What triggered this DIY project?
Panasonic PT-AE4000U provides Auto Detection of Aspect ratio and can be set to utilize 2 lens memory locations to switch between scope and "normal" AR.
This is great feature for CIH but it's limited to only 2 ARs. On my projector I setup the following ARs under Lens Memory:
1:1.78 (16x9)
1:2.40 (scope, also handle the 1:2.35)
1:1.85
1:1.33 (4x3)
1:2.20
The auto detection will switch to 1.78 for "normal" or non scope material and 1:2.40 for scope, anything else can be done "manually". Ie: if you watch 1:1.85 material, the PJ will switch to 16x9 (my curtains will close) but I still see small black bars at the top and bottom. When I press 1:1.85 button, Panny will zoom in a bit to eliminate the bars completely.
Since access to Lens Memory Locations require going through Menu options I decided to solve it using RS232.
I am using Harmony 1000 remote which can be easily programmed but this short tutorial will apply to virtually any universal remote control.
After googling the Net for IR to RS232 solutions I found several DIY (PIC programming) and very few commercial solutions. One of them, the least expensive is made by IndustroLogic and it's called IR232 . This unit is capable of decoding Sony's SIRCS format and mapping each command to string of your choice to be send over RS232.
Technically, this is 2 way unit, so you could also generate IR commands but such functionality is not required for this exercise.
The IR232 needs to be connected to the Panny using Null modem cable, practically you can just use 3 wires from a CAT5/6 cable and connect them to pins 2,3,5 of rs232 male connectors (on both ends). Since you need Null modem, you need to make sure that you cross pins 2 and 3 across!
Now, let me get to the fun part: programming
In order for IR232 to send the correct commands (strings) over RS232 you need to program it accordingly. Since IR232 is decoding only Sony IR commands, you will need a Sony remote for a TV, VCR or really anything. You will just need this remote for half an hour to program your universal remote according to your mapping.
At first you need to decide which keys on Sony remote you will use and what PJ functionality will be mapped to it.
In this example, I used remote from some old Sony TV, below is the mapping for all keys: (your remote will most likely have less keys then below)
000 1 button
001 2 button
002 3 button
003 4 button
004 5 button
005 6 button
006 7 button
007 8 button
008 9 button
009 10 button/0 button
011 Enter
016 channel up
017 channel down
018 volume up
019 volume down
020 Mute
021 Power
022 Reset TV
023 Audio Mode:Mono/SAP/Stereo
024 Picture up
025 Picture down
026 Color up
027 Color down
030 Brightness up
031 Brightness down
032 Hue up
033 Hue down
034 Sharpness up
035 Sharpness down
036 Select TV tuner
038 Balance Left
039 Balance Right
041 Surround on/off
042 Aux/Ant
047 Power off
048 Time display
054 Sleep Timer
058 Channel Display
059 Channel jump
064 Select Input Video1
065 Select Input Video2
066 Select Input Video3
074 Noise Reduction on/off
078 Cable/Broadcast
079 Notch Filter on/off
088 PIP channel up
089 PIP channel down
091 PIP on
092 Freeze screen
094 PIP position
095 PIP swap
096 Guide
097 Video setup
098 Audio setup
099 Exit setup
107 Auto Program
112 Treble up
113 Treble down
114 Bass up
115 Bass down
116 + key
117 - key
120 Add channel
121 Delete channel
125 Trinitone on/off
127 Displays a red RtestS on the screen
Connect to IR232 using the supplied serial cable and start the terminal session on your PC or Mac (Hyperterminal or Minicom). Configure your connection to 9600bps 8-N-1 and start the session. Hit the key 3 times to get prompt on the IR232. You should see the following:
At this point you need to enter your mapping, you can use one from below (line by line)
O=0
D=2
M1=1,0,{2}PON{3}
M2=1,1,{2}POF{3}
M3=1,2,{2}IIS:HD1{3}
M4=1,3,{2}IIS:HD2{3}
M5=1,4,{2}IIS:CP1{3}
M6=1,5,{2}OMN{3}
M7=1,6,{2}OEN{3}
M8=1,7,{2}OBK{3}
M9=1,8,{2}OCU{3}
M10=1,9,{2}OCD{3}
M11=1,11,{2}OCL{3}
M12=1,16,{2}OCR{3}
M13=1,17,{2}OLE{3}
M14=1,18,{2}VPM:NOR{3}
M15=1,19,{2}VPM:CL1{3}
M16=1,20,{2}VPM:CN1{3}
M17=1,21,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00000{3}
M18=1,22,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00001{3}
M19=1,24,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00002{3}
M20=1,25,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00003{3}
M21=1,54,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00004{3}
M22=1,23,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00005{3}
Let me explain the syntax so it will help you to map your keys to Harmony
OFr example:
M4=1,3,{2}IIS:HD2{3} translates to
M4 = Memory Location 4; Sony Device ID =1 (TV); Key code =3 (button 4); {2} beginning of the rs232 command;
IIS:HD2 set input to HDMI 2 (see Panny Functional Instruction page 43); {3} end of the rs232 command
another one:
M1=1,0,{2}PON{3} translates to:
M1 = Memory Location 1; Sony Device ID =1 (TV); Key Code = 0 (button 1 on Sony's remote); {2} beginning of the rs232 command; PON = turn power on (see Panny Functional Instruction page 43); {3} end of rs232 command.
All your programming will be instantly stored in non-volatile flash memory.
Once you are done with all programming, enter X at the prompt to put IR232 into the normal operation mode and connect it to the projector. At this point you should have your Harmony already programmed and ready for testing.
If you used my example from above, button 1 on Sony's TV remote (or learnt button on your harmony) should turn the projector On and so on.
