I am trying to get the volume hard buttons on my pronto TSU2000 to transmit two volume signals simultaniously and repeating (when you hold the button down). I am doing this because I would like to use the same remote device for two different TVs in different rooms. I am stumped since all I can think of is using a macro, which won't work as far as I know... Anyone know of a way to do this?

Would you not just set up two buttons on the screen for the second TV.

Why do you want to use the same device for 2 TV's anyway? Could you not just copy the device and make the necessary changes for the second one.

I agree with tyrrp's second suggestion: You ought to have two similar looking devices, have the user select the right one as he starts to watch TV in each room. Even if most of the buttons are identical (control a shared SAT, CBL or DVR device, etc.) the different vol commands are enough to justify a different device.

BUT, though I don't reccomend doing it, I do know how to do what you asked, I'll probably even help if you like. In most cases you can merge the pronto hex of two unrelated repeating signals so they will repeat together. Post the pronto hex of both vol+ signals and both vol- signals and I'll tell you what to try for merging them.

I think this is a very valuable trick for my goals. I have two CCTV channels in my house that can be driven by independent sources. There are two different brands of TVs in a few rooms. I can have two control paths, one for each channel, or I can have 10, two for each of five rooms. I prefer to have 2 - it is a simpler interface to create, maintain, and use. But to do this, I need to overload the volume functions to control multiple brands of TVs. My overall program is actually very complicated, with over 40 virtual devices (activities) across 8 zones, with 15 hardware devices. I am keeping hardware devices separated from these virtual devices, so I don't mind creating a bastardized device that is a two-headed TV.

To answer your question about adding more buttons, I don't want my users to be concerned about the brand of TV in the room they are in. I want this to be seemless.

Thank-you for your offer to help, here are my TV codes:

JVC Volume Up
0000 006e 0001 0011 013e 009f 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0362

Sony Volume Up
0000 0067 0000 000d 0060 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0422

JVC Volume Down
0000 006e 0001 0011 013e 009f 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 033a

Sony Volume Down
0000 0067 0000 000d 0060 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 040a

This message was edited by jlegault on 10/25/05 21:01 ET.

JVC is modulated at around 38Khz and Sony is modulated at around 40Khz. A composite signal can have only one modulation frequency. For most such combos people have just gotten lucky and the frequencies were the same. You weren't that lucky.

Many devices are very tollerant of wrong frequency. Maybe JVC will work at 40Khz. Maybe Sony will work at 38. Maybe both will work at 39. That last is the most likely and worth trying first. If it doesn't work you need to experiment individually with frequency to see what works.

The crude way to combine such signals is:

1) Pick a middle value between the two wavelength values (6e and 67) and just use that value without worrying about the secondary timing distortion created by changing the wavelength without changing the durations numbers.


2) Make sure at least one of the one-time counts (3'rd number of each: 0001 and 0000) is zero. Otherwise more complication is required.

3) Add together the two repeat counts (the 4'th number of each sample: 0011 and 000d).

So far that gives us a combined header of
0000 006b 0001 001e

4) Follow the header with the body of the two signals (everything after the first four values) one following the other. If one of them had a non zero one-time part (as the JVC did) it must come first. So for vol+ we get

0000 006b 0001 001e 013e 009f 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 003c 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0014 0362 0060 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0422

Try that and see how it works. If it basically works but is too slow or jumpy, it might be correctable by reducing the two values (0362 and 0422) that were the ends of the two original strings.

A less crude approach is to combine info from the two MakeHex .irp files to achieve the desired frequency shifts without the undesired duration shifts. Maybe I'll have time to post that later.

The first try might work, or the various frequency, duration and overall speed issues may need experimenting and tweaking, or the experimenting might reveal a problem you can't work around. We don't know how your devices will respond until you try.