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Topic:
URC-R40 - "My favourite remote"
This thread has 78 replies. Displaying posts 61 through 75.
Post 61 made on Thursday June 27, 2013 at 07:12
tranx
Long Time Member
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February 2009
44
Hi

We gave up using R50 some time ago and have been using Harmony 650 but R40 has just arrived and find it only partially addresses several points. At first the motion sensor was missed but configured just for occasional commands on the soft buttons this feeling went away, and the settings for saving the batteries made sense. Later, with more information configured, the main buttons were less ready to act without a second press.

Having no need for a PC and the excellent Macro Editor and virtually unlimited pauses stand out as killer features and holding down the teaching button for different periods adjusts how e.g. the direction buttons repeat. With macros available on any key to return to switch to the main page or to any device's soft key page, R40 is in some ways more flexible than Harmony.

Edited: With MyHarmony.com Harmonys can now do macros from inside an activity, with up to 25 steps and timed pauses. Like the older models which can use v7.70 software, Harmony's may now also have additional commands and pauses at the start or finish of activities. Older Harmony models have dedicated hard activity buttons to switch between activities, which avoids doing an extra press, and R40's macros are a bit slow in comparison.

In response to an old thread asking for an example I have posted a chart/template for the bones of a primary 'watch tv' activity for R40/R50. [Link: remotecentral.com] For text and cut-and-paste, 'Paint' was used, which program comes with Windows so might be useful as an alternative to spreadsheets.

Kind regards
Chris

Last edited by tranx on November 9, 2013 04:44.
Post 62 made on Friday July 26, 2013 at 19:50
william k
Long Time Member
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January 2005
25
I just got this remote and I can't get my cable box remote button labeled "All On" that turns on my cable box and tv at the same time learned into the R40. What I really would like to do is turn on the tv then have a 1 or 2 second delay before my cable box comes on because I have a HDMI handshake issue between the two. I really would appreciate any help, maybe even a better way to do this? I need it for my other half :)

Thanks
William
Post 63 made on Saturday July 27, 2013 at 16:38
edmund
Elite Member
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April 2002
13,838
Right it won't learn the combined TV & cable power commands. Use the preset single commands or teach the for each component, then use the macro feature of the urc-r40 to combine the two devices power commands into a single key. And you can add a pause between the two.
Post 64 made on Sunday July 28, 2013 at 06:17
william k
Long Time Member
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January 2005
25
Thanks for the help..as long as I keep it going to the Main screen as a last "Go To" it works alright. I just have to switch over to Cable after I turn the two on and switch back to Main screen to turn them off. I think I must be missing something here my little URC WR7 will do what I need this one to do with no problem.
Post 65 made on Monday October 14, 2013 at 12:32
jzcope
Lurking Member
Joined:
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February 2006
1
Hi everyone. Just bought a new R40 and it now is "my favorite remote". It is replacing an old Harmony one that I have hated along with its computer programming interface ever since I got it. I started with Sony RM-AV2100 then Mx-500 which I really liked until a couple of buttons quit responding. Next was a ProntoNEO then the Harmony One then a Philips Prestigo 8215/17 until button failure then back to the Harmony one.

I ordered an R40 a couple of weeks ago, had major problems with the learning then found out about the firmware version 1.15 learn problem. I called URC, got a RGA and sent it back. The new one was back in about a week. An interesting thing about the new one is that it will not show you the firmware version number.

I edited my old MX500 worksheet and after a couple of days of playing and tweaking it is now the only remote in the living room. I setup all blank devices and learned every key from old remotes. This was actually fun and easy.

I setup a macro on each device to turn the correct devices on/off and switch to the correct inputs.

Everything about the remote is really nice, however there are a couple of things that if changed would make it much better.

There is no single "FAV" button and that is probably because URC used the "plastic" from one of their other remotes when designing the R40 and there wasn't a button that could be used as a dedicated "FAV". New plastic molds are very expensive and I'm sure they are watching the bottom line.

