Robman]

Are you doing all of this programming on the remote itself, or using RMIR?
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[GTTech]

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