Hello, I hope I'm starting in the right location. Just to start off, I apologize for any ignorance on my part. I'm not a true remote techie but I'm trying to learn.

I guess I'll give a little bit of background. I had a retail home theater shop set up a system: Fujistu 55" plasma, Rotel 1056 receiver, B&W speakers 5.1, dishnetwork and DirecTV receivers, VCR, and DVD Player, all being used with the RC5400 Marantz Remote.

I decided I wanted to add a music server, but then realized I'd like to save my home movies (recorded on a Sony DVD video recorder) on a server too because the small discs get scratched and lost easy. So I built my own PC with the idea I'd have this as another component in my home theater setup and I could still use only the Marantz remote.

I hooked everything up and then thought in order to program the Marantz to the Music server I'd have to buy a remote for the PC, program that remote, and then learn it to the Marantz. So I bought a PC remote control called an, Imon Ahanix, 38KHz frequency, IR.

Then I built in visual basic, a real simple GUI interface for all the tasks for this PC. "Play Home Movies", "Listen to Music", "Surf the Internet", "Shut Down", "Exit to windows".

Just a couple of simple buttons that show up when the computer starts up so anybody can press a button and it'll launch the appropriate program.

Each button has a "hotkey" like "cntrl X" for exit button, "cntl P" for play movies. I programmed that into the imon, which works. Press 1-6 on the iMON remote and it does the right thing.

Then I downloaded the latest version of Wizzit and the latest firmware off the marantz site and added the Media Server to the remote successfully. From the main menu on the marantz it'll switch over to the correct Video2 component. I built the same buttons "Listen to Music" etc. on the marantz but when I tried to learn the codes from the Imon, no dice.

I get the "learn beep" when I have the remotes facing each other in learn mode, but the Marantz isn't learning those tasks. I'm missing something, I guess I was naivee thinking it would be straightforward. I'm hoping I'm just missing some step, because for both "play home movies" and "listen to music" buttons I wanted to create sub-menus for the marantz so most everything can be done by the marantz.

Am I dreaming for something that's not possible, or just missing a couple key steps? Sorry for the excess detail, wasn't sure what was necessary.

-Mani

Its probobly an IRDA Protocal which most learning remote controls have issues with. Sometimes it just takes relearning over and over again, and eventually it takes. Make sure youve got fresh batteries in both remotes (Well... Make sure the marantz is Fully charged)

Please post what the Marantz DOES learn off the imon remote. Properties and double click on the "Learned IR Command" and past that here....

I'd be interested in playing with that Front end ya got.... I'm in the proces of putting a PC in my car with a 7" Monitor n-Dash.... Something simple like that would be cool.

Thanks for the response. When I get home I'll try again because the Marantz was NOT fully charged, I didn't realize that could be an issue. I'll reply as soon as I get my results.

When I'm done tweaking the front end I can definitely forward it to ya (have to build a little installation package, unless you have VB I can send you the code), it just launches a couple programs without ever having to go into windows. Trying to make it so my wife or anyone can click a button and watch a movie or listen to music. I really don't want anyone getting into the PC itself and changing stuff around so I password protected it. Maybe I could build a setup screen and make that an option...hmmm...

THANK YOU for the detail you included here! So many people, when starting out, do not realize that they are asking impossibly vague questions, and it is sometimes like pulling teeth to get the thread to the point where you were when you started!

Since you are having problems with the learning process, I suggest that you try all the different things that can make learning work right.

And to make things go faster, I suggest an unusual approach. Add a panel. Name the panel after just ONE of the commands. Put several buttons on the page, maybe 1 - 6. Then figure out six different ways to learn the command:
tap the button
hold the button down for a tiny amount of time
hold the button down until the remote indicates it has finished learning the command
do each of these with the remote near the Marantz
do each of these with the remote about 6", then again at 12", from the Marantz

This will give you several different "learns" to try out, one command at a time, and may narrow down the physical approaches to learning to one that will be more likely to be successful.

When you get a working command, go into the Edit mode, double-click on the command, and a window will open that will let you see and copy the hex code for what was learned. Post that here, because there be wizards here (not me, Lord knows).

Also, yes, be sure you have fresh or charged batteries.
Do this in near dark with only incandescent lighting.
Learn the commands into the remote, not through the software. Earlier, admittedly very different software for the original Prontos and Marantzes, always had a problem with this method. While many details of the NG software are different from the older software, I haven't seen anybody post that THAT problem did not make it into the new program.

My Vb skills are not quite up to par yet..... Thats next on my list after I get though Java........

Ernies suggestions are excellent. We'll get ya goin.........

Well I got my first button learned! After quite a while of trying I wasn't sure I was doing this right, but because of your suggestions I kept going and it finally worked.

I made a panel of 6 music buttons and kept trying backing up the remote 3"-5" each try. Music4 worked which was about 12-18" away. I wasn't keeping real good track of the distance so I'll have to narrow that down. But here's the IR code you asked about from the iMON Ahanix remote. It simply executes the "cntrl m" music command from the top menu on the VB app, which launches itunes.exe

The upload was very slow and now the marantz battery is no longer fully charged, I may have to wait until tomorrow to conduct more testing. Thanks for all your help so far!

I hope this means something to somebody:
IRCode:
0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AB 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0015 0015 0041 0015 0700 0155 0056 0015 0E55

some more advice ..... # 1 turn off your plasma (if your in the same room) !!!!
and also some LCD monitors can throw some IR interferance also.

sometimes when I'm having trouble learning codes I try and cover up the remotes so they arent getting any outside light interferance.