I use the FAVs only with DirecTv and since they only work in the MAIN window I would be switching back and forth between MAIN and the directv and that would be a big hassle. To fix this, inside he directv device, I programmed the FAV buttons to the RGYB keys on the DirecTv remote then since I had only 4 LCD buttons (pwr-on, pwr-off, menu, and aspect to adjust the TV zoom) I put my favorites on the first 4 lcd screens and the 5th screen has the 4 Directv controls. This works fine and the favorites are always there. It would be nice if URC had given us the network logos for any of the lcd buttons. From a previous post I saw somewhere, I swapped the lcd "list" and the hard key "menu" buttons so the list function would always be available. That was a very good idea.

The System power off button only works from the main screen so I had to put a macro on it inside each device to turn things off. Small picky thing and no biggie but I am trying to make it so my wife can operate things.

I have a few other things that I am going to try with the FAV keys but overall this is a really good little remote.
Post 66 made on Sunday December 29, 2013 at 19:16
64met
Long Time Member
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Posts:
July 2007
66
Hi, recently purchased a URCR40 and am having trouble with 2 components. The first is my dune media player and second is a zovx soundbar. I can't seem to find in the database the correct codes for either. I have tried to manually learn each with no luck. Am I missing something? The rest of my gear works as it should. Any help is appreciated,

Thanks
Post 67 made on Sunday December 29, 2013 at 19:36
edmund
Elite Member
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April 2002
13,838
Nope, one is a obscure device, Dune, and another obscure brand, zvox. The only code for zvox listed is Audio 1658. This code is out CCP software for PC programmable remotes. Doesn't mean it will be in the R40 database. There is nothing listed for Dune. Does it even use IR remote?
Post 68 made on Sunday December 29, 2013 at 20:21
64met
Long Time Member
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July 2007
66
So, neither will work with R40? I am still within return window and this will be a deal breaker.
When you say obsure do you mean within tge R40 database?
Post 69 made on Wednesday January 1, 2014 at 18:48
equium
Long Time Member
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February 2003
134
I received my R40 a few days ago to replace my aging MX500. I've downsized my home theater systems and only have a TV, DirectTv, Bluray and a Yamaha Receiver. At first, I could not find my Yamaha remote to learn the commands to the R40, so I thought i'd just use my MX500 to teach the Yamaha commands to the R40. This did not work and I don't know why. After a long search, I found the original remote and successfully taught my R40. I was able to get my macros dialed in after several hit and miss testing. The DirectTv device was the only one I didn't "learn". There were a few buttons that I moved around. I did notice something and was wondering if anyone else with DirectTv has seen this. It seems my R40 is sending out rapid fire IR. There are times when hitting page-down or the Up and Down commands are double sent. Even pressing Pause shoots out twice causing the show to pause and re-start. I notice if I press the button as quickly as I can, it's fine. Anyone else with this issue?
thanks for all the reviews and comments about the R40. I think I've made the right choice.
Post 70 made on Saturday January 4, 2014 at 00:04
Daniel Tonks
Wrangler of Remotes
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October 1998
28,778
On December 29, 2013 at 19:16, 64met said...
Hi, recently purchased a URCR40 and am having trouble with 2 components. The first is my dune media player and second is a zovx soundbar. I can't seem to find in the database the correct codes for either. I have tried to manually learn each with no luck. Am I missing something? The rest of my gear works as it should. Any help is appreciated,

The Dune uses standard NEC codes (I have one) so there should be no trouble learning functions. Incidentally, I had to learn those commands on my URC as well, although I tend to always learn things unless there's a specific reason to use preprogrammed codes (ie. toggle/parity bits).

You might wish to look at some of the tips here: [Link: remotecentral.com]

On January 1, 2014 at 18:48, equium said...
I did notice something and was wondering if anyone else with DirectTv has seen this. It seems my R40 is sending out rapid fire IR. There are times when hitting page-down or the Up and Down commands are double sent. Even pressing Pause shoots out twice causing the show to pause and re-start. I notice if I press the button as quickly as I can, it's fine. Anyone else with this issue?

This might also be a learning technique issue. Check the link I reference above. My best guess would be you're learning bursts instead of proper repeating signals.
Post 71 made on Saturday March 15, 2014 at 23:40
john5492
Lurking Member
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March 2014
2
On January 4, 2014 at 00:04, Daniel Tonks said...
The Dune uses standard NEC codes (I have one) so there should be no trouble learning functions. Incidentally, I had to learn those commands on my URC as well, although I tend to always learn things unless there's a specific reason to use preprogrammed codes (ie. toggle/parity bits).

