🚀 go-pugleaf

This is too funny - i recently did some extensive messing with both a
preprogrammed universal remote and learning one, and got both to speak
the remote of the Cable TV Montgomery box we have (til the end of our
second month, when my housemate will probably give up cable).  There
was some interesting effort involved, which may be of use to someone
else.

Both of the remotes are 'Realistic' brand, from Radio Shack.  I first
got a preprogrammed one, with which i had no problem setting for our
Jerrold 7000 series cable TV box.  The hitch was that i could not get
it to speak the language of my offbeat Akai VCR or my Magnavox CD
player.  (The problem with the VCR is no surprise - it was produced
only briefly, and is different than any other Akai models, or any
other brand of VCR besides.  The CD player, though, is real
mainstream, so i was quite surprised at the remote's failure with it.)
So i brought the remote back, thinking i'd look into the slightly more
expensive learning remote.

The learning remote was actually a big improvement - among other bonus
features, it has more device modes, a lightable lcd display to see
things like the current mode, function, and time, and a great
complement of buttons.  And it had no problems with any of my remotes
- VCR, CD player, or Sylvania TV - *except* for the Jerrold cable TV
box.  (Jerrold Series 7000, if you recall...)

It was real finicky with the cable box, however.  It would always
indicate an error when learning a function.  It would learn the
function despite the error warning, but always stuttered when playing
it back, emitting multiple signals, instead of a single one.  So,
hitting '5' would send three 5 signals to the box, setting it to
channel 55 and waiting for another digit to complete a setting in the
fifties.  No good a'tall.

Thinking that cable box remote had some kind of redundant or otherwise
funky signaling protocol, i tried some tricks and finally found a way
to set the functions successfully.  NOTE - this problem may be
specific only to the combination of the cable box remote and universal
i have, or even a fault in one or the other specific instance, so you
may not want to read the grisly details in the next paragraph.  But if
you're having similar troubles:

What i wind up doing is lining up the remotes and, with the universal
in learn mode, alternately pressing the function button on the
learning remote and on the cable box remote several times - around 10
to 20 - until the success status shows.  This is trickier than it
sounds, because you have to cease upon success, before pressing the
universal's function button any extra times, yet you also have to
alternate the learning remote and teaching remote's presses in quick
succession up to that point.  It often took a couple of tries, but 

I spent quite a while extracting this method (i definitely have spent
too long doing computer system support, this is the kind of thing it
is *supposed* to lead to...), and even some more time establishing
that in fact this is what i had to go through.  Absurd, but true - it
works.

The Realistic universal (Model 15-1903A), by the way, has entirely
replace my contingent of remotes, and i'm surprised at how nicely it
works, otherwise.  It was around $45, and worth the extra $10 or so
above the cost of the preprogrammed remote.

Hope this helps *someone* out there - what arcane stuff, ay?

Ken
klm@cme.nist.gov, 301 975-3539