Alba DVD129 DVD player

[AliSmith]

1. Device: ALBA DVD129
2. Type of device: DVD
3. JP1 Remote model: URC-8040
4. JP1 user? Yes
5. Still have original remote? Yes
6. Checked Yahoo file section? Yes
7. Checked Pronto file section (at R/C)? Yes

I've tried using the learning facility on my JP1 remote, but get strange results from some keys. For example this the list I got for the numeric keys:

Key: Numeric 1
Frequency: 38095
Sent once when key is pressed:
+8950 -2316 +550 -96454 +8950 -2316 +550 -96454 +8950 -2316 +576 -130494

Key: Numeric 2
Protocol: NEC
Device: 0
OBC: 27
Hex: 27
EFC: 251

Key: Numeric 3
Frequency: 38277
Sent Once When Key Pressed:
+8908 -2366 +574 -96436 +8908 -2366 +574 -96436 +8908 -2366 +574 -96436 +8908 -2366 +574 -96436 +8908 -2366 +574 -96436 +8908 -2366 +574 -96436 +8908 -2366 +548 -130522

Key: Numeric 4
Protocol: NEC1
Device: 0
OBC: 22
Hex: 97
EFC: 118

Key: Numeirc 0
Frequency: 37914
Sent Once When Key Pressed:
+2476 -8790 +7304 -89716 +2240 -9046 +7304 -89716 +2240 -9046 +7304 -89716 +2240 -9046 +7304 -89716 +2240 -9046 +7304 -89716 +2240 -9046 +7304 -89716 +2240 -9046 +552 -130518

And so on.

Any suggestions? I can't get any device codes known to the JP1 remote to work the on/off button, so I guess the DVD is not a device known to the remote.

I did find a file 'alba-dvd-dvd103.zip' on the Pronto File section, and downloaded it, then decoded it as suggested in the FAQ for this forum, but couldn't see anything in it that seemed of any relevance to my problem. Maybe the DVD103 is a totally different device from my DVD129.

Thanks

[johnsfine]

Key: Numeric 1
Frequency: 38095
Sent once when key is pressed:
+8950 -2316 +550 -96454 +8950 -2316 +550 -96454 +8950 -2316 +576 -130494

That indicates you pressed the 1 on the Alba remote before the 8040 was ready to learn.

I think the 8040 is ready to learn immediately after you press the key on the 8040 onto which you will be learning. Maybe you got confused and pressed keys in the wrong order, or maybe the 8040 needs a fraction of a second delay that I'm not aware of (I've never used one).

Anyway, if you need that learned signal you'll need to relearn it.

[johnsfine]

I did find a file 'alba-dvd-dvd103.zip' on the Pronto File section, and downloaded it, then decoded it as suggested in the FAQ for this forum, but couldn't see anything in it that seemed of any relevance to my problem.

Its DVD signals are NEC1 protocol, device 0 (like your signals), but with subdevice 153.

I expect that model uses a different set of IR commands entirely. But it is still a good idea to double check the decodes of any of your signals that were learned correctly, to make sure the subdevice field was always blank.

Quite a while ago, I made a speadsheet of all the different DVD signal sets I had found that use NEC1 protocol with device 0 and no subdevice. I just checked that spreadsheet and the two digits you learned correctly don't match any code set on that sheet. I probably need to update that sheet because a few people have mentioned DVD models since then that are also missing from that sheet.

But lacking that, and lacking someone else recognising your code set from the two correctly learned signals, you may need to do a lot of learning to get correct learns for every command. The ones that say NEC or NEC1 (maybe there will even be some NEC2) will be correct. The ones that don't decode or that decode to garbage need to be relearned.

You can delete all the learned signals in each batch after saving the OBC numbers of the good ones and verifying that the device is 0 and subdevice missing for each of them.

[johnsfine]

Maybe the DVD103 is a totally different device from my DVD129.

Since I was looking at NEC1:0 codes anyway, I grabbed the data for the Alba DVD108 and added that to my spreadsheet. It doesn't match the 103, nor the 129, nor does it match anything previously in the spreadsheet (though half of it including all the digits matches the Mico A980S).

It doesn't seem that Alba is very consistent about IR signals across DVD models.

If you upload a KM or RM file for your upgrade once that's done, I'll add it to my spreadsheet (assuming you confirm the subdevice field really is blank).

[AliSmith]

Yes, the signals I've received and decoded are have a blank subdevice field. I'll post the RM file once I've done all the decoding. Thanks for the input.

I managed to get a sensible code now for one of the codes that was 'rubbish' before, so I think it's just a case of tedious trial-and-error, and I will eventually get rid of the 'error' part of it!

BTW, theURC8040 does indeed go instantly into listening mode when you press the target key (or at least it goes blank), but it may be that I still have to wait a second or two first before pressing the source key. Not sure really, but I will experiment.

[johnsfine]

Your posted versions of '1' and '3' look very much like you pressed the Alba button too soon.

But your posted version of '0' looks like a more serious problem. My best guess is batteries in the Alba remote.

As batteries get low, the remote stops working right as a source for learning, long before it stops working for operating the actual device.

If the Alba remote uses ordinary batteries, replace them.

If it uses some obscure lithium battery, then you may want to try to get the codes learned despite that bad battery.

Bad batteries get worse as you use them (of course) but get better again when they rest for a while. So if you must learn with bad batteries, use shorter presses on the Alba remote and smaller batches of learned signals before uploading.

Now that you know the signal is NEC1, it won't matter that a short press will tend to decode as "NEC" (meaning DecodeIr can't tell whether it is NEC1 or NEC2).

[AliSmith]

Yes, I've got proper codes for the '1' and '3' keys now, and I had already changed the batteries, as I wondered if that might be a factor. So it's all looking more sensible now!

Maybe the 'error' part of the 'trial-and-error' wont be too demanding!