You might wish to look at some of the tips here: [Link: remotecentral.com]

This might also be a learning technique issue. Check the link I reference above. My best guess would be you're learning bursts instead of proper repeating signals.

Thanks for posting that link. I just finished setting up my R40 and really have been happy with it. Although that site prepped me that using the learn method would be non-trivial I was surprised at how difficult it was in my case. It seemed like none of the original remotes could be used with any confidence. I pretty much had to use my Harmony One to teach it and even then buttons would not take even after multiple attempts. Maybe I needed to be more patient or use some of the techniques at the site.

In spite of that I am extremely satisfied with daily use of the R40.
Post 72 made on Thursday November 6, 2014 at 12:59
dkap
Long Time Member
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October 2002
39
On October 14, 2013 at 12:32, jzcope said...
I ordered an R40 a couple of weeks ago, had major problems with the learning then found out about the firmware version 1.15 learn problem. I called URC, got a RGA and sent it back. The new one was back in about a week. An interesting thing about the new one is that it will not show you the firmware version number.

I noticed the same thing. My buggy old R40 showed the 1.14 firmware, but my new one doesn't have it anywhere that I can find. I haven't encountered any glitches, so I'm assuming it really is 1.20, but it would be nice to have confirmation of that given the R40's history.

jzcope's message from just over a year ago was the only one I've been able to find mentioning this. Is it true for everyone that the newer firmware isn't listed in the settings?

Having been a MX-500 user for 12 years or so now, I'm finding the bug-less R40 to be a very competent and fairly intuitive replacement. The buttons are more solid, although the MX-500 was easier to differentiate the more spaced out and varied size buttons by feel. I love how easy it is to edit labels without an instruction manual like with the MX, and the OLED display is a huge improvement. It'll take some getting used to only 6 buttons per screen instead of 10, but 8 screens per device instead of 2 more than makes up for that.

Dan
Post 73 made on Monday December 22, 2014 at 01:51
Wade Shaw
Lurking Member
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December 2014
1
URC R40 Tips and Tricks -- Half of the Missing Manual

The URC R40 will work, and you can eventually program it so your family can use your AV System with very little learning and a lot of patience, at least for a first time URC programmer.

MISSING Programming Functions
Its easier to program this remote if you know what functions are missing.

Missing Devices -- It's quite possible, even likely, that a very old or very new device will be unrecognized by the remote Quick function. If you cannot find a matching device, you may have to program or "Learn" every physical button on the device. Sometimes this includes the number keys and navigation and select buttons, although these are usually fairly standard.

Missing Device Commands -- In most cases I found that several important commands were missing from my Quick Setup device definitions. Don't expect them all to be there, because they either just weren't programmed, or you actually picked the wrong device even after trying half a dozen partial matches.

Buttons -- You cannot delete a button or relocate a button outside of the current device. The only obvious way to add a button is to define a device. Then you get buttons you can re-Label and redefine. You cannot add buttons to the Main Menu level, only Devices. So any Main Menu level Buttons definitions have to be a on physical device button or perhaps on a fake virtual "system" device you create based on some device you repurpose and rename. There is no way to read back a button learned program function. Worse, there is no way to assign an IR code to a button manually. You have to have a remote that sends the IR device to Learn it on this remote.

Macros -- you cannot copy Macros to a new Button. However, you can refer to a created Macro in another button, so this isn't much of a problem.

Favorites -- You cannot copy and paste favorites from the Main device Main Menu level to say, your cable device. I think you may be able to copy the Favorites from a device to Main. My best idea of a workaround here is to copy the Channel, Navigation and Favorites group from your Cable Device to Main. You can delete all Favorites, so I guess I could delete them all and start over. Maybe try one first.

