A DHCer mentioned JP1 Remote Controls in another thread, and a Google finds this Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JP1

Any JP1 users here who can give info on how to get one, how to set it up, and/or any gotchas about them? I'd rather not have to sign up for yet another forum to discuss them... :D

Trust me, join the JP1 forums, listed on the wiki page. It can be complex and hard to learn at first, but it's worth it.

I use two JP1 remotes, one a multi-room model and have them both completely customized. The instructions for building the cable are on the JP1 forums, as are the instructions, software and key files.

I bought the jp1 cable for $10 off of their banner ad on the JP1 website. It has come in very handy for programming all 3 of my shaw remotes to do everything I need (LG DVD Player, Sony TVs, Receivers, Toshiba DVD, Shaw DCTs). It is a bit of a hobby to program the remotes and requires multiple hours to get it working just right. For those with less patience... buy a logitech remote.

Stampeder,

I use the Kameleon 8, which is a JP1 remote (but I figure you already knew that ;) ), made by One-for-All.
The Kameleons (http://www.mykameleon.com/) are known to be annoying power hogs if you don't get one that you can disable the pick-up/wake-up feature. Older models can't be disabled via the keypad, and require surgery. I removed the vibration switch and replaced it with a less sensitive tilt switch. Unless you are willing to do some soldering, an older kameleon might not be for you.

However URC, which makes the One-For-All line, manufactures a bunch of other remotes under different names, most notably for Radio Shack. I believe there are other remotes that are accessable via the JP1 port.

For those who haven't check the link above, JP1 is a six pin connector usually found in the battery compartment of some of these remotes. Some industrious engineers discovered they could reverse engineer the interface, and when connecting to your computer via parallel port or USB, they now had a completely accessable remote. Once accessed, the remote can be programmed way beyond the manufacturer's intentions. Functionality might exceed Harmony's in some areas, however you don't have web enabled programming. JP1 has garnered a mini cult following, and some users will never consider using anything but. The original programming interface was a complex excel spreadsheet, but now there is updated software available which is much more user friendly and graphical.

Myself, not being an engineer, was a bit overwhelmed at first. However, the tutorials are excellent, and I'm sure I could teach my wife to program my (Ahem,... I mean our) JP1 remote - Not Like That Is Ever Going To Happen!!!.

Anyway the versatility and cost, in my opinion overcomes the fact it isn't called "Harmony".

sorry got my brands mixed up...
However URC, which makes the...
should have been "However UEI (Universal Electronics Incorporated), which makes..."

I have been looking into using something like this. I have a URC 6017B00, but it apparently does not have the inside pieces for JP1. It does have the pins in the battery compartment but needs a few thing modded inside to be fully compatible.

I have been hard pressed to find a remote that could control my Acer 3220A LCD. Acer has no codes for the TV and I think my last resort would be a JP1. A new remote is on the christmas list so if I get anything I will let everyone knows how it goes.

Hi Stempeder,

I have a JP1 remote (All-for-one 8910) with a extender installed. It is now capable of handling most of what I wanted it to do, at much less cost than cheapest harmony remote.

There's a little bit of learning curve with JP1 remote, and I found a lot of it is a very difficult way to get some "basic programming tasks" done. It goes beyond simple macros such as branching and storing states, which is what Harmony is capable of (and probably many of other very expensive remotes).

While I do not have in depth knowledge of other remotes including Harmony, my experience with JP1 allowed me to learn a lot of remotes.

In my experience, JP1 interfaces helps me with

1. Customize any buttons to do anything I want as long as my remote can generate that particular code. This is where the available software really shines.
2. Extenders allow more advanced functions. You lose learning capability with 8910 extender but I am using learned codes with extender.
3. protocols added in extender provides a basic programming language like capability in remote commands. The available software is very very helpful, but programming the remote is very challenging task. Since everything is expressed in terms of "key presses", you have to use "key presses" to express "branching" and "write/read of current state".