Enjoy,
Wojtek
Panasonic PT-AE4000U provides Auto Detection of Aspect ratio and can be set to utilize 2 lens memory locations to switch between scope and "normal" AR.
This is great feature for CIH but it's limited to only 2 ARs. On my projector I setup the following ARs under Lens Memory:
1:1.78 (16x9)
1:2.40 (scope, also handle the 1:2.35)
1:1.85
1:1.33 (4x3)
1:2.20
The auto detection will switch to 1.78 for "normal" or non scope material and 1:2.40 for scope, anything else can be done "manually". Ie: if you watch 1:1.85 material, the PJ will switch to 16x9 (my curtains will close) but I still see small black bars at the top and bottom. When I press 1:1.85 button, Panny will zoom in a bit to eliminate the bars completely.
Since access to Lens Memory Locations require going through Menu options I decided to solve it using RS232.
I am using Harmony 1000 remote which can be easily programmed but this short tutorial will apply to virtually any universal remote control.
After googling the Net for IR to RS232 solutions I found several DIY (PIC programming) and very few commercial solutions. One of them, the least expensive is made by IndustroLogic and it's called IR232 . This unit is capable of decoding Sony's SIRCS format and mapping each command to string of your choice to be send over RS232.
Technically, this is 2 way unit, so you could also generate IR commands but such functionality is not required for this exercise.
The IR232 needs to be connected to the Panny using Null modem cable, practically you can just use 3 wires from a CAT5/6 cable and connect them to pins 2,3,5 of rs232 male connectors (on both ends). Since you need Null modem, you need to make sure that you cross pins 2 and 3 across!
Now, let me get to the fun part: programming
In order for IR232 to send the correct commands (strings) over RS232 you need to program it accordingly. Since IR232 is decoding only Sony IR commands, you will need a Sony remote for a TV, VCR or really anything. You will just need this remote for half an hour to program your universal remote according to your mapping.
At first you need to decide which keys on Sony remote you will use and what PJ functionality will be mapped to it.
In this example, I used remote from some old Sony TV, below is the mapping for all keys: (your remote will most likely have less keys then below)
000 1 button
001 2 button
002 3 button
003 4 button
004 5 button
005 6 button
006 7 button
007 8 button
008 9 button
009 10 button/0 button
011 Enter
016 channel up
017 channel down
018 volume up
019 volume down
020 Mute
021 Power
022 Reset TV
023 Audio Mode:Mono/SAP/Stereo
024 Picture up
025 Picture down
026 Color up
027 Color down
030 Brightness up
031 Brightness down
032 Hue up
033 Hue down
034 Sharpness up
035 Sharpness down
036 Select TV tuner
038 Balance Left
039 Balance Right
041 Surround on/off
042 Aux/Ant
047 Power off
048 Time display
054 Sleep Timer
058 Channel Display
059 Channel jump
064 Select Input Video1
065 Select Input Video2
066 Select Input Video3
074 Noise Reduction on/off
078 Cable/Broadcast
079 Notch Filter on/off
088 PIP channel up
089 PIP channel down
091 PIP on
092 Freeze screen
094 PIP position
095 PIP swap
096 Guide
097 Video setup
098 Audio setup
099 Exit setup
107 Auto Program
112 Treble up
113 Treble down
114 Bass up
115 Bass down
116 + key
117 - key
120 Add channel
121 Delete channel
125 Trinitone on/off
127 Displays a red RtestS on the screen
Connect to IR232 using the supplied serial cable and start the terminal session on your PC or Mac (Hyperterminal or Minicom). Configure your connection to 9600bps 8-N-1 and start the session. Hit the key 3 times to get prompt on the IR232. You should see the following:
At this point you need to enter your mapping, you can use one from below (line by line)
O=0
D=2
M1=1,0,{2}PON{3}
M2=1,1,{2}POF{3}
M3=1,2,{2}IIS:HD1{3}
M4=1,3,{2}IIS:HD2{3}
M5=1,4,{2}IIS:CP1{3}
M6=1,5,{2}OMN{3}
M7=1,6,{2}OEN{3}
M8=1,7,{2}OBK{3}
M9=1,8,{2}OCU{3}
M10=1,9,{2}OCD{3}
M11=1,11,{2}OCL{3}
M12=1,16,{2}OCR{3}
M13=1,17,{2}OLE{3}
M14=1,18,{2}VPM:NOR{3}
M15=1,19,{2}VPM:CL1{3}
M16=1,20,{2}VPM:CN1{3}
M17=1,21,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00000{3}
M18=1,22,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00001{3}
M19=1,24,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00002{3}
M20=1,25,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00003{3}
M21=1,54,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00004{3}
M22=1,23,{2}VXX:LMLI0=+00005{3}
Let me explain the syntax so it will help you to map your keys to Harmony
OFr example:
M4=1,3,{2}IIS:HD2{3} translates to
M4 = Memory Location 4; Sony Device ID =1 (TV); Key code =3 (button 4); {2} beginning of the rs232 command;
IIS:HD2 set input to HDMI 2 (see Panny Functional Instruction page 43); {3} end of the rs232 command
another one:
M1=1,0,{2}PON{3} translates to:
M1 = Memory Location 1; Sony Device ID =1 (TV); Key Code = 0 (button 1 on Sony's remote); {2} beginning of the rs232 command; PON = turn power on (see Panny Functional Instruction page 43); {3} end of rs232 command.
All your programming will be instantly stored in non-volatile flash memory.
Once you are done with all programming, enter X at the prompt to put IR232 into the normal operation mode and connect it to the projector. At this point you should have your Harmony already programmed and ready for testing.
If you used my example from above, button 1 on Sony's TV remote (or learnt button on your harmony) should turn the projector On and so on.
Enjoy,
Wojtek