[Muse]

I programmed my new MX-700 the last couple days but a few times I had trouble getting learned codes to work. It said "GOOD", meaning the remote picked up the signal, and the software showed that the button had learned (the blue L), but the device didn't respond to the command from the MX-700 (it would from the original remote). The remote in question is that of my Momitsu DVD-V880 DVD player. I "learned" two different buttons on the MX-700, twice, and it still didn't work - one being the center button of the big round button (1 inch in diameter), and the other the Enter button at the bottom. The code was the Enter key on the Momitsu. The 3rd time, it did work, at least for one button (the Enter button, not the big round button, which worked once, not the other). Have other people had similar problems?


In the MX-700 Editor, for System Information it says:


Firmware:

MX-700 Ver 1.98 / September 18, 2002


Universal Data:

Version 1.58 / September 27, 2003


Are there more recent firmware versions? Is the MX-700 firmware upgradable? Thanks for any info.

 

[MikeSRC]

Those are the current versions. The MX-700 is firmware upgradeable. It could be done by a Live Update to the software, then download to the remote.


When learning, make sure you only give the button on the remote you're learning from a single push. Don't hold the button down (except for repetitive buttons like Volume Up/Down). Also, vary the distance between the remotes and make sure you're not in a room with a lot of fluorescent lighting.

 

[Muse]

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeSRC When learning, make sure you only give the button on the remote you're learning from a single push. Don't hold the button down (except for repetitive buttons like Volume Up/Down). Also, vary the distance between the remotes and make sure you're not in a room with a lot of fluorescent lighting.

Edit: Solved! See post below.


I'm having persistent problems with one of my remotes - RCA VR695HF SVHS VCR. Most of it is OK, however the MX-700 can't seem to _properly_ learn the On, Off (there are two separate buttons on the RCA remote for On and Off), PNP and Freeze. It appears to learn correctly ("GOOD!"), but those buttons aren't doing anything when used from the MX-700. Is it possible that the IR frequencies used by the RCA remote for those 4 buttons are outside the range acceptable by the MX-700? Nothing else I can think of would account for this. I put new strong batteries in both remotes, and turned off the overhead compact fourescent while doing the learning.

 

[MikeSRC]

It may very well have to do with your VCR's remote. Check out the comments with the Pronto CCF here for the 681HF.


Edit - I checked out the CCF referenced above and it does have discrete on/off commands, so try it out with your 695HF.

 

[Muse]

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeSRC It may very well have to do with your VCR's remote. Check out the comments with the Pronto CCF here for the 681HF. Edit - I checked out the CCF referenced above and it does have discrete on/off commands, so try it out with your 695HF.

Thanks Mike! Actually, I'd tried out a CCF for the RCA VR688HF (Daryls_ccf.ccf), which had buttons for On/Off but they didn't work. Maybe I did something wrong. However, I guess the problem's resolved. I saw the section called "Learning Tips" in the MX-700 programming manual, page 25. Those tips worked for me. Specifically, holding down the buttons instead of tapping them seems to have made a difference. In fact, only one session doing that solved the problems on all 4 buttons I was having problems with:


On, Off, Freeze, PNP


The PNP button just didn't want to learn but finally it said GOOD! and when I tested the 4 buttons they all worked!!! Now it looks like everything works. Well, there are a couple buttons that don't work but they are some crazy special digital things I NEVER use anyway - D-V-E (digital video effects), which does some nutty things with the image, and Multi-Pix, which gives you 16 or so pictures in one window, either from a tape or from a bunch of different TV stations. I just NEVER use those!


I'm feeling MUCH better about this MX-700 remote now. My TV remote has been dieing for years (some balky buttons) and I'd been wondering where I could get another remote for it. Now I don't need it.

 

[MikeSRC]

I guess I'll have to retract my previous statement when I told you not to hold down the button.


I should have said: With most components, a single push gives the best results, but if that doesn't work, try all possibilities.


Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Muse]

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeSRC I guess I'll have to retract my previous statement when I told you not to hold down the button. I should have said: With most components, a single push gives the best results, but if that doesn't work, try all possibilities. Glad it worked out for you.

Thanks. Actually, the manual says "Normally, you should press and hold." (Page 25) Who'd have guessed?

 

[MikeSRC]

My experience has been just the opposite, but who am I to argue with Eric Johnson (who wrote the manual and gives MX-700 training sessions for HTM).

 

[Luffy]

I find the MX-700 a bit touchy with the learning on certain commands. On my Lexicon MC-12 if you learn the Volume Up (for example) remote button, if you press too short the command gets learned but you have to press the button each time for notch up, press and hold down the volume button does nothing. If you hold the button too long, the 700 learns a whole lot of volume up presses and will increase several notches per press. There is an inbetween kind of a press that learns the command properly where one button press increases the volume one notch but a press and hold will continually increase the volume. The discreet codes you can get in the ccf files help with the hard to learn correct commands usually.

 

[PeterAM]

I bought an MX-700 from SurfRemote about a week ago. First programmable remote I’ve done (we’ve got several old Denon touchscreens I’m looking to eventually replace). Actual programming (macros, pages and button labeling) is pretty easy even though I’ve never done this before. On to the thread topic: “MX-700 - Are there learning problems?â€


IMO – yes! Mainly with repeat command (volume, etc.) buttons. Most of my programming time was spent trying to learn the volume, fader and equalization commands for my Lexicon DC-1. A real PITA. As Luffy says above, it’s very touchy with hold down time. MikeSRC was helpful in an e-mail exchange (thanks again Mike) but I think HTM could do a better job recognizing and properly learning repeating commands. During this, I was wishing they had an editor where you could view the learned data – I could probably do a better job by eye! I tried a CCF file from Remote Central and the repeating buttons there had the same problem too so this isn’t a guaranteed solution. After a lot of trial-and-error, I’m about done. The single commands went pretty smoothly although I still have one (for one of six Somfy shades. The others work – go figure) that isn’t working.


To add insult to injury, the MX Editor test button is next to useless in this situation! It sends out only one burst – not a continuous series - when you keep it held down. So you have to download every time you want to test which just compounds the time wasted. Because of my set up, I have to disconnect from the PC to test and I was worried about wearing out the jack in the MX-700.


In summary, the MX-700 can be a bad pupil!


Peter

 

[rgbyhkr]

Quote:

Originally posted by Luffy I find the MX-700 a bit touchy with the learning on certain commands. On my Lexicon MC-12 if you learn the Volume Up (for example) remote button, if you press too short the command gets learned but you have to press the button each time for notch up, press and hold down the volume button does nothing. If you hold the button too long, the 700 learns a whole lot of volume up presses and will increase several notches per press. There is an inbetween kind of a press that learns the command properly where one button press increases the volume one notch but a press and hold will continually increase the volume. The discreet codes you can get in the ccf files help with the hard to learn correct commands usually.

Hey Luffy,


Be a pal and post you're mxf on RemoteCentral.com. I'm about to program an MX-700 for a system that includes an MC-12. Thanks in advance.

 

[Luffy]

rgbyhkr: Yeah I'll upload it later. I was planning on doing it after I finished setting it up and I think I am pretty much done with my setup now. I think I have everything mapped but a few controls like the +3db volume up commands and immediate bass/fader/tilt controls (I'd rather access those through the menu).

 

[Muse]

Guess I've been lucky but my volume controls have so far not presented a stumbling block. A tweak and they now adjust one increment with a tap and continuously when pressing sustained.


I stumbled on a very interesting relatively new feature in the manual today and thought I'd point it out. Haven't used it yet since I seem to have resolved my not-working buttons, at least the ones I've tried so far. That feature is called Learning Standalone and is described beginning on Page 27 of the programming manual. Says it's for those learning situations where it just doesn't learn correctly when connected to the PC. I guess it's akin to the way the MX-500 learns. You label your buttons ahead of time and learn the MX-700 while disconnected from the PC.

