URC Remote control Woes

[adk highlander]

Ok, I need help. My MX-810 has become more a pain and it is doing some very odd things.

I have done all the programming myself. I'm not new at this, I've setup and programmed remotes from Sony, Logitech, URC and many other universals. I am most familiar with URC and I have both the MX-810 and MX-850.

Recently I installed a MRF-250 to go with the MX-850 which is used in our bedroom system to control a Integra MZA-4.7, DirecTV DVR, DVD, Fireball etc. For some reason the DirecTV boxes had a difficult time with IR transmitted from the remove via the IR receiver keypad unless you were less than 3 feet from it. Using the MRF-250 allows the remote to transmit RF and then send the IR signal in a more direct signal path and it works better.

Now all of a sudden the MX-810 seems unable to control the MZA-4.7 and the DirecTV boxes consistently. I use one of my standard activity macros and the receiver, TV and amp turn on but the sat box only does once in a while. If I then try to control the sat box the 810 I may have to press a button several times for it to work. Meanwhile if I pick up the DirecTV remote the unit works fine so I know it is not an IR reception problem.

I know the 810 also has RF features but for what I know is not compatible with the MRF-250. Is it still possible that the RF output is getting to the 250 (which is 40ft away) and in some way sending double IR signals which are cancelling out?

The 810 will also turn on one other zone of the 4.7 out of the blue. Always this one zone for my wife’s workout gear but in the programming of the remote it is set to "leave alone" that unit.

I have called URC and they will send me a new 810 for $125 bucks because it is out of warranty. I'm not sure my remote is defective because it controls my prepro, Oppo and Fireball without any issues.

Oh and the big reason for this post is that my wife cannot get her stuff to work and that is very bad news for me.

Help please! (Scott this means you.)

 

[jostenmeat]

Wow, adk. You have a lot of rooms to fill, lots of sources, multiple displays, etc. You might one day consider having a pro do something with Crestron/RTI, etc. Fly in Scott, BMX, maybe Midnight.

OK, I doubt redundant commands would cancel each other out.

You said, "now all of a sudden" . . . did anybody recently tinker around the stuff anywhere that things are connected, cleaning, a maid, . . . did you say you were doing wire management soon?

If any of the little emitters are just, and I mean just barely loose at the base station, the signal will not pass. I'm talking less than 1mm loose, which is why this is so hard to diagnose, because at a glance they all looked plugged in. (I know this stuff for a reason ).

Also, one day out of the blue for me, I could not control my Onkyo. I thought "Oh Noez!", maybe the IR sensor just died because of poor quality control! Well, somehow, the IR emitter got moved/slid on the receiver display just enough where it wasn't hitting. Don't ask me how or why, however, the emitter runs underneath the receiver, but the front panel opens downwards (which I need to access to check FW, temp, random nerdy stuff), and that could have pulled on it some.

The above two culprits are some J6P troubleshooters to look into. I'll leave the pro stuff for the others.


p.s. what I don't get is why the zone programmed to be left alone still comes on. Perhaps try re-programming, I dunno there.

 

[adk highlander]

Thanks for all your suggestions Josten.

Wow, adk. You have a lot of rooms to fill, lots of sources, multiple displays, etc. You might one day consider having a pro do something with Crestron/RTI, etc. Fly in Scott, BMX, maybe Midnight.

Mine is not nearly that complex. I should map out what is used in my system to make this easier.

Multizone:

Control Receiver Integra: MZA-4.7 Audio/Video 7 source 4 zone 50w/channel.

Theater:

Prepro: Onkyo 885
Amp: MPS-1
Remote: MX 810
Display: Westinghouse 46" LCD
Projector: HC5500

Shared Sources:

Fireball SE-80
DirecTV HD DVR
DirecTV HD Receiver
DVDR Some cheap thing
Oppo BD-83

Zone 1 - House Audio

Keypad: Integra KEY 5.7
Amp: ADM 2.1
Display: 8 inch LCD
Speaker Selector: Niles
Speakers: 3 pairs 2 inside, one out

Zone 2 - Bedroom

Keypad: Integra KEY 2.7
Remote: MX-850
RF: MRF-250
Display: 27" CRT
Speakers: Polk in ceiling

Zone 3 - Treadmill

IR Reciever: Niles
Remote: MX 810
Display: 19" LCD
Speakers: Old JBL's

The treadmill is tucked away down in the theater so it uses the 810. The 810 will not seem to control this zone now at all. Again it will work with the directv remote so it does not look like a wiring issue. I'm going to reload the programming and see if that helps. It is funny it will not turn it on when I want it too but it will do it out of the blue.

OK, I doubt redundant commands would cancel each other out.

I agree it doesn't make sense I'm just trying to figure this out.

You said, "now all of a sudden" . . . did anybody recently tinker around the stuff anywhere that things are connected, cleaning, a maid, . . . did you say you were doing wire management soon?

