Is there any way i can get the pronto to send a signal for say 1 second by just tapping the pronto button quickly once?? ie so that i dont have to keep my finger on the button to dim a light. I have tried repeating the dim command ans an alias but it takes ages to execute??

From memory, I think this is in the FAQ.
I think you learn the beginning of the code and you learn the continuation code (by holding your hand over the remote for a second while learning)

Then you do a macro of

begin
repeat
repeat
repeat

I think that is the gist but please check the FAQ and search the forum.

Regards,
Bruce.

B8−03 How can I get the Pronto to "hold" a button for several seconds in a macro?

Won't work here as X-10 has no repeat code.

bhushanvaidya,

what are you using? Is it X10?

Bruce has got it right. The amount of time that the command runs is determined by the amount of repeats of the "repeat" section. I have used this to turn TV volume down about thirty dB...works well.

In this case bhushanvaidya is using an IR543 to control X-10. It makes this very difficult because there are two timelines that do not coincide. Also, X-10 does not have a shortcut repeat code. You have to repeat the entire code.

It takes 105ms to send the IR code to the IR543. It takes 417ms for the IR543 to send a single X-10 Dim command over the powerline. While the IR543 is sending to the powerline it ignores any IR.

Ignoring any processing time and timing differences from one remote to another, this means that the first Dim takes 417ms + 105ms = 522ms. It will take at least 6 copies of the IR command to get even two X-10 Dim commands to the powerline. 5 * 105 = 525ms but that doesn't allow much processing time.

Repeating the IR for 1 second will result in only two Dim commands on the powerline.

When I keep the 'button' on the pronto pressed the light in the X10 reciever stays permanently on. When I get the pronto to repeat codes the light on the reciever flashes. Surely it must be possible to get the pronto to send the 'prolonged' signal by programming it?? I guess this is a problem with the pronto rather than the x10 reciever?

As I said earlier, it depends on whether you are using an IR543 or IR543AH. They respond differently. Which are you using?

I am in the UK and using IR7243

[Link: letsautomate.com]

That's equivalent to an IR543.

Here's a learned DIM code:

0000 006D 000C 0000 00A7 008A 0031 00EF 008F 008A 0031 00EF 0031 00EF 008E 008B 008E 008B 0031 00EF 008E 008B 008E 008B 0031 00EF 01B8 0358

You can either make this a repeating code by swapping the 3rd and 4th groups (i.e 000C 0000 becomes 0000 000C) which will repeat as long as you hold the button or you can create a macro that sends the code followed by at least 0.5 seconds of silence and then repeats this sequence for as many times as you wish. Each repetition will dim the lamp about 6%. I'm not much of a Pronto programmer so someone else will have to help with how you create the macro.