 

[rgbyhkr]

Quote:

Originally posted by Luffy rgbyhkr: Yeah I'll upload it later. I was planning on doing it after I finished setting it up and I think I am pretty much done with my setup now. I think I have everything mapped but a few controls like the +3db volume up commands and immediate bass/fader/tilt controls (I'd rather access those through the menu).

Luffy,


Thanks buddy. You da man!

 

[PeterAM]

A follow-up to my earlier post. I seem to finally have everything working. The MX-700 is a very nice piece once you get past the learning headaches.


I could not get the one (of 6 - the other 5 were no problem) shade command learned when hooked up to the PC despite many attempts. There is a note in the manual about there sometimes being timing problems when learning in this mode - use the stand alone learning mode. I did this and after a couple of tries it worked! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem stand alone learned commands can be uploaded to the PC for back up! I tried and after downloading, the button for this shade didn't work again. It worked another shade that was on a different button so the command must have gotten corrupted. Another poorly implemented function for learning.


If HTM would address the learning problems I found (lousy recognition of signals, the test button not doing repeating commands and this stand alone learning issue), I would have no complaints. Well, another character or two for each button on the LCD display would be nice too!


Peter

 

[Muse]

On the Communications menu there's an Upload item. There's also an Upload icon to the left of the download icon on the toolbar. Did you try that? I haven't had to but I figure that if you do that and then save your configuration, the downloaded configuration will have your stand-alone learned IR commands.

 

[PeterAM]

Muse - I tried exactly what you suggested (I may not have explained clearly) and it doesn't seem to work as common sense tells you it should:


"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem stand alone learned commands can be uploaded to the PC for back up! I tried and after downloading, the button for this shade didn't work again. It worked another shade that was on a different button so the command must have gotten corrupted."


As I said, the MX-700 learning system is poorly implemented.


Peter

 

[Muse]

Quote:

Originally posted by PeterAM Muse - I tried exactly what you suggested (I may not have explained clearly) and it doesn't seem to work as common sense tells you it should: "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem stand alone learned commands can be uploaded to the PC for back up! I tried and after downloading, the button for this shade didn't work again. It worked another shade that was on a different button so the command must have gotten corrupted." As I said, the MX-700 learning system is poorly implemented. Peter

Hmm. I hope you're wrong. Are you sure you got it working via the stand-alone learning mode, then uploaded to your MXF and then did a save, followed by a download? Yes, common sense tells you that should accomplish what we're talking about here. Peter, there HAS to be a way to do it!

 

[PeterAM]

Muse - it's been a number of days since I actually did this but as best I can recall, I 1) got the command learned and working in stand alone, 2) uploaded to my PC and MXEditor assigned a file name 3) overwrote my original configuration (with the non-working button) with the uploaded configuration and 4) downloaded to the MX-700. As I said above, the button still worked, but it worked a different shade that was already programmed on a different button.


I have to add that there is a somewhat ominous statement in the manual in the stand alone section: "...DO NOT DOWNLOAD, you will erase your work!" I don't know if this specifically refers to what I was trying to do but I pretty much gave up at that point and relearned the button, happy to have it working without a full backup.


Common sense does not seem to apply to learning and the MX-700!


I'm away on business for a couple days and hope that MikeSRC or someone else more knowledgable about this can jump in.


Peter

 

[Muse]

I presume that the "do not download or you will erase your work" simply means that your MXF file will overwrite your standalone-learned data UNLESS you first upload to the MXF and save. I figure you somehow didn't do that. I can understand your wanting to create a new file just in case. When you return, maybe you can revisit the process and determine what went wrong. Meantime, maybe MikeSRC or someone else can illuminate here. Like I say, I haven't had to try stand-alone learning yet, although I was THAT close! Good luck.