Custom Mode Name not working

[Capn Trips]

Building an URC 8910(old style) w/extender 1 upgrade for a Sony SD RPTV, Denon Receiver, Panny DVD, and Motorola Cable Box. Individual upgrades work (and are being tweaked) but the Custom Mode Name function of the extender is kicking my butt.

I have used this Special Protocol on HT Pros and 2117's so I think I know what I'm doing, but for the life of me, I can't get the display to display what I want, rather, it just displays the default device type and code.

I've posted my IR file HERE.

The Custom Mode Names are assigned to each Device's "x-shifted phantom 3", which is called in the "phantom 3" macro, or directly in each device selection macro - I think.

Would appreciate someone taking a quick look and telling me what stupid mistake I'm making.

[andyross]

On mine, it's a keymove from MISC/1107 (and a bunch of hex codes) to XSHIFT-CBL. It is then the LAST thing called from the CBL device key macro. To work, you have to hit the device key, or some macro has to call the device key.

A copy of my IR file is here:
http://home.att.net/~andyross/URC-8910Ext.IR

[Nils_Ekberg]

It looks like the CD device macro should work the LCD OK but I don't see Xshift-Phantom used in the other device macros

[ElizabethD]

Capn Trips, Just a wild guess after quick look - I think SET_LCD and Custom name (xshift-phantom3) should not be together. Use one or the other. Since you basically have one, cool, common macro there, it shouldn't be too rough to try. Maybe it'll work I can check when I get home.

Edited:
I got home. I looked. I put it into my 8910s (old and new). I have NO answer whatsoever. I have few observations, so perhaps someone else can chip in:
1. To enable the extender, as soon as I push the TV key and before Power, the LCD says CABLE. Suggests broken extender code? ASM change?
2. Aux device has no setup code, that might explain the problem on the HT key.
3. All except one device display CABLE and not the standard names, nor your custom name.
4. Receiver displays CABLE 1161, other devices match the settings except TV which displays 0000. Its setup code is 1493.
5. You've built this sort of things before, so I doubt that the sequence of keys in the macros is bad, though I'd think xshift-phantom3 needs to see a distinct device which I'm not 100% sure applies in this instance.

Sorry, Capn, I've learned cool tricks from reading your posts and was hoping to return the favor, but this is well over my head

[ElizabethD]

Well, another quick look: I only see the Misc1107 on the general tab, the other protocols, LKP and ToadTog aren't, but they're called from macros, I think.

[alex750]

The Custom Mode Names are assigned to each Device's "x-shifted phantom 3", which is called in the "phantom 3" macro, or directly in each device selection macro - I think.

Sounds like my problem--custom names work OK, except on HT and Shift-HT.

Kudos to Nils Ekberg for the debugging info...everything else works OK!

As Capn Tripps does, I have the custom mode names for HT assigned to DVD-XShift-Phantom3 and VCR-Xshift-Phantom3, respectively. In the first case, it's called in a DSM (on DVD-Xshift-1) nested in the HT device selector macro; in the second, it's called directly from the Shift-HT macro (after DEV_VCR).

For debugging, I reassigned the custom names to DVD-XShift-3 and VCR-XShift-3, so I can call them manually. They work when used this way, but not in the macros.

Here's something I'm considering, from an idea I used for the AUX "device stub" macro:

DEV_AUD
SET_VOL_KEYS
SET_MENU_KEYS
SET_CHAN_KEYS
SET_PIP_KEYS
SET_TRANS_KEYS
SET_OTHER_KEYS
DEV_AUX
Shift-Phantom3 (displays "MAC MINI")
DEV_CANCEL

Note the last 3 instructions: control is briefly transferred to the AUX device, which has a single DSM...the custom name. Control is then tossed back to DEV_AUD. In this case, it works.

For the record, I'm planning on adding a Keyspan USB remote to the Mac, for control of iTunes, the Finder, and other apps via infrared; the device upgrade for this will eventually go in DEV_AUX.

However, the extender docs suggest there's something funny about the HT device key...those I have state that "MySys" (the equivalent of "HT" on a 2117?) won't display custom names, if SET_LCD is used.

[alex750]

It works!

Here's how I did it:
1. Remove any SET_LCD or custom name instructions from the HT key macro (and its shifted and Xshifted variants). Place the custom device name(s) you want for the HT key on an actual device you'll be using in HT mode, e.g., DVD-Xshift-3. (It's probably a good idea to use a key within the subset you're using in HT; don't use SAT-XSHIFT-PREV if you don't have SET_CHAN_KEYS set to SAT, for instance.)
2. In your actual device setup macro (e.g., M3 for HT with DVD), you would then append the following AFTER the HT key:

DEV_DVD
XSHIFT-3
Dev_Cancel

q.v., the entire M3 macro might look like

Code: Select all

DEV_AUD
Phantom1       ;discrete on
4              ;DVD digital in
REC            ;Dolby Digital
DEV_TV
XSHIFT-1       ;DSM for discrete on w/delay
DEV_VCR
SHIFT-Phantom1 ;discrete off
DEV_CBL
SHIFT-Phantom1 ;discrete off w/ToadTog
DEV_DVD
XSHIFT-1       ;DSM for discrete on w/ToadTog, delay, open tray
Home_Theater
DEV_DVD        ;temporarily jump to the device to grab...
XSHIFT-3       ;the custom name! (in my case, "CINMA DGTL")
Dev_Cancel     ;returns control to HT key

I don't use LDKP (yet), but it should work with macros assigned to such keys as well (e.g., placing the above on DKP-DVD).

One caveat: don't hit any device keys after doing this, until you're ready to exit HT mode. Otherwise, the custom name will disappear, unless you invoke it directly from within HT mode--hence the recommendation above.

I'll snag your IR file, and see what I can do with it.

[alex750]

I've posted the edited file in the diagnosis area. Hope this helps.

Briefly:

(1) Remember to begin any device selection in this extender with a DEV_XXX instruction (e.g., DEV_CBL, DEV_TV, etc.) Otherwise, the remote has no way of knowing which device you, or your macro, refer to.

(2) It's not necessary to assign special protocols to device keys. Just call it in your macro or KeyMove, and it'll work.

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