JP1 Remotes

I got an unusual brand digital-TV converter box from an auction not long ago (one whole dollah! my bidding-limit/challenge) and I couldn't find any Universal Remote codes (neither Phillips, nor Chunghop remotes) that would work with it -- completely, that is.

However, on a hunch from some other info elsewhere, I tried some Phillips codes for Vidtech and Video Tech TV's. Surprisingly, 2 different Phillips universal remotes had one half of it and the other had the other half of missing buttons. (Quite strange to have to use one remote to pull up the main menu, and then the other one to use the cursor keys to navigate and select.)

Then I delved further into the discrete codes in a Maestro II remote (it can spit-out discrete codes).

I found that it would send the right codes for MOST of the functions with device type TV, #0178.

Then I played the 3-digit 000 to 255 discrete-code-test game. I came up with this list of codes and functions for this device.

Cable Electronics / CE-Labs Digital Converter Box

Model: HD-100AQ

Universal remote codes. (One for All - Maestro II)

Device type TV/0178 (Vid-Tech - Zenith - HDTV Monitors)

009 -- Aspect Wide/Normal
025 -- Close Caption Select
053 -- Power On/Off
055 -- SAP Audio Channel Select
057 -- Mute
058 -- Sleep Timer
097 -- EPG (On-Screen Program Guide)
116 -- 4
117 -- 0
118 -- 6
119 -- 2
120 -- 5
121 -- 1
122 -- 7
123 -- 3
164 -- Select/Enter/Info
165 -- Up Cursor
169 -- Down Cursor
171 -- Menu
182 -- Right Cursor (Volume Up when info shows)
186 -- Left Cursor (Volume Down when info shows)
200 -- Aspect Ratio Select (4:3 / 16:9)
235 -- Exit
245 -- 8
246 -- Channel Display
247 -- Previous Channel
249 -- 9

(codes repeat after 255)

For the life of me, I CANNOT find codes for:

Up-Channel
Down-Channel
"." (or "-") For inputting stations like 21.2, 5.4, or 21-2, 5-4, etc.

The latter being most important so I can go to the direct channel. By remote, I can input the first 1 or 2 digits of a station, then the converter-box will default to the first station on that number. But if having to go to a station like 29.4, I can only go to station 29.1 (and then do the carpet-shuffle across the room to go press the up/down channel buttons). Without an up/down-channel either, I can't get to those channels by remote. (up/down cursor is not up/down channel, neither is left/right cursor)

Is there any way to search the known codes for ALL devices to compare the ones I found to some other known device, to see if there might be some other brand or unit that has the exact same codes as I already found, but ALSO includes the up/down-channel ones and the "." numeric input character?

It really is a rather nice converter box, HDMI and YPbPr outputs, even switch selectable resolutions-out, 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, can even set single/daily on/off times (to mention a few of its more interesting features).

Would be nice to have it FULLY functional by remote too.

Thanks if you can help!

Is there any way to search the known codes for ALL devices to compare the ones I found to some other known device, to see if there might be some other brand or unit that has the exact same codes as I already found, but ALSO includes the up/down-channel ones and the "." numeric input character?

You can use the lookup tool to see everything that uses the nec1 4, and the jp1-master lets you lookup Nec1 4 upgrades in the file section. But it would probably be easier to retest efcs the "smart way"

I've made an RDMU from the information you provided so far
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=12944

Its probably going to be hard to find the . since the . usually times out.
I would suggest you try
233
251
244
248

If none of those work out, use the RDMU and from the OBC's try to work smart. The OBCs are usually consecutive, so start by filling in gaps in the OBC sequence.

Good luck

Thanks for the quick reply!

I wish I understood any of it though. :-)

Well, I did understand this part, I tried the 4 suggested codes for "." and none worked. (Nor do I understand what you mean by "the smart way".

That "Maestro II" remote I have to test discrete codes works fairly simple to send them. I just press "setup", then the 3 digits I want it to spit out for. (the remote previously set to the device # you want it to send them for)

So to test for "." I would press 1, 1 (to get it ready to go to a channel 11.x), setup, (3 digits to test for ".") to get around any time-out (which would happen if not quick enough).

If nothing else, at least I got another device oddity into your database to help the next person who stumbles on one of these really nice converter boxes. In all the online searches I did, apparently nobody out there has ANY codes for this unit, and the original remotes are non-existent today. So, what I did "the stupid way" should help a few people out there trying to get theirs to work while sitting down. :-)

Though I suspect that I might be in the completely wrong device/brand category. And that Vid-Tech TV brand is just a fluke that those codes would trigger most of them on this CE-Labs thing. That's why I was hoping I could do a look-up for something like: discrete code 121 = Channel 1, to start to check all devices that use that code for that function, until I narrowed it down to one list that had all codes for all similar functions.