I've had some of these issues for a while (the power up issue) but now to not control some components is new.

If any of the little emitters are just, and I mean just barely loose at the base station, the signal will not pass. I'm talking less than 1mm loose, which is why this is so hard to diagnose, because at a glance they all looked plugged in. (I know this stuff for a reason ).

Also, one day out of the blue for me, I could not control my Onkyo. I thought "Oh Noez!", maybe the IR sensor just died because of poor quality control! Well, somehow, the IR emitter got moved/slid on the receiver display just enough where it wasn't hitting. Don't ask me how or why, however, the emitter runs underneath the receiver, but the front panel opens downwards (which I need to access to check FW, temp, random nerdy stuff), and that could have pulled on it some.

The above two culprits are some J6P troubleshooters to look into. I'll leave the pro stuff for the others.


p.s. what I don't get is why the zone programmed to be left alone still comes on. Perhaps try re-programming, I dunno there.

I've checked all of that but the remote that is giving me issues is not using the emitters I'm pointing this directly at the component.

What I want is true source feedback so when you send a command the programming verifies that the command has been executed. Crestron/RIT may be what I end up doing someday but I would really want to be sure these types of issues are not going to pop up. The activity wizard based remote is a big advantage for most over have to do all their macros by hand but I do wish the 810 had the option to use the old MX editor as well.

 

[jostenmeat]

(If only just to keep the thread alive), my cdp remote has been funky too recently. I changed the batteries, and while the remote's performance has always been lackluster, it was particularly poor recently. I'd have to walk up to the cdp, and even then sometimes it doesn't take.

I wonder if some remotes just sort of die. In any case, I programmed a stereo macro into my RF20, and now I just have to grab the remote and bring it to either room. I have now stowed away both my integrated's and cdp's remotes. (I love my RF20, though it's cheap, and I get what I pay for, it's a great value.)


A) I have an idea: Buy the $125 remote. If it is indeed the new remote that solves it, then great, and you can try cloning the original remote off the new one (assuming you do an "original" programming for the new unit) to see if the programming went corrupt somehow (which it seems could be the case??).

B) If, OTOH, your problem still exists, and fear that you just wasted $125, I will offer to buy it from you. At that price, it's slightly better than half off the Amazon "price in cart", and its Lutron capability is something that might be desired by me. Good for me, good for you, one big happy family.


edit: Ok, I reread the OP. Hmm, I would call URC again, hopefully you might be able to talk to someone who has a greater technical grasp for troubleshooting. The unwanted commands on the other systems might have some hidden toggle/disable function maybe . . . ?

This is indeed strange. Hmmm.

 

[adk highlander]

Ok after an hour or so of doing some deleting and adding of sources, rebuilding the activities, turning off all RF I'm back to a functional system.

I'm not 100% sure if it was the RF or just corrupt code. I should have been more methodical but I'm tired.

The pisser is it still turned on the treadmill zone once when I turned the system off to test everything. It happend once out of 4 or 5 power cycles.

Thanks for the offer with the remote but I would have to send the one I have back to get another.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hm. Well, I guess it's more positive than not.

So, what whisky are you going to pour?

 

[bandphan]

Ok, I need help. My MX-810 has become more a pain and it is doing some very odd things.

I have done all the programming myself. I'm not new at this, I've setup and programmed remotes from Sony, Logitech, URC and many other universals. I am most familiar with URC and I have both the MX-810 and MX-850.

Recently I installed a MRF-250 to go with the MX-850 which is used in our bedroom system to control a Integra MZA-4.7, DirecTV DVR, DVD, Fireball etc. For some reason the DirecTV boxes had a difficult time with IR transmitted from the remove via the IR receiver keypad unless you were less than 3 feet from it. Using the MRF-250 allows the remote to transmit RF and then send the IR signal in a more direct signal path and it works better.

Now all of a sudden the MX-810 seems unable to control the MZA-4.7 and the DirecTV boxes consistently. I use one of my standard activity macros and the receiver, TV and amp turn on but the sat box only does once in a while. If I then try to control the sat box the 810 I may have to press a button several times for it to work. Meanwhile if I pick up the DirecTV remote the unit works fine so I know it is not an IR reception problem.

I know the 810 also has RF features but for what I know is not compatible with the MRF-250. Is it still possible that the RF output is getting to the 250 (which is 40ft away) and in some way sending double IR signals which are cancelling out?

The 810 will also turn on one other zone of the 4.7 out of the blue. Always this one zone for my wife’s workout gear but in the programming of the remote it is set to "leave alone" that unit.

I have called URC and they will send me a new 810 for $125 bucks because it is out of warranty. I'm not sure my remote is defective because it controls my prepro, Oppo and Fireball without any issues.

Oh and the big reason for this post is that my wife cannot get her stuff to work and that is very bad news for me.

Help please! (Scott this means you.)

