I recently received my MX-900 from surfremotecontrol.com. I have done the following:
I created and named my devices. On the first page of the Watch button I have put the things I want macros to do, ie Watch A DVD or The VCR. On the second page I have put each individual component, ie STB for the cable box or Receivr for my Pioneer. Same w/ the Listen button.
Next I used the IR Database to select my matching components (added them to Page Two as detailed above) and re-arranged the codes to have more popular choices on first page of that device (seemed to me like alot of what I would consider important codes were not present). When I went to test them, many of the LCD buttons do not do what they were named to do. They may do nothing or do something that obviously should be called something else. Also, I thought that non-LCD buttons would work right away but they do not at all.

I am not sure what to do at this point. Any suggestions?

Also, I was surpised that the Motorola 3416 STB was not in the IR database. Any suggestions on what to use? Thanks for any help!

Are you downloading to the remote when you try the commands or using the Test feature? If you're using the Test feature, try downloading instead. If you're still having problems, look for a file here on Remote Central (in the "Files" section) for your components. Finally, if none of that helps, learn the commands from your original remotes to fill in whatever commands are either missing or don't work. Regarding the Motorola, one of the other codes would probably work, but you'd have to try a few from the list. You can also email me if you need additional help.

Mike
www.SurfRemoteControl.com

Hi Mike. Thanks for the suggestions. I am downloading to test. I looked on this site but did not see any files for my equipment (see list below).

I did get the Motorola STB to work on the MX-900 by doing just what you suggested, using one of the other codes (I believe it was Motorola 10 for any future users benefit)- both the LCD and the hard buttons. However, My AVR gives no response at all. And it is specifically listed in the IR database- its a Pioneer VSX-1016TXV-k. Is there something obvious I could have missed here? It does nothing, not even power on/off. The DVD/VCR I have not tested yet.

Thanks for any assistance!

BTW, neat product. I am having fun trying to figure it out.

My equipment: Toshiba 46HM84, Motorola 3416 STB, Toshiba SD-V592 DVD/VCR combo, Pioneer VSX-1016TXV-k AVR, CS Ensemble II, JBL EC35 & E20, URC MX-900 Remote, and lots of cables (none of them Monster).

I believe the 1016 codes in the database are just for the XM radio portion of the receiver. Try the 1015 codes.

Using the 1015 codes worked, thanks. Perhaps you can suggest how to handle the following: When I am watching TV, my cable box remote has most of the controls I need. My receiver remote controls some of the others, most notably the volume. So how do I handle this? Do I set it up to where my device for the cable remote learns the receiver volume or should I create a new device that is a hybrid of the two remote features?

This is real basic stuff. I'll give you a little primer, since I've had too much caffeine :)

First, check out the "Program" menu. It lists the steps in order from 1 to 8. Number 6 is "punch through" - thats what you are looking for. Punch through is used to 'over-ride' some buttons on a page. On the left, choose the page you are dealing with (cable), then on the right you can over-ride the volume and mute buttons and tell it to use the receiver page for those buttons.
Don't create any hybrid device pages for your own sanity. Use punch-through or macro's.

For most of my devices, I'll only end up with 2-3 LCD buttons from the device on page 1 (the only page I really end up using). Don't feel that you need to have 6 buttons from your DVD player up front if you don't actually use all 6 regularly.
Fill in the remaining spaces with buttons you need from other devices (maybe you need a surround mode toggle button or a TV aspect button, whatever suits your fancy). Just type the text in the button, then hit record and navigate to the off-page button you are trying to use. Click it and turn off record.

Another simple tip - use 'program ->edit buttons' to move buttons around. You can also use this to move pages around if you decide the cable doesn't really need to be on page 2.

Use "Tools -> IR Database Browser" to figure out which database has the codes you need, or to fill in missing buttons from other devices. For instance, you may find that you have to hack buttons from several different Toshiba devices to get all the buttons for your VCR/DVD combo.

If you're lucky enough to have a computer that works well with the editor, the buttons will work fine from within the app. Try some codes that you know work otherwise to see. In my case, all codes work just as good from within the app as they do when downloaded (not macro's though). Many experience problems when testing from within the app, so you may need to keep downloading like Surf Remote says.

Thanks ZMass. That was very helpful. I thought Punchtrough might be the answer but the manual explained it so poorly I was not sure.