JP1 Remotes

Pulse wrote:I have probably been doing everything ass about face by sending signals to the ir widget from the Harmony then exporting to notepad UEIlearned then cutting and pasting into IR802 learned signals and assigning to buttons but it all seems to work.

When you learn the signals using IRWidget, does it display any information about the signal, such as the protocol, device code and OBC? If it does, what you really should be doing is building an upgrade using this information, rather than cut & pasting the learned signals over to your JP1 remote.

Pulse wrote:...Thanks for your reply and link, I'm quite new to JP1 so am not sure what a "phantom device slot " is, can you tell me how to find out so I can tell you.

Also I had to open the URC7940 with a spatula and solder in a 6 pin header...

Re. "Phantom device slot":
e.g. Insignia 67100 has 4 device buttons but also has electronics for four more devices: dev1, dev3, dev7, and dev8. I wondered if your 4-device-button 7940 might have the same electronics as the 7950, which has 5 devices, so you might thus still have a 5th device accessible with JP1, perhaps as 'dev1' .

I have only tried RMIR and posted an image for Insignia, incl. dev1 for Blu-Ray SC-BTT370, in the diagnosis file section: https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=11336 - On the first, 'general' page, of RMIR you can see 'dev1' being used for the home theatre device for SC-BTT370. It was based on the RMIR 'upgrade' file for URC7950 and re-specified in RMIR for Insignia. There is only one Macro in use (as distinct from the DSMs which Insignia, but not 7950, offers in the special functions tab) and you will see how a key on all devices, 'CCD', has been set up with this macro to act as device button for SC-BTT370, together with its Tv input Hdmi (allocated to TV's Phantom2 button) for that device.

[Now, I cannot remember how I got this upgrade to be used by dev1 but perhaps it was automatically allocated when an extra upgrade (in addition to those on four buttons intended for device selection) was added to the image and perhaps Vyrolan or Vickyg2003 or The Robman would kindly clarify how it can be done!]

Re. "6 pin header":
Interesting that you had no six pin header and had to solder one in. In our 7930 there are not even any holes so assumed it would not have the printed circuit on the board either. Does 7940 have the holes and circuit or did you have to wire the header in somehow?

The Robman wrote:

Pulse wrote:I have probably been doing everything ass about face by sending signals to the ir widget from the Harmony then exporting to notepad UEIlearned then cutting and pasting into IR802 learned signals and assigning to buttons but it all seems to work.

When you learn the signals using IRWidget, does it display any information about the signal, such as the protocol, device code and OBC? If it does, what you really should be doing is building an upgrade using this information, rather than cut & pasting the learned signals over to your JP1 remote.

Rob is definitely correct here. You should build device upgrades for your equipment rather than using lots of learned signals. It will be much simpler and easier. There are instructions in JP1 - Just How Easy Is It and also in Vicky's IR Help.

vickyg2003 wrote:

Pulse wrote:For example I have assigned the volume signals of my Naim amplifier to vol up, vol down, on DVD, SAT,TV,VCR as I only ever use the sound from the amp.

Moste of us use, VPT (Volume Punch Through) to do this. On the general tab, you'll note VPT status; VPT Device; and flag for each device DVD, SAT, TV, VCR.

Once you have everything working as device upgrades, Vicky's advice is spot on. Basically with VPT, you are saying "no matter what device I have selected, send volume commands to one specific device". That is exactly what you are doing...you want to send Volume commands to your amp no matter what other device you're using.

Pulse wrote:

Tried several others but think they are very nice little remotes and we also have a URC7930, 3 devices and learning, but unfortunately that lacks the connection pins for JP1.3. Does URC7940 have a phantom device slot, perhaps termed 'dev1', as well as phantom buttons, please?

Thanks for your reply and link, I'm quite new to JP1 so am not sure what a "phantom device slot " is, can you tell me how to find out so I can tell you.

It would seem that the URC7940 does NOT have phantom devices, and so that will limit what you can do, you may have to do what Vicky suggested and use multiplexing:

vickyg2003 wrote: Don't forget multiplexing. Multiplexing can help you squeeze an extra device onto a smaller remote, or it can change what the buttons do on a device, for activity based use. For example I want my regualar users of my DVD recorder to have standard transport keys, but when I edit DVDs I want totally different functions so I have control for precise scene delete functions.

