JP1 Remotes

To JP1-enable the URC-6011/6012, I've read one needs to install a 2K EEPROM. Somewhere, I've also read that they're compatible with ">2K EEprom" where some other remotes have been upgraded to 8K.

1. Are there any advantages to such an upgrade for this remote (or is 2K enough for a 6-device remote)?

2. Anyone know the part number for the compatible 8K EEPROM (if answer to #1 is "yes")

Many thanks!

A 2k EEPROM is more than enough memory for most people. You'll only need more if you plan on installing lots of upgrades and special protocols, etc.

The part number for an 8 chip would be something like 24C64. Remember that you're looking for an 8-pin surface mount chip.

g4macmaniac wrote: 1. Are there any advantages to such an upgrade for this remote (or is 2K enough for a 6-device remote)?

2K is plenty for almost anyone for 6 devices. Sometimes that requires careful planning and tricks to squeeze everything in. Also remember, it's not just a 6-device remote. It has 6 device KEYS. But it has simple support for 8 devices and with tricks you can go far beyond that. So the number of devices you should be thinking about is the number of device you want to control, not the number of devices you think it can control.

More than 2K lets you go wild with DSM's and/or ToadTogs and other extender features to extremely customize your remote without worrying about what fits in which section.

g4macmaniac wrote: 2. Anyone know the part number for the compatible 8K EEPROM (if answer to #1 is "yes")

What Rob said, but also remember that a 6012 has just two batteries, so you will be running the eeprom at a low voltage. Most of the eeprom specs we've seen say the write speed of the eeprom is slower when operated at low voltage. That's fine; IR knows how to go at the speed the eeprom wants. But some eeproms are spec'ed to not work at all at the lower voltage, so check the specs before ordering. With Alkaline batteries, the eeprom in a 6012 will get between 2.1 and 3.1 volts.

Thanks. I think I'm going to try to get the 8K EEPROM, because the cost is incremental, and if I'm soldering anyway... might as well make it more robust. If I find a part number specifically suited to low voltage, I'll post it, after I've verified that it works.

Be aware though that the support for EEPROMs larger than 2k is buggy in this remote. In order to use the remote you will have to use the extender. Furthermore, every brand of EEPROM acts slightly differently (due to the bugs in this remote) so you will need to do some experiments to find the correct settings for the chip that you buy.

Bottom line, be sure that you have read all of the extender documentation and are comfortable that you will be able to make this work.

Rob is right, but just to make sure you don't misunderstand, "buggy" does not mean you end up with a remote whose behavior is buggy or unreliable. It means there is a well understood bug in the way the remote reads the eeprom after each battery reset, upload or download and there is a well established work-around that makes the result come out right despite that bug. So there are some extra steps you have to go through when you first create your JP1 config for an 8K chip that you wouldn't need for a 2K chip.

The extender is needed in order to get any more KeyMoves or Macros from an 8K chip than you'd get from a 2K chip. So you could use an 8K chip without extender but there's no point. The extender is also needed to get a decent KeyMove and Macro capacity and other important features even with a 2K chip.

I'm looking at all the various EEPROM chips out there, and there are a few items that I'm not sure about...

1) I2C versus 2-wire serial bus... does it matter which type?
2) Array configuration: the parts selected here appear to be 8x256x8 (2K byte), and I would presume equivalent 8K compatible ones would be 8x1024x8 (8K Byte).

Some of the below info is out of date. The mouser.com link is bad, for example.

The Robman wrote: Both remotes also require that you solder in an EEPROM chip. A 24C16 chip like 649-71602-306 from mouser.com will do, or 276681CX (scroll down) from Jameco, or the 24LC16B/SN-ND from Digi-Key.

If the part it is supposed to link to is the 24LC16B/SN (part mentioned in digi-key reference), mouser.com's reference is 24LC16B/SN. This is for the 2kB (8x256x8) I2C compatible, 2.5V part. THere is also a 1.8V compatible part (both have Vccmax 5V), which might be better, considering the concern for low voltage issues in write/read access. I would recommend the following:
2K EEPROM: mouser.com ref. 24AA16-I/SN 1.8V min, otherwise same as 24LC16B, same cost too
8K EEPROM: mouser.com ref. 24AA64-I/SN 1.8V minimum voltage, but their 2.5V equivalent version is out of stock.

Digi-key had limited stocks, and I wasn't sure the cross referencing. Mouser.com is better because you can order these in low volume and I think their inventory is better (and price marginally lower).

I would appreciate some advice at least on items 1) and 2) above, before I order my parts from mouser.
Thanks!

The digikey 2.5V 8KByte EEPROM is here

For anyone following this thread, it seems the 8K EEPROM from mouser.com (24AA64-I/SN) did work in my URC-6012 (modified) remote, although I've not gotten any further than the 981 reset sequence 4-blinks.

This EEPROM is 1.8V compatible, but is arranged in 8 blocks of 1024x8, so I'm not sure yet whether it's correct (but it's hard to go wrong -- I'll post if any major issues).

My answer in another thread you started:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewt ... 5463#25463