I have an RCU810 lying around that I'd like to use to stop my DVD recorder after a set period of time, and I can't seem to get the sleep timer to work. Basically, I want to program a button to send a "stop recording" command to the DVD recorder, and have the sleep timer send that command after a given period of time (which I'll program for the length of the show that I'm recording).

I've successfully set the sleep timer to expire after a short time (1 minute, for a test), and it seems to expire at the right time and send a command. Unfortunately, the command doesn't seem to be the one that I've learned to the "on/off" button for the active device, and I can't figure out *what* it's actually sending. If I leave the remote in exactly the same location and hit the "on/off" button, the recorder stops as expected.

Has anyone actually used the sleep timer function of this remote? The manual isn't very specific about what command it sends to the device, but it doesn't sound complicated, either.

Thanks,
Rob

Well, I've just about confirmed what I was afraid of. It seems that it only wants to send the pre-programmed on/off command to the device, and ignores any learned codes that you've learned. Sheesh. What a dumb feature. What if the remote doesn't support your TV?

Anyway, does anyone know of a cheap remote that lets you specify a timer that will trigger an arbitrary command to be sent after some number of minutes, with single-minute granularity, and a >2 hour limit?

I'm sure that this exists, but it's obscure enough that I'm afraid I could try several that sound good before finding one that does what I want.

Thanks,
Rob

You have a couple of options here. First off, your RCU810 is JP1-programmable, which means you could use JP1 to add a new code for your DVD player which has the correct code on the STOP button.

Alternatively, you could buy an old URC-8800 "Producer 8" as these support timed macros. However, seeing as how the URC-8800 was produced in the late 90's, it would also probably need to be upgraded using JP1 to control your DVD player (if it's a newer model).

You can find JP1 info here:
[Link: hifi-remote.com]
[Link: hifi-remote.com]

Rob
http://www.hifi-remote.com

Thanks for the response. I'm really interested in using the remote in only the simplest fashion: Learn one button as "stop recording" and have that command sent after a specified amount of time. As such, I don't think that I'd have to use JP1 in either case, rather I just need the remote to send whatever I've programmed to whichever button when I want.

For what it's worth, I'm trying to control a Sony RDR-GX7 DVD recorder, which is about 6 months old. Every universal remote that I own is capable of learning the code that I'm interested in sending, so the code shouldn't have to be pre-programmed, as long as the remote doesn't require that for the sleep timer functionality.

But if it was that easy, you would have done it already, no? I'm just here to present you with the solutions, it's up to you to accept them or reject them.

Good luck.

Rob

Sorry, I meant no offense. It wasn't clear to me how JP1 would help in this case, but it occurred to me after I posted that I could assign the "stop" command to the on/off button (as a preprogrammed command) using JP1. That would hopefully trick the RCU810 into sending my custom command when the sleep timer expires.

As it stands, I found a Sima SUR-25 touchscreen remote locally for $50 that supports 8 timed events, each of which can support a single key or a macro. It's not a remote that I'd like to use full-time (I much prefer my MX-500), but it'll do what I want it to do.

For what it's worth, I went to the store looking for an RCU1010, and this appears to be a similar, cheaper knockoff.

Thanks for your help,
Rob