Power Toggle -- There is no way to "remember" whether a device is powered On or Off. If you don't have a device that has "Power On" and "Power Off" IR commands, you must either order one just to use to Learn an explicit Power On and Power Off commands, or you must give up on writing a Macro to both Power On and Play a Device. This means you cannot do the obvious thing, which is to create a button to Play TV, one to Play Bluray, one to Play FM, one to Play Roku and so on. Also, if you don't have an explicit Power On and Power Off command for every device, the System and Power buttons cannot be reliably programmed. Sometimes they turn some of the devices on, sometimes off. Not having explicit commands for Power and Input will force you to create a URC R40 button design which still requires considerable knowledge component, albeit all on one remote device.

Input Toggle -- If you don't have a way to select an explicit Input via IR command, you will not be able to create a Macro to turn on a particular device, without manually selecting the correct Input, which exposes how units are wired up and Inputs are assigned to components.

Roku 2 and 3 and Sony Touch Control -- You cannot Learn commands because these devices use Bluetooth not IR. You can, however order a Roku remote for about $20 that uses IR commands, and use it to Learn buttons.

Copy -- You cannot copy a Device you laboriously teach commands to a new device. However, you can use commands from another Device in a Macro as a workaround. Still, you have to define the Macros one by one.

Redefine Button -- There is no such command. You need to Erase any Macro and Learned programming, then start over.

Relocate Button to New Device -- Not possible. You can only swap button locations within a device. However, you can use a Macro to refer to a button in another Device as a way to "relocate" the button. It's often easier just to Learn the command in the new Device button.

Device Number -- You can read the device number after it is defined but there is no way to look up the Device number on the Internet, or to add a set of new Device commands from the Internet.

Hints About Working Function
-You can redefine the function of any physical button using the Learn function. The only buttons (I think) you cannot program are the LED buttons to the side and below the LED. This was not clear in the manual. This is probably best done after defining the Device, as that function will set them.
-When Labeling a button, use the navigation keys to delete all (Up), delete character (Down), Move Left or Right rather than the buttons on the sides of the LED Window.
-It is much faster to Label all the buttons before you Learn them, because otherwise you'll have to go up and down the remote menus many more times.
-Be very careful to go all the way back to the Advanced Menu level when working on Macros, Erasing things, and so on. It is very easy to even Erase a Device, thinking you are simply Learning a new button in it.
-You have to Save Macros once in a while rather than continuing to edit them. This may only be after adding a new command, but I never figured it out. It just gets stuck and that is the only way to proceed sometimes.
-I did not find the Test Function to be very useful. I'm not sure it replicates the actual Macro function completely.
-Use Delay .5 s between most Macro functions at the beginning or commands will not complete properly or may be skipped. You can start removing delays later to speed things up.
-When you write a macro the last command should be a GoTo command. Make sure to program it to go back to the exact page (PG1,PG2 etc)where the original command is, because the default is to go back to page 1 (PG1). If this is a macro command located on PG2, to be repeated while watching the TV, and the last entry in the macro is GO TO PG1 (the default), you'll suddenly find yourself executing a different command than you started with. To go to a different page, delete the GOTO PG1 default and replace it by hitting GOTO and paging to the correct page, when Done and Save. The macro will now end with GOTO PG2, not PG1.
-You don't have to go back to the same Device you started in a Macro. Going to a new Device is very useful for getting to the Device menu from a virtual "system" Device menu.
-Don't program a button with both Learned and Macro (L and M) functions. I never figured out what that really does.
-The "P" function of a button is from the Quick Device definition. It is overridden by Learned ("L") or Macro "M" command definitions.
-The Copy All function does a good job of Making Audio and Channel functions consistent. But make sure you don't overwrite a Device that uses different codes.
-Use HDMI Cconsumer Electronics Control (CEC) commands through HDMI cables to turn on and off all Devices, not the System or Power buttons. Often, you can just turn off the HD TV and it will shut or start up most everything else down easily saving lots of headaches. You will need to create explict Power Toggle or On Off buttons somewhere though.
Some useful functions can only be arrived at using Quick Settings and saying No to new Device creation. This is far from obvious.
-Erase always seems to allow individual button function, except for Device level, which erases the whole Device. Note that buttons are never erased, only programming on buttons.
-When you put in a new battery, SKIP the initial device setup. I've no idea what it does and was terrified it would erase ALL programming.
-The System Button is programmed by adding Devices to it using the Quick Menu and saying No a few times. However, if the IR command for the device is actually a power Toggle, this function is unreliable.
- After programming and Saving, the Main Menu button and Exit button will take you straight back to normal remote functioning without going back up all the menus. You can get really lost otherwise.
- Define the Devices with at least Power Toggle, and Next Input, and Play buttons before doing any complex Macro programming. You'll likely need to refer to them.
- A remote IR Repeater like the BAFX Products IR Repeater - Remote control extender Kit works great for sending IR signals around corners or walls. Of course you may prefer one that uses CAT5 cable, and those exist too.

