I just finished programming my 3100, after two days and about 6 hours. Everything seemed to go relatively smoothly and I found that I was learning all the techniques with ease. I was excited to dispense with the 5 remotes on my table. And then, with my final button to be learned - I had a problem. I was using the remote for my receiver (3000ES) to program the directional hard keys on the 3100 under the AMP component. The right arrow for some reason did not register. All other directional arrows worked, as well as the OK button. When I tried to reprogram the right arrow, I received the double beep - it had obviously registered something. When I went to delete the right arrow, the 3100 would just freeze up. The screen would be blank except for the "DEL", "AMP" and a little arrow in the right corner facing right. I removed the batteries and everything remained intact (except for the clock resetting). This was the only way to get the 3100 out of the freeze. I tried numerous times to delete that one button, but to no avail. I could delete any other button, except for that right directional key.

I tried to erase all the learned commands for the AMP component only, but it didn't work either.

Is there anything I can do to erase the possible "dirty" learned command without having to start completely over from scratch with the whole remote?

I hope someone may be able to help...

I don't know why this happens, but here's a couple of things you might try.

To reset the amp screen, try this procedure. The procedure in the manual usually works, but on mine it also deletes all of the timer settings, so I use this one also.

Commander off/Component key (Amp, in this case)
Press and hold DEL at top of the screen
Press Component name (Amp) to the right of the DEL key

This should clear the key. If not, the complete reset is the only other option, which is a real bummer.

Try learning the right arrow key on an unused screen before you do the complete reset, if required, and see what happens. Also, try using a short press of the key. Sometimes certain commands will react in a different way to different learning procedures.

Thanks Ron for the quick reply.

I tried resetting the AMP screen and it would freeze every time I tried. It would clear the learned commands, but any label changes I had made remain. They just need to be re-learned from the original remote. Also the keys I chose to hide remain hidden. I read somewhere that you have to hit "DEL" and "AMP" up to 3 times to completely erase the "AMP" screen. This is not possible as the unit freezes upon the first press of "DEL" and "AMP".

I also tried deleting the left arrow key, and this can be done without a problem (as with any other key it seems). I thought maybe using a PRESET code might get things going, but I guess I cannot enter that now without being able to delete the component first.

I hate the thought of resetting the whole 3100. My other option is to program the right arrow key on one of the label keys, seems a little silly with all the rest working down there, but perhaps it is time well "saved". This does work as I have already tried, but it would be great if that final key could be rectified somehow...

The exact same thing happened to me with my brand new AV3100. While programming some keys for learning, when I got to the a DVD swap key, the remote completely froze. The only thing to do was to remove a battery and restart the device.

Even after this, the newly learned key would freeze the remote. I tried resetting the component settings, but the remote would freeze during the component clearing procedure.

I then reset the entire remote. I went to the DVD and did this one first and the remote did not lock. However, this time when I added some keys to the TV setting, the remote froze again.

I reset the remote and tried again. This time I got everything completely entered. This took about an hour to finally get this working. Thankfully, I knew much of the commands from having a AV3000.

Since I got everything programmed, I haven't had any problems - knock wood - but I don't feel confident in this remote. I still have my AV3000 nearby.

This message was edited by topdavis on 06/21/05 18:29 ET.

I had the same exact problem when programming my 3100. I tryed to program the A key for my cable box and now whenever I try to delete it my 3100 just freezes. I tried resetting the component, doesn't work. I tried LEARN2, doesn't work. I tried every other way but I guess I am just going to have to reset my whole remote even though I already programmed a bunch of different components. :-(

I also had this problem. After programming my entire remote the same thing happened to me. VERY FRUSTRATING! I had to reset the entire unit and reprogram it. No other way to fix it.

I got to experience this firsthand because it happened to me. I learned a command, decided I didn't want it on that button so tried to delete it, and everything described above happened to me also.

I finally gave up and left the command on the button it was originally learned on, but of course now I can't clear that screen or do anything with it, unless I do a complete reset, which I am not going to do. Luckily it is a utility screen with some rarely used commands for my TV so it is not much of a bother to me.

I always answer these questions for problems which never happened to me, but now it has so of course I understand all of your frustrations.

Hi

I'm kind of relieved (sort of).. I was thinking my 3100 was faulty or something.. Just got it yesterday and have encountered this a few times while programming it. I was able to get away with a partial reset on the component the first time but other times a hard reset was the only way.

Has anyone got in touch with Sony about this? Just on the off chance that they know of a work around we haven't figured out yet? ...

Jon

Sony did what they always do with remotes that have quirks. They sold them to us consumers! After fooling around with the two rm av-3000's I bought for several months I got them to do everything I wanted sort of. Than I saw the nx-7000. Bought one loaded it up and found it froze at times. Lol as one poster said, " lucky I remembered the rm av-3000 comands so programing was not so hard". With the 7000 A freeze is not a very big deal. First clear out the unit then connect computer up and dump file on again! Or I can dump from the memory stick to remote, Walah, all fixed. I am still looking for a remote under $500 that is perfect.......... When I find it the wife is history.........

