Grab these remotes while you can!! Irrationally Priced Clearence! Radio Shack 15-2117 - Page 11  

What is the command to put a pause in middle of a macro without JP1, or is there not a command?

Also, do you know if this remote will retain its memory if the batteries die?

Im reading the modified features of this control http://www.avsmarts.com/product_info...oducts_id=5949
and wondering if the 15-2117 has these features.

-2k EEPROM chip and have added the 6-pin header.

-Better range - we've pulled the IR-LED out further to improve the remote's performance

-Permanent Memory - with an EEPROM onboard, this remote will retain it's programming indefinitely, even when the batteries are out.

-The remote now includes the HOME/0167 X10 Home Automation code that's missing from the un-modified remote.

There is no command for pause. You need to use JP1 and extender which
has a special protocol for pause. Trust me, just buy or build the JP1
cable, you will be happy with the results.

The 15-2117 has the 6-pin JP1 header builtin, no need to add it.

The 15-2117 retains memory when I swap out batteries. I never left
them out for really long periods of time, but I assume the memory will
be retained and if not, it takes literally 10 seconds to load up the backed
up memory (that includes plugging in the cable, running the app, loading
the backup file, and uploading to remote)

15-2117 has 2 IR transmitters which means it regularly performs better
than many one-for-all remotes which mostly have 1 IR transmitter. OFA
makes the remote for Radio Shack but I guess RS just spec'd it better.

Once you have JP1 cable all the device upgrades are available so it
really doesn't matter whether HOME/0167 is included or not as it is
trivial to add.

I think the cheap price you paid for this remote has you confused. This
is one of the best JP1 remotes you can buy. Some people will have
preference for different layout or more dedicated macro buttons, but
personally I like the 15-2117 layout better because it is very clean and
easy to find all the buttons. Also with Long Key Press, I don't find the
need to have dedicated macro buttons, as all the buttons can serve
multiple functions depending on whether it is short or long key press.
Also there is a shift-button which further lets you overload the buttons.
I prefer the rocker-style vol+/- ahd ch+/- over the 2 offset button style.

Thanks for all the info. You convinced me buy a cable :)

I setup some macros on the remote already, but i can see that it will be a PITA without have a long key press (ive already accidentlally pressed the key I assigned to the macro).

Now I need to find a good place to buy a cable :)

I havent soldered a circuit board since college (6 yrs). :)

AGHH!

For some reason, the backlight on my remote wont work. Anyone else have this problem?

I press it, hold it, I cant get the light to come on :(

It was working the since Sunday when I bought it. It was the last remote my local store had...

I'm currently using 3 of these remotes and the backlights all work.

You don't press and hold to turn the light on, you just press once and
from that point on whenever you press a button the backlight comes on.
Press the light button again, and backlight will not be turned on when
you press any button.

However, the backlight will function erratically as the battery wears down. Hopefully, this is the case for you.

But these backlights also have some tendency to break... or at least the connectors break (poor solder or something like that I imagine). This was more common on the old 2104 models (lost the backlight on at least one of those), but I imagine it could happen on these 2117s as well.

I dont understand what the problem is. I posted this last night, and it wasnt working. When I got up this morning, I tried it out, it worked fine. When I got home from lunch, it worked for a second, then went off. WTF? I just bought this remote on Sunday, and it has fresh batteries in it.

Any ideas? Can I easily disassemble the remote to see if something is loose?

Another idea I had was to buy the 15-2116, and swap remotes out since they dont have anymore 15-2117s. The 2116 looks like the 2117, is it exactly the same?

I think the difference is the 2117 comes with RF and the 2116 doesn't.

However... if the misfiring light is annoying enuf, you can solder the RF "puck" from your 2117 into your 2116 and give the 2116 all the RF functionality of the '17!!!!

Wish I could find one of these... annoying that I can't around me.

This thread was started August 5th. You'd be indeed lucky to find any two months later.

Many thanks IC. Sent you a PM.

The two vendors listed are the only people that make JP1 cables, anybody else who sells them gets them from one of those two. You can get a JP1 parallel cable for $14 shipped from Hovis Direct.

First and foremost, you can add new codes for any un-supported devices, which means the remote is 100% guaranteed to work all of your IR controlled devices. Secondly, you can back up your configuration on your PC, so if the remote dies, you can re-load into a new remote. Thirdly, when you need to tweek your config, you can edit it on your PC. For example, if you want to add a step to an existing macro, without JP1 you would need to delete the macro and start over, with JP1 you can just edit it. Plus, there's a whole host of other super features that JP1 gives you, but there are just too many to mention them all here. Read this thread for some additional JP1 benefits.