The end result is something like

1. press CBL key for 2 seconds - turn on TV, turn on RECEVIER, turn on HDTV tuner, switch TV input to Component 2 which is connected to HDTV tuner, and switch RECEIVER input to approriate sound source for HDTV tuner. If necessary components are already powered on, they will not be powered on again (usually turns power off since power buttons are normally toggles).

2. press CBL key for less than 2 seconds - regular CBL device selection

3. other device keys have similar features

4. press "POWER" for 2 seconds - turn off all devices.

Of course, this still suffers from out-of-sync issues if original remotes are used to toggle power.

There are more advanced functions possible but I'm still learning these.

So far the investment into AFO 8910 remote and JP1 cable (ended up purchasing this, locally made in Toronto but sold over the internet).

I'm more than willing to share my own experience with JP1, although there's plenty of materials available on internet.

I too have an 8910 as my main remote. While I haven't taken the jump to an extender, I do makke my own custom upgrades. I made custom upgrades for all Starchoice unit codes, my A/V switcher (which I built myself, using an IR decoder IC and discrete logic, with the "work" done in the upgrade code I made for the remote), bookshelf stereo, C-band receiver, Norcent DVD player, and TiVo with address 1, and keys organized the way I like, with keymoves for extra inputs and the sleep fuction on my amp, and the video adjust menu on my TV..

I found out the Rogers remote that comes with their digital boxes is a JP I Remote.
To get the remote to operate "normally" not how it operates out of the box, you have to buy the JP 1 cable and download the program and reprogram the remote, kinda weird eh? oh well, I will see if I can influence rogers to "fix it" without having me to spend any "extra" money on something that should be covered by warranty and manufacturer defects and defects in the programming.

Paolo,

I've found Rogers will change remotes no questions asked.

I ended up with 2 different remotes with the 2 boxes (one old and one new) so I called them to check if they'd consider chaning my older remote to the newer model because the rest of the family was getting frustrated with the different remotes.

They said just walk into a store and exchange it - no need for authorization or anything. And that's exactly what happened - they just changed it - no questions. It was well out of warranty too.

my remote was exchanged 2 times too, but the problem exists in the design of the remote, the volume double click problem.. no way to f ix this than to modify it yourself with a JPI cable and programming... Get What I'm Sayin' ?

I have used the URC/UEI JP1 remotes for a while. My 1st JP1 remote is a cinema 6, although it has holes instead of pins in the battery compartment.

I also have 2 other URC 8XXX series remotes with the pins. I made my own cable. the problem now is that most recent laptops don't come with a parrallel interface, making programing difficult.

I used the excel based spreadsheet thingy to do my programming, albeit I haven't touched the settings in a while.

My cinema 6 is finally dying. I have taken it apart and cleaned the contacts and the rubber membrane, changed the batteries, but it seems to forget what box it is supposed to control. I have a hard time getting it to stay on my SC receiver. I frequently have to press the 'cbl/sat' button at the top, as it forgets that is what I am using when looking at the guide etc.

Off to the wiki JP1 entry to look up the new programming software.

P

Most Shaw and Rogers remotes are JP1 already. I have an old Shaw DCT2500 remote that I programmed to the tilt. When I moved to T.O. the Rogers remote were also JP1 but a newer interface, so I had to remake the cable a bit, and eventually I just bought a Harmony 659 and be done with it. If you know anyone that works at a Rogers store, they can give you a used remote to play with and given the time can be programed to put a harmony to shame.

Petee, you can purchase a USB cable for the JP1 interface for about $20 now. There is an EBay vendor in the GTA that sells them.

For those of you planning on doing JP1 programming on your Roger's remote, please be aware that most of the Rogers remotes are in fact JP1.2 or JP1.3

Check the silk-screening near the six-pin connector inside the battery compartment:
- If it says JP1.2 or JP1.3 then you need a JP1.2 cable, a plain JP1 cable will not work.
- If it says JP1, then you need to check to see if it has a DAY button to the left of the arrows, if it does then you PROBABLY have a JP1.2 remote, if it has a SETTING button to the left of the arrows then you PROBABLY have a JP1 remote and you need a JP1 cable.

I have one of the JP1.2 remotes masquerading as a JP1 remote... so I speak from experience.