Hi Ron, thanks for the detailed reply.
I’ll quote bits of your message below and interspersed with my comments and questions.
On 05/26/04 08:43, Ron Aronson said...
First thing, you are confusing SETUP codes with
DEVICE codes. Device codes are the codes you
use in your universal remote to assign a particular
brand of TV, for example, to the TV key on the
remote. This can be 2, 3, or 4 digits, depending
on the remote.
Setup codes are the codes used for OFA/RS remotes
to access discrete codes. To use them, you have
to assign a device code to the vcr key which will
then operate your vcr.
So, there are three distinct types of codes: Setup, Device, and Discrete?
DISCRETE CODES are 3-digit numbers from 000 to 255 (and multiples thereof), corresponding to certain commands on the target device, varying depending on what device code has been entered, correct?
But I’m still not clear on the distinction between SETUP and DEVICE codes. Here is the procedure you described (shortened a bit):
Now, here is the procedure for accessing the discrete
code.
1. Get an OFA 8810/8811.
2. Load the DEVICE code into the vcr key. Coincidentally,
both OFA and RS remotes use similar device codes,
which are 0060, 0035, etc. Just load any one
which operates your GE VCR.
3. Remember, these DEVICE codes are not the same
as SETUP codes, even though they have the same
numbers assigned.
4. After you get the remote to operate your vcr,
you then press the SET button on the 8810.
Then you press the 3 digits for the discrete
code (either 205 or 512), which will send a signal
to the vcr, which should then change the tape
speed.
I will repeat
that the vcr device code has nothing to do with
the setup code, so finding a vcr with a "device"
code that assigns discrete codes 000,256, or 512,
will not work because the device code is not the
same as a setup code.
I see where you use the DEVICE code in the above procedure, but where do you use the SETUP code? Is there a typo or something missing, or am I missing something?
Another thing that’s confusing is that on the hifi-remote.com site, the SETUP and DEVICE codes seem to be the same thing. At least, they correlate by brand and for my GE VCR produce an almost identical list of codes.
The SETUP codes are on these pages, listed by brand:
[Link: hifi-remote.com] [Link: hifi-remote.com] (VCR codes)
While the DEVICE codes are on these pages, listed by code number, and showing what brands they work for:
[Link: hifi-remote.com] [Link: hifi-remote.com] (VCR codes)
The SETUP pages list these codes for a GE VCR:
- 0035, 0048, 0060, 0202, 0240
The DEVICE pages contain one additional code:
- 0035, 0048, 0060, 0202, 0240, 0522
So are these all the same thing, either DEVICE or SETUP codes? If so, which? Or if there is a difference, then my previous question remains: where do you use the SETUP codes?
Finally, before I abandon my hypothetical method for using a cheap universal remote to access the Tape Speed command on my GE VCR, a couple questions:
1) Does the discrete code for a certain command cause the OFA to send the exact same signal as a device’s original remote sent for that command?
2) Is the signal an OFA sends for a given discrete code (e.g. 512) always exactly the same regardless of what device it has been set up for, i.e. what device code has been entered?
If the answer to both questions is yes, then an OFA set up with, for example, a Panasonic VCR device code should send exactly the same signal for discrete code 512 as it would if set up with a Sony VCR device code.
And if this discrete code 512 corresponds with "Stop" on the Sony and "Rewind" on the Panasonic, then the signal sent would also be the same as that produced by pressing Stop on the original Sony remote or pressing Rewind on the original Panasonic remote. Meaning that pressing Stop on the Sony remote should cause the Panasonic VCR to rewind.
That is the premise of my suggestion. If it is true, then I could look on the hifi-remote.com site for a VCR brand where the discrete code for a common command like "Play" is the same as the one used for "Speed" on my GE VCR (e.g. 512). Then I would set the cheap universal remote to emulate that other VCR brand, hit the Play button, and hopefully send the same signal my GE VCR expects for "Speed", and change the speed.
But for this to work, the answers to questions 1 & 2 above would both have to be yes.
I hope that makes sense! It took forever to write.
G’night!