With JP1 you would just add a variable length pause as a step in the macro, without JP1 you would need to use the "Zenith Pause Trick" (described in FAQ #1.17 here)

Yes it will.

Yes. The URC-6131 ships minus the 6-pin connector and EEPROM needed for JP1 use, but these are both factory installed into the 15-2117. The 6131 only has one IR-LED that sticks through a hole in the casing whereas the 15-2117 has 2 IR-LEDs that sit behind an IR window, therefore it has twice the signal strength than the 6131 and it has much better anglular range. The factory installed EEPROM gives it permanent memory retention, and it has the HOME/0167 code factory installed.

The reason that I modify the 6131 remote for JP1 use (and AVSMARTS gets them from me) is that it is by far the most popular OFA/RS remote for ReplayTV and Tivo use, and people want to be able to program it using JP1.

Like I said, there are only two people who make them, Tom @ Filebug and Richard @ Hovis Direct. Everybody else gets them from them, including myself, BlueDo and Surf.

I suspect that you don't know how the backlight works, and I don't recall how well it's described in the manual.

If the backlight feature is currently off, pressing the light button with BOTH turn the light on and turn the backlight feature on. When the light goes out, which it will after a few seconds, pressing any key will turn it on again. If you press the light button now, you will be turning the backlight feature off, therefore if you press any regular buttons at this point the light won't come on. If you press the light button again, you will be back to square one with the light feature on again.

I have about 10 of them available, but I'm asking the pre-closeout price of $30 each (they were $50 originally).


Finally, like I said before, it's a much better idea to post questions about this remote either over at Remote Central or in the JP1 Forums as you'll get an immediate answer from the many experts who monitor those forums. There are only a select few of us who are likely to spot a message here in this thread.

stupid question... what did radio shack replace the 15-2117 with?

do they have any current models that have the "15-1994" look, or was the 2117 the last one?

They still offer the 2116, which is the same as the '17, but just no RF functionality.

Well, I exchanged my remote at another Radio Shack. This one seems to be working fine. Hopefully that was a bad remote, and it wont happen on this one.

I still need to get a cable, trying to decide if I want to build one, or buy it built. Could be a fun project, and I was thinking of getting a "Cold Heat" solder gun.

:)

I am not sure this is the right place(if not, please point me to one) but i purchased this remote from RS and used it a few times. It does not pass muster with the wife and i recently bought a harmony to operate. The RF module is not even opened. I am willing to sell it for cost price + shipping. you can mail me at srinivos@gmail.com. I also purchased the jp1 cable and sell you both for $30 + shipping.

Nivas

I (for one) would be curious to know the DETAILS of what exactly "the wife" didn't like about the RS 15-2117.

Granted, I may not have a "state-of-the-art" setup here, but both the RS 15-2117 and the URC-6131 fit the bill just fine (and I haven't even ordered the JP1 cable yet! :D )

Now, on the other hand, my son has this "cool" remote [big, square LCD screen, IIRC], that he wanted "so-very-badly" and his dear wife bought him for Christmas for ~$150+ and the last time we visited, he spent SEVERAL MINUTES just staring at it "trying" to remember what-did-what. :confused:

Whereas, *ME*, on-the-other-hand, I am just as happy staring at my ~$15 RS 15-2117 (with it's 2-line LCD) trying to remember what-does-what... ;)

icecow, you are *DEFINITELY* unique! ;)

YOUR remote *DEFINITELY* has more interesting "BUTTONS TO PUSH" than the:
http://www.replacementremotes.com/st...s/150-2117.jpg
Where can I buy *YOUR* remote? :D

Your best bet at selling a JP1-enabled remote would be the JP1 forums, so feel free to post something in the Market Place forum if you like.

While on the subject of irrationally priced remotes, you should check out the HT-Pro remote (which is a re-badged "One For All" URC-9910) which can be had from X10.com for just $7.99, and if you spend $50 they'll give you free shipping.

Just FYI, they are using the wrong picture on the site for the HT-Pro, it really looks like this:

http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/Mer...1/HTPRO-lg.jpg

No. See the 2nd para from the end:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3047

Too many pages to scan through... can someone post the method to figure out what protocol a remote is using? I remember there's some jp1 tool, but I can't remember where it's hidden.

Or does IR do this automatically? I see the "disable decode" option. Does IR do this with this option unchecked?