Glad to see you have it working. As for the rf, yes 40' is nothing for it to hit. Also do you have the latest firmware with the 880?

 

[adk highlander]

Hm. Well, I guess it's more positive than not.

So, what whisky are you going to pour?

Ha. No I'm trying to cut back on drinking during the week. I do enough during the weekends after skiing. I was tired last night. I crashed right after posting.

Glad to see you have it working. As for the rf, yes 40' is nothing for it to hit. Also do you have the latest firmware with the 880?

Did you mean the 810 or 850? I've updated the software but did not do the firmware check. I will check both. Thanks.

 

[bandphan]

Ha. No I'm trying to cut back on drinking during the week. I do enough during the weekends after skiing. I was tired last night. I crashed right after posting.



Did you mean the 810 or 850? I've updated the software but did not do the firmware check. I will check both. Thanks.

810 sleep posting

 

[ParadigmDawg]

This is a simple issue Craig.

The Emo is causing all the issues. Throw it down the mountain and all will be well again...

 

[adk highlander]

This is a simple issue Craig.

The Emo is causing all the issues. Throw it down the mountain and all will be well again...

Don't get me started. I've got one channel that won't turn off with the trigger. I sent it down once and they fixed one and when it came back a different one will not go out. To their defense they will cover shipping both ways to fix it again but I will not have any sound while it is gone.

I was looking at those earthquake amps warp linked to in another thread. Hmm 300wpc x 7.

 

[jostenmeat]

Wow, you too adk? I think that settles it, as the last straw. I don't think I'll ever buy Emotiva.

I'm hunting around right now. Is it true that there is no included manual with the 810, as it's part of the pro series?

One person believes the software for the 810 in particular to be buggy compared to other URC offerings, and then I found this interesting tidbit, but I take with some salt because I think he's also trying to sell his services:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17129741&postcount=14

Mm well I guess that doesn't help you.

For the time being, I would create an off button for the treadmill room on your other macro(s). Least amount of hassle to deal with this, um, hassle. (picked that tip up from someone trying to learn how to turn off a wall of TVs).

This thread talks a bit about Windows XP being better than Vista for programming, and talks about updating Pro Wizard to latest version, and something weird about running it as "administrator" to do so.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1207397

A tip I just read, and I'm guessing something you've probably figured out already, is saving your programming work on the computer, as you can't upload the remote's programming directly to computer.

Hm, well after some browsing, I do wonder if it's the remote, but that would be totally lame to throw away $125 to find out that it isn't. In the case you ever did, hopefully you have the program saved on your computer.

(I realize the above doesn't solve anything . . .)

 

[adk highlander]

Wow, you too adk? I think that settles it, as the last straw. I don't think I'll ever buy Emotiva.

I can honestly say it will be hard for me to buy another one. The XPR-7 that is not out yet looks very nice but I don't know.

I'm hunting around right now. Is it true that there is no included manual with the 810, as it's part of the pro series?

One person believes the software for the 810 in particular to be buggy compared to other URC offerings, and then I found this interesting tidbit, but I take with some salt because I think he's also trying to sell his services:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17129741&postcount=14

Mm well I guess that doesn't help you.

Another forum member here has helped me get access to the version of software that the installers use and I would say it is as easy to use as the harmony software.

For the time being, I would create an off button for the treadmill room on your other macro(s). Least amount of hassle to deal with this, um, hassle. (picked that tip up from someone trying to learn how to turn off a wall of TVs).

Good Idea the only issue with this is that when this occurs the remote has gone back to the main activity screen and I don't think I can put a source control button there. I will have to look.

This thread talks a bit about Windows XP being better than Vista for programming, and talks about updating Pro Wizard to latest version, and something weird about running it as "administrator" to do so.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1207397

At first when I went to vista I had issues with the remote downloading correctly via usb but it seems ok now. I know my software is up to date but bandphan suggested I check the firmware as well.

A tip I just read, and I'm guessing something you've probably figured out already, is saving your programming work on the computer, as you can't upload the remote's programming directly to computer.

Hm, well after some browsing, I do wonder if it's the remote, but that would be totally lame to throw away $125 to find out that it isn't. In the case you ever did, hopefully you have the program saved on your computer.

(I realize the above doesn't solve anything . . .)

I always save as a new file before I start an editing session that way if something goes crazy I can always go back to an earlier version. I don't think there is a way on the 810 to store the file on it I believe you have to save it locally.

I will probably just deal with it for a while. I want to buy a little home server and start ripping old DVD's, music and try Blu-rays as well. I'm annoyed that I cannot put a larger drive in my fireball and I want to rerip some stuff in FLAC and if I do that the HD will not hold all my stuff. I can use the server to store the files and use the fireball's interface to play the music.

 

[bandphan]

Craig, shoot me your mx file..(s)

 

[adk highlander]

PM sent. Thanks Scott.