Expectations
Don't expect this remote to produce single Play functions for all your media components. There is a good chance you will need explicit Power Toggle, and Next Input buttons both at a top virtual device "system" level menu, and within each defined Device.

Once you set up this remote for a Device, you need to actually use it during a program to make sure every function you need is there and works from any starting situation. One or two videos are enough to prove that it works. After that, you can teach your spouse and children how to use this Remote, but not before.

Your family probably will still need to understand which HD TV Input and AV Receiver Input setting combinations correspond to which component selections, unless you are lucky enough to have an explicit Input Number IR command for both HD TV and AV Receiver.

What Programming Model Is It?
Read this when you start asking yourself, "Where AM I in all these prompts"?

This remote is programmed by a fixed, tree structure of prompt and select commands with 3-4 (or more) levels for each programming function except Macro definition. Programming looks the same at the lower levels, but the meaning of selecting a Device, for instance, is TOTALLY controlled by the top prompt levels shown in the LED window top.
Post 74 made on Thursday December 25, 2014 at 00:30
bodam2005
Lurking Member
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December 2014
1
I have the R40 and so far I have been pretty happy except I have a problem that I cannot seem to get rid of. When I try to use the wheel to move the focus around on my XBOX One, it frequently doubles the command. I push "up" once and the XBOX moves two spaces. It affects all of the directional pointers. It seems to happen about 50% of the time. Any suggestions how to resolve it?
David
Post 75 made on Friday April 24, 2015 at 10:37
RandyWalters
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
December 2006
97
How is everybody's R40 OLED Screen holding up?? The screen on my over 3-year-old R40 has been getting dimmer and dimmer as the months and years go by and has become so dim that it's now very difficult to see when reconfiguring the remote. It's virtually impossible to see during the daytime so i had to wait till night time and reconfigure it in a completely dark room, and even then it was difficult to see the screen. My friend's R40 has also dimmed over time, but not as much as mine has (He doesn't use his nearly as much as i do). The issue is also compounded by the screen slightly illuminating every time a key is pressed which is completely unnecessary as it adds daily and constant wear to the OLED pixels on that screen. I wish there was a setting to leave the screen completely off like you can with the buttons, but no.

I don't use the screen keys for any of my devices so it's not an issue in daily use, but this dim screen is a huge problem now when i try to reconfigure it when i re-arrange my A/V components in the man-room.

I have a bad feeling that the OLED screen on the R40 (and on the MX-780 which is the Pro version) does not have the longevity of an LCD screen (as used on the R50, MX-450, MX-890 etc), and eventually my R40 will be rendered useless if the screen gets any dimmer (which i presume it will). And the R40 is discontinued and they are no longer making any good learning remotes anymore.

On another note, i just picked up an MX-450 learning remote (pro version of the R50) to use from my desk (replacing an MX-500) and it's not bad, but is not nearly as configurable as the R40 and i don't like the location and feel of many of it's buttons. I do like that bigger brighter LCD screen though, but that's about it. It will do, but i much prefer the R40 as it feels perfect and does every single thing that i need it to do (especially my long macros).

My dream remote however would be the MX-890 - the key layout is identical to the R40 and it has an LCD screen that's bigger than the R40's OLED screen but it requires their CCP software and a knowledgeable installer to program it - and it's also expensive.

Last edited by RandyWalters on April 25, 2015 11:50.
Randy
URC MX-890, MX-780, MX-450, R40, MX-500, Sony XBR-55X900E, Panny TC-P55ST60, Tivo Roamio Pro & Premiere & OTA, TWC Arris DVR, Onkyo 333 AVR, Roku Express 4K, Panasonic Blu-Ray
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