Anywho ... back to my "not smart way". :-) Thanks, maybe I'll understand your reply someday. (Though probably not, I don't care enough about this stuff to learn what you mean.)

I'm sorry, it sounds like we got off on the wrong foot.

I did my due dilligence before I posted. There are EFC's that are typically assoicated with the . or - when the other functions correspond with what you found. One is 055 which you found to be SAP, the other is 233 which didn't work.

If you open the upgrade I posted, using the RemoteMaster software, you'll see an OBC column, an EFC column and HEX associated with the various functions.

OBC's generally make sense. So when we are looking for missing functions, we look at the OBCs, and start working from there. You can see you are missing.

OBC EFC Hex.
06 182 9F Right Cursor (Volume Up when info shows)
07 186 1F Left Cursor (Volume Down when info shows)
08 053 EF Power On/Off
09 057 6F Mute
10 055 AF SAP Audio Channel Select
15 058 0F Sleep Timer
16 117 F7 0
17 121 77 1
18 119 B7 2
19 123 37 3
20 116 D7 4
21 120 57 5
22 118 97 6
23 122 17 7
24 245 E7 8
25 249 67 9
26 247 A7 Previous Channel
27 251 27 ?
28 244 C7 ?
29 248 47 ?
30 246 87 Channel Display
57 025 63 Close Caption Select
64 165 FD Up Cursor
65 169 7D Down Cursor
67 171 3D Menu
68 164 DD Select/Enter/Info
89 233 65 ?
91 235 25 Exit
101 200 59 Aspect Ratio Select (4:3 / 16:9)
121 009 61 Aspect Wide/Normal
169 097 6A EPG (On-Screen Program Guide)

OBCs are usually clustered together, as seen here. So we usually start by filling in the gaps.
The software can figure out the EFC's. Its a lot easier to find the missing EFCs if you try to fill in the sequence.

For example OBC's 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, are missing
so we'd try those again first
181
185
183
187
180
184
059
052
056
054
and so on.

Again, good luck

Thanks for the further help. I tried to download all the files needed for RM to see what you were talking about. It took me 2 days to get all the files (and finding where they are all hosted). The network is no longer dial-up friendly for about a decade now.

(Yes, much of the rural-world still has dial-up as its only option. I connect at a whopping 2.6k bandwidth on a good day. They can't even implement the >2.8k vbis protocols of the late 20th century because I live so far from a main trunk). I get 5 megs downloaded per hour on a good-day. And then the dial-up servers further punish you by implementing a mandatory 5-hour connect time-out. Servers that don't allow "resume" with files over 25M in size (most software upgrades today) are out of my reach completely.

One of the files hosted here kept timing out every time. The ONLY file in the files-section that is somehow hidden behind some PHP programming to not allow a direct download. Though I finally just got that 5.2 meg maps & images one by testing the 7th of different browsers I've tried to use. (File download utilities are useless on it.)

But wouldn't you know it, the ONLY remote file that is corrupt and will not load is the "Maestro II" remote that I have. Giving me nothing but a screen-full of "java.????>(UnknownSource) errors.

One frustrating time-wasting dead-end after another.

Again, thanks anyway. But I've already wasted far too much time of my life on this already. When I think of how many occasional sub-channels I could have changed to, in 2 days of time by just getting up to press a button on the box instead of all this ... I'd have been years ahead by not even asking. :-)

Not your fault, you tried.

Well, I still never found the "." character in this box for digital channel selections. But it just dawned on me today how to reach all those sub-channels by remote alone.

I just pull up the EPG, cursor to the channel I want, hit "enter".

D'oH!! :-)

Anyway, on the rare chance anyone else has one of these obscure converter boxes (and they really ARE nice), there's how to make ALL functions fully accessible without having to getcher potato-ass off the couch. :-)

p.s. No more switching between 2 remotes either anymore. I had one other Phillips universal that wasn't being used for anything. If I dedicate it to only that box, I use 2 of the device buttons (programmed to Vidtech TV device #'s 0002 and 0502), so I have all functions on one remote. Most functions (the much-needed cursors especially) work on 0502, but a few, like pulling up the main menu are reached on the button programmed with 0002. Sub-options like sleep, CC, etc. are on assorted buttons between each, things not used often, but are there if you need 'em.