My remotes
- Thread starter dolphin
- Start date
I'm indebted to Electron for suggesting the Radio Shack 15-2117. This unit works very well, everywhere in the house. And, in a world of remotes that seem to start at $150, it's a bargain at $30. The chief drawback is that it appears they are discontinuing them. Anybody have an idea why?
I never heard anything about that, they were actively advertising them a few months ago. The good news is that this is a very popular remote, and supports the JP1 protocol, so you can hook it up to your computer and reprogram it. Do a search on that model # on google and you will see the sites I am talking about.
AutomatedOutlet
Senior Member
If that radio shack one is the one I'm thinkg of, it's made by x10. The x10 PRO part number for it is PUR08 and has been discontinued by them and replaced with the PUR09 which has less functionality. Why? who knows.....
If you are talking about the Radio Shack remote I posted, then they are different, since the RS one has an LCD, supports JP1 programming (hook it up to your computer) and has many other features. I always liked the PUR08 myself, it looks great too, didn't realize it was a learning remote tho, I probably would have gotten it back then if I knew about that feature.
I WISH I was that lucky!!! I had to buy a larger coffee table to fit them on:
1 For the Tivo
1 For the Television
1 For the VCR (rarely used anymore)
1 For the X10 RF commands
1 For the DVD Player
1 For the Surround sound system / Tuner
1 For the AV switcher
1 For the Media Center PC
I scrapped the Pronto
It just is not functional for every day use. It's far too bulky and you really have to use both hands to use it.So, I just bought This Remote Control for $45 to try to fix this problem. Not as fancy as some of the other ones mentioned here, but I love the backlit display, and being blue, makes it even better
From what I have read, you can call an 800 number to upgrade the remote, by holding it up to the speaker on the phone. Very interesting indeed. It also has a cable, that you can purchase, to program it with the computer.The kameleon remotes aren't really touchscreens. They are more like membrane keyboards with individually-backlit keys. For each device, only the appropriate keys light up and are available.electron said:
If anything, a remote like this may be better if people tend to use it with messy hands. You should be able to just wipe off the face. That's much easier than cleaning the gunk that ends up around each key in a normal remote.
The loss of the same type of tactile feedback as a normal remote may be a bigger drawback.
I have the predecessor to that remote. I think it's an original Kameleon. The membrane keyboard does have somewhat of a tactile feel, you can tell when you press a "button" but you can't feel the shape of it. It's nice in that the backlight turns on and off based on movement so it will ocme on when you pick it up. It had ton's of codes for equipment including D-Tivo. and my odd-ball Denon receiver. I really liked this remote.
Now the downside - my Kameleon ate batteries. They'd last 1 month, maybe. I turned down the backlight intensity and it helped prolong the batteries for only a few extra days.
Then one of my kids dropped it on a tile floor. From that point on it wouldn't hold the programming after a battery change. It now sits in a drawer - permanently sleeping.
Now the downside - my Kameleon ate batteries. They'd last 1 month, maybe. I turned down the backlight intensity and it helped prolong the batteries for only a few extra days.
Then one of my kids dropped it on a tile floor. From that point on it wouldn't hold the programming after a battery change. It now sits in a drawer - permanently sleeping.
From reading the instruction manual I downloaded (my remote won't be here till tommorrow), They recommend turning off the automatic backlight feature. When it's on, it sa nice feature, as when you pickt it up, it lights up automatically. On the other hand that "motion sensor" eats the batteries when it is just sitting on the table.
I will be getting it tommorrow, and will post what info I can on it, pro's and con's ect.
I will be getting it tommorrow, and will post what info I can on it, pro's and con's ect.
Ok, its now been about 5 months, and I LOVE this remote! The newer version that I have has no way to turn off the automatic backlight feature, so I did the hardware hack, and disconnected one lead of the motion sensor on the PC board. Now just pressing any key on the remote will light it up.
This seems to be the solution for battery life, as I am on the same set of batteries that I installed in it 5 months ago! The remote does have a tactile feel, so you can feel when you press a button. This is now the ONLY remote I use for day to day use. I have it programed for all of my devices, including the Media Center PC.
The macro feature is fantastic! One press to watch a DVD ect. There are no discrete codes for my DVD player, however I have found that if you press PLAY if its on, it will play, of course, and if it is off, it will power on and then play. I also got luck with my surround sound set-up. If you press any of the AV buttons it will power on in that mode (TV, TUNER, DVD ect).
Showing only the buttons relevant to the device selected, makes the remote easy to use by anyone, and no degree is required to use the entertainment system For instance if you are in TUNER mode, the rewind, FF, STOP, PLAY and all unneccessary controls are not lit up. When a device is selected on the remote, it animates that button to let you know that the device is selected.
For the price, usability, and kewlness factor, I am very happy with this remote and can most definately recommend it!
This seems to be the solution for battery life, as I am on the same set of batteries that I installed in it 5 months ago! The remote does have a tactile feel, so you can feel when you press a button. This is now the ONLY remote I use for day to day use. I have it programed for all of my devices, including the Media Center PC.
The macro feature is fantastic! One press to watch a DVD ect. There are no discrete codes for my DVD player, however I have found that if you press PLAY if its on, it will play, of course, and if it is off, it will power on and then play. I also got luck with my surround sound set-up. If you press any of the AV buttons it will power on in that mode (TV, TUNER, DVD ect).
Showing only the buttons relevant to the device selected, makes the remote easy to use by anyone, and no degree is required to use the entertainment system
For instance if you are in TUNER mode, the rewind, FF, STOP, PLAY and all unneccessary controls are not lit up. When a device is selected on the remote, it animates that button to let you know that the device is selected.For the price, usability, and kewlness factor, I am very happy with this remote and can most definately recommend it!
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
Hmm, this is interesting. I want to use Main Lobby with my MCE Machine, but I don't want to have to earn a degree in Girder to do it!
I was thinking about getting an IR remote that will emulate a mouse on a regular machine AND running the MCE IR Remote together. Is this possible?
I'm hoping the "regular" mouse remote can be used in Main Lobby for when I switch to it (on the MCE machine) without interfering with the MCE remote for when the machine is in that mode.
If one remote could "learn" both of these functions, then I could just put the two IR receivers near each other and aim this remote at both of them.
Is this a crazy idea?
I was thinking about getting an IR remote that will emulate a mouse on a regular machine AND running the MCE IR Remote together. Is this possible?
I'm hoping the "regular" mouse remote can be used in Main Lobby for when I switch to it (on the MCE machine) without interfering with the MCE remote for when the machine is in that mode.
If one remote could "learn" both of these functions, then I could just put the two IR receivers near each other and aim this remote at both of them.
Is this a crazy idea?
TonyNo
Active Member
Well, you could try a Gyration Media Center Remote...
http://www.gyration.com/mcrsuite.htm
Kinda pricey, though.
http://www.gyration.com/mcrsuite.htm
Kinda pricey, though.
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
I need a remote that will work the mouse with a "regular" PC software (i.e. not a media center app like Main Lobby) AND one that will work with MCE (if I want to go with an all inclusive system).
