Please be patient with me i'm a RemoteCentral virgin. I have an issue with my new 5400 setting up a macro to turn on my AV processor (Cyrus AV8) when turning on other devices. I can turn it on solely with a learnt code on a button and if i put this button in a macro by itself with no other steps, the macro works. However, when i add extra steps (eg: delay,beep or other device functions) it no longer turns on. I am slowly getting the hang of my remote and have tried a few ways to get around this problem but to no avail. Any help would be much appreciated.

Tim

Can you place the actual macro steps into a msg so we can see what you are doing to see if it is something easy to fix?

Mike

Mike

I have used the code learnt from my Cyrus AV8 as a step in the macro. It works fine. If i add another step (including BEEP and DELAY steps) either directly through my RC5400 or via Wizz.it the processor no longer turns on yet the rest of the macro works. I have tried different lengths of delay as the step before the code to turn the processor on. I have tried having the code as the first step and last step in the macro. I have even created a macro with the code as the only step and tested it as working and then inserted it into another macro only for it not to work!
Basically, what i am trying to do is set up a macro to turn my "tv" on so the steps i have used are:

-Delay 0.5
-PVR on ( This turns my digital tuner/ hard drive recorder on )
-Delay 0.3
-Macro A/V Processor On (This is the troublesome step). In this Macro is the IR code for my AV processor AV-S or ON button. This is the step i have moved and played with.
-Delay 1.0
-A/V Processor TV (selects the TV input on my processor)
-Delay 0.3
-Plasma ON ( turns my display on)
-Delay 1.0
-Plasma DVD/HD2 (selects input on Plasma for TV)
-Beep
-Delay 0.3
-Go: PVR Main ( selects main page of PVR )

As stated above i have tried different steps to try and fix this myself so i am looking forwrd to any help or suggestions you have to remedy this problem.
Also as you can see by the macro steps listed above, i have put a number of delay steps in. I am not sure of when to use these and how long to make them for. Is it just a trial and error thing, should i only use them as a problem fixing step or never at all?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.
-

Is the troublesome step a discrete command, i.e. ON only, not on, then off?

If so, try putting the command in twice. I have seen this in some remotes in systems I have serviced. For some reason I have never needed to do this except in the rare case where the component needs one of its IR commands just to wake it up, but it could help.

Delays are indeed a trial and error thing. I try to put a minimum of 0.1 sec between commands, but if I need an overall delay, say 3 seconds between TV on and TV Input #x, then I put the ON command first, run other commands with delays, and end with the Input command. It also is nice if the sound and picture can come on as close to one another as possible. I once serviced a system where my own guy put three seconds between image off and sound off, and it was just weird.

Purely for the sake of trying it.

Put a 10 second delay either side of the command and see if it works. If it does then shorten the delays bit by bit until it stops working.

If you are using the RX77 RF reciever, try switching the remote to all I/R and try the macro from in front of the equipment. If this works the RX77 may be being interfered with by something else. I have had issues myself that were caused by the RX77 continuing to spit out signal long after the original code was sent due to interference from other things. Have sometimes had to change to I/R reciever to fix the issue when all else fails.

Hope this helps

Simon.

I am not exactly sure what i did that was different from the macro i've outlined prior but it now seems to work.I did relearn the code for my A/V Processor into my RC5400 so i'm wondering whether this may have been the "fix"!. I have since reduced my delay steps to 0.1s between different pieces of equipment and 0.3s between steps to the same piece of equipment (eg: Plasma on and Plasma input select) and it seems to work fine.( Thanks Ernie!)
Thanks also to you Simon. By the way I'm not using the RF receiver as i have direct access to all of my equipment.
Thanks to you all for your suggestions. This has helped me to gain a different perspective on my problem so i will be back soon I'm sure with more questions.