I wasn't going to post anything more about this, but since the thread has opened up again, here goes.

I didn't have anything to do and it was raining like mad, so I reset the remote and relearned everything.

After I got done, I found another key had locked up on a different screen, so I am back where I started. Maybe someday I won't have anything to do and it will be raining and I can reset it again.

Both commands that locked up my 3100 were from my Sony TV remote RM-Y182, and I have never had a key lock up from any other remote.

Problem solved.

Having recently reprogrammed my AV3000 to accept commands from an Arcam AVP700 pre-amp I had constant remote freezes (usually during volume up, down or mute). I found it would freeze and constantly send a command. After reprogramming it about a half dozen times I played with the length of time I held the button on the Arcam remote (Ron Aronson mentioned this earlier in the thread). This solved the problem for me.

There are trade-offs with this solution. Namely, I can no longer hold the volume buttons on the AV3000 and have a continuous command send to the pre-amp. This results in multiple presses to control the volume. The benefit is the remote no longer freezes. I believe this problem is device specific as I've never encountered any issues on any other devices. For what it's worth the Arcam unit comes with a CR80 universal remote. So the AV3000 was actually learning from a universal remote.

I assume this solution will work for the 3100 as well.

I'll agree about that seeming to be a fix. I have the 3100 and it was driving me NUTS because I could never get to the finishing line programming it to replace the 6 remotes on my coffee table. Every single time, without fail, you would reach the point where you've spent ages programming it, only to load a code somewhere and have it fall over and not let you delete the button or the component, forcing you to do a global reset and curse at the hours of wasted time.

After doing the VOL-/CH- initialisation, I made sure that after I touched the button to load the code in learn mode, I let the "learn" icon flash about 3 or 4 times, then briefly operated the teaching remote until the "learn" icon stopped flashing - this happens as soon as the 3100 gets a good frame, so there's plenty of time to do this within the 6-second timeout window it gives you. I found that the 3100 would give me a result within 500mS maximum, after which I let go.

I *do* however need the continuous transmission mode on some keys, namely the volume paddle for the TV, surround sound system, fast play buttons on the VCR, and volume on the hi-fi, so on these components I do hold down the teaching remote until the 3100 fully exits the learning mode after the 6 seconds, but again I wait for the 3 or 4 icon flashes before beginning.

Using this approach I have, for the first time ever, been able to get to the finishing line and have successfully loaded the equivalent of my 6 remotes. Now it's quite possible that this is just luck, and it'll fall over tomorrow if you want to change a code, but I do think that the length of time the 3100 is grabbing a frame is the root of the problem.

I originally thought that my new 3100 (received 2 days ago) was defective, but after reading about all the other users' similar experiences, I realise it's a bug in the firmware. It seems to me that there's something in the way the firmware handles the frame grabbing that makes it store an illegal frame into the E2PROM, and once that happens, it doesn't recognise it and so won't let you remove it.

I've written enough comms handlers and memory management routines as a designer of embedded microprocessor systems to recognise faults like this by smelling them. The 3100 just doesn't "feel right" when this happens and it immediately smells like a buffer overrun and that the programmers didn't do enough testing before this thing hit the market.

I have to say I'm very disappointed in SONY, which I always perceived to be an engineering-first company (in spite of all the consumer stuff they manufacture, you have to admit that the engineering is generally pretty damn good) and am surprised that they let this one through. I spoke to Technical Support (and to be honest wasn't expecting anything more from them than their being able to read the instruction manual - I wasn't disappointed there) who were, of course, useless, as this is probably one of those design faults where Engineering's aware of it (how could they not be?) but everyone's chosen to shut up about it because it's already been released.

I don't blame Support - they probably never even got told the 3100 has a lemon-ware section hidden inside it. All those poor buggers can do is quote the manual.

I'll keep my 3100 as it's working now, but SONY should put out a recall on the 3100 at least, and offer a swapover or firmware update to cure what is, for me at least, a loss of respect for the company.

I really thought they would check things out far more thoroughly before releasing a design.

I know I do.

I to have a 3100 with the same problem, over the years I have had many Sony top end units and had many problems with them. Sony is not on my buying list anymore.

I just bought one of these, and had this happen several times; I am returning it. Too bad, this looked like a unit I could use to declutter my table.

I have a repeatable situation right now with the 3100, whereby when I push the volume buttons when the DirectTV satellite (STB key) is selected, hands down, it locks without fail. Happens every time.

Has anyone contacted Sony on this already? If not, similiar to the problems I once had with Samsung on their TVs, I'm going to take a shot at it.

--j