I've decoded most of Dish's IR system (at least, the way the Pronto interprets it). What I've found is the codes have the following format: upper 6 bits, then address, then lower 6 bits. It seems that only the lower 6 bits are used, which gives 64 combinations. I've tried all 64 combinations and I have them mapped out -- no discrete on and off, unfortunately.

However, if I modify the upper 6 bits, I get strange results. For instance, if I modify one of the upper six bits to be a zero, then I get the code in the lower 6 bits (ie, the receiver acts just as if only the lower 6 bits were sent, with the higher 6 bits being all ones). But if I make a different one of the upper 6 bits be zero, then a code that's not the lower 6 bits is accepted by the receiver -- this doesn't make sense.

The point is that, if the upper 6 bits do matter, then there are 64x64 = 4096 different codes. There's simply no way I can test that many codes. I have tested over 128 codes, and I have another 128 ready to be converted into Pronto codes. I can test the second set of 128 codes, but there's no way I can test 4096 codes.

Anyone up for some code testing help -- perhaps a second opinion would help me to determine how the codes actually work, so that we'd have less codes to test.

Hello, I have been equally unsuccessful in extracting on and off codes for most dish equipment (and many catv boxes as well). To date, I have been forced to use "intelligent" power management devices, such as Niles Intellicontrol, behind GUIs for those customers to whom it really mattered. (Most of the DTV Sat & CATV boxes consume the same amount of power regardless of their "on" or "off" state...just leave it on and forget about it.) Help may come in the future from an unlikely source; the EPA seems to have time on their hands and will soon require that such devices have an energy conserving standby mode...this would lead to separate on & off commands from some savy manufacturers... good luck!

Azistoohot,

I may be able to help you, but I am skeptical that discrete power codes exist. I also don't have any Dish hardware but I have decoded many of the existing Dish ccf files as well as several Dish setup codes in the OFA remotes with an IR analyzer.

Some basic questions: I assume that what you have decoded is the more common Dish protocol (there are 5 that I am aware of) that has an IR carrier frequency of ~58KHz and a one time lead in and a repeating 16 bits of data and lead-out.

Further I assume that you are considering this whole data string LSB and have, therefore, reversed the order of the entire 16 bits when you talk lower and upper bits. If so I agree that the commands are in the first six burst pairs after the lead-in.

From your comments, I am also assuming that you are considering the burst pair with the longer off period to be a One. I think that it is the opposite. Although, this is normally a semantical difference, the 4 bits in the middle line up as Unit 0 to 15. This is from decoding the ccf files that are for other unit numbers but using the opposite definition of One and Zero (also that you reverse the bits as I think you have done).

The only times I have seen, what you refer to as upper bits change value from all "1"'s (using your definition is for One and Zero) is when the fifth most significant bit is 0 and that seems to be for the Dishplayer functions like Play, Stop, Record, Pause etc.

Most of the other Dish protocols seem to have 6-bit commands. The newer 38KHz protocol has the same 6-bit binary for most of the commands.

There is also a 5-bit protocol that (from memory) uses the same command structure.

There is a program called MakeHex that can generate Pronto hex commands and I can probably make it generate a whole series of "upper" bits for the same lower bit to see what it does.

Why don't you email me what you have found and I will try to put it together what I have decoded and compare the results.

Jon

Sorry it's taken me so long to repond! Jon, you are right -- I am treating the codes differently -- a "0" is a "1" in my codes, and vice versa. I can email you the Excel file I have. This lists all the codes. What I've found is that there are really only 64 codes (I believe), even though the system is able to support many more. But, I've not yet analyzed it enough to determine whether there really are only 64 codes.

I'll email you tonight (7/11) with an Excel file. You can see if this matches with your results.