Put simply, multiplexing lets you use one device button for two devices, but only one at a time. Imagine you had a DVD player and a Blu-ray player, and you want to use multiplexing to control both of them with the DVD device button. Well you might make two macros...the first you put on Shift + Red and it basically assigns the DVD button to control your DVD player. Then you might use Shift + Green to make it control your Blu-ray player. So in the end, hitting Shift + Red would be the same as "program the DVD button to control your DVD player" and hitting Shift + Green would be the same as "program the DVD button to control your Blu-ray player". You can't use them at the same time, but it does work. Hopefully that makes sense.

tranx wrote:[Now, I cannot remember how I got this upgrade to be used by dev1 but perhaps it was automatically allocated when an extra upgrade (in addition to those on four buttons intended for device selection) was added to the image and perhaps Vyrolan or Vickyg2003 or The Robman would kindly clarify how it can be done!]

High praise listing me with those two. =p I'm guessing you are correct and it was auto-allocated, but also you can configure them anyway you want anytime you want. If you look on the Devices tab, you can see that your SC-BTT370 has type "Amp" and setup code "2013"...so on the General tab, you can just go to any device (real or phantom) and pick "Amp" and use "2013" as the setup code. It's no different than picking a type and setup code that is built-in to the remote.

Vyrolan wrote:It would seem that the URC7940 does NOT have phantom devices, and so that will limit what you can do, you may have to do what Vicky suggested and use multiplexing:

It sure would seem that way, but I think there is something wrong with the RDF. Basically this remote shares a signature with the 7950. That almost always means there will be a phantom device on a remote like this.

I went looking for a new RDF but couldn't find one that had more devices.

vickyg2003 wrote:

Vyrolan wrote:It would seem that the URC7940 does NOT have phantom devices, and so that will limit what you can do, you may have to do what Vicky suggested and use multiplexing:

It sure would seem that way, but I think there is something wrong with the RDF. Basically this remote shares a signature with the 7950. That almost always means there will be a phantom device on a remote like this.

I went looking for a new RDF but couldn't find one that had more devices.

Yea I noticed that too and also could not find any newer RDF. It's possible that it may be there...I agree that it seems exceedingly likely that it is there. Without having one of them to mess around with though, I can do little more than sit back and wax philosophical on the topic. =)

Thanks Vyrolan. Yes, I tried again and found that in the Device tab, when a device is being added with 'new' and then 'open' and selecting a saved upgrade, you are asked to select which button to assign it to.

If no device button is selected then, in the 'general' tab's page, one of them can have its device code and device type edited to suit the new upgrade, which is thus adopted by that device button, as you explained

Vyrolan wrote:

vickyg2003 wrote:

Vyrolan wrote:It would seem that the URC7940 does NOT have phantom devices, and so that will limit what you can do, you may have to do what Vicky suggested and use multiplexing:

It sure would seem that way, but I think there is something wrong with the RDF. Basically this remote shares a signature with the 7950. That almost always means there will be a phantom device on a remote like this.

I went looking for a new RDF but couldn't find one that had more devices.

Yea I noticed that too and also could not find any newer RDF. It's possible that it may be there...I agree that it seems exceedingly likely that it is there. Without having one of them to mess around with though, I can do little more than sit back and wax philosophical on the topic. =)

What would you need to do something to the 7940 RDF? Is there possibly something useful which I could post from 7950?

Does 7940 have the holes and circuit or did you have to wire the header in somehow?

There were existing holes in the PCB, I just soldered in the headers

I'm assuming your AMP is using one of your device keys.

No I havn't put the Amp as a Device

Rob is definitely correct here. You should build device upgrades for your equipment rather than using lots of learned signals. It will be much simpler and easier. There are instructions in JP1 - Just How Easy Is It and also in Vicky's IR Help.

This is where I think I have been doing things in an unsual way.
As my TV is an old Phillips Matchline with an analogue tuner (the analogue signal is being switched off soon in NZ) and is really only a dumb screen so only need ,ON, OFF, as I use the SAT STB to change channel record etc I thought it was wasted to setup as a device on a remote with limited buttons. Same with the Amplifier only need ON, OFF, INPUT and VOLUME so havnt setup as a Device.

I just want to take a moment to say thanks to everyone for thier input and help, it seems to be a very friendly forum.
I'm glad I persevered with JP1 as I was just about to give up after waiting 2 months for a CA-42 cable from Dealextreme then the driver refusing to install, then Tommy Tylers store being closed for awhile due to his health. I'ts all coming together now tho and the Harmony has been sitting on the charger untouched for 3 weeks now.

What would you need to do something to the 7940 RDF? Is there possibly something useful which I could post from 7950?

Can I supply a file from the 7940 that would be useful to anyone?