Help me with a Stereo remote???

I have a roughly 7 year old Sony STR-D965 Reciever that still works GREAT!

Problem is the original remote has shot craps. We all know how TV shows and Movies get LOUD-quiet-LOUD and a reciever is JUNK without a remote!

On the Sony website they say I need a RM-P35 remote at very near $130. That is nearly half of what I gave for the damn thing in the first place!

I have found a couple things on Ebay, an RM-U302 (list 79.95) that I could have for maybe $25. A Sony RM-AV1000 12 item multi with an LCD screen??? or an AV3000 that looks like something from Starwars!

What are these LCD gadgets, and can I figure out how to use one?

Anyone else ever been through this? And what did you do?

It really yanks my chain!!!

Oh yeah, the reason it matters now is I gave my sister (and Myself! - we split rent on a big house) a new Panasonic DVD player and it just don't make it playing through the TV speakers!!!

PJS, try a universal remote, they are pre-programmed with most manufacturer codes, so it should work..
Hope this helps,

PBJS,

I have an assortment of various brands of stuff, and I wanted one remote that would operate all major functions needed. I ended up buying a 6-in-1 IR/RF remote from Rad Shack cat# 15-1925. This thing uses RF, so it'll work from any room in the house, and it cost me about $50. Don't know if this exact one is still available, but I've seen a newer version with LCD display in the catalog.

Your specific receiver model is not listed in my owner's manual, but this thing has an audio tranceiver on the back and is capable of downloading upgraded manufacturer codes via the telephone handset. Try calling 1-800-950-7044 and ask if there is a code available for your receiver model.

Hope this helps - John

This is I guess a second generation surround sound Reciever and has a stock Remote with a LOT of buttons! I need several of the functions to work so I'd really like info on anyone who has used one of the Wiz-Bang LCD remotes!

Thanks!

Playboy...

The LCD remotes come preprogrammed with about a billion codes and most of them are programmable as well. What does this mean? Pull up a stool...

Even the best universal remote can't have ALL the functions for everything on it. That's where learning remotes come in. It might be a little tricky getting one to work with a reciever as most remotes don't come from the factore designed to work with recievers. It's a bummer really. Anyway what you do is take the old broken remote (It still works a little doesn't it?) and literally "teach" whatever you want (In your case probably Volume up and Down) to the learning remote.

There are dozens out there--the LCD ones are the nicest but there are boring looking ones that can learn too.

The LCD ones are the ultimate in flexability...select VCR and VCR buttons come on the screen. Select TV and TV buttons come on the screen. Program in a custom screen that has a little of both if you want.

The drawback is that in the middle of a movie you might have to activeate the backlight to see what button to push, or worse, the remote may have turned itself off.

Are you sure that the old remote is dead? They can get very very very dirty--you might try taking it apart and cleaning out the innerds. They're not THAT complex--I would say if you can do a flashlight mod you can clean out a remote.

Hope this helps, Merry Christmas...

Originally posted by PlayboyJoeShmoe:
This is I guess a second generation surround sound Reciever and has a stock Remote with a LOT of buttons! I need several of the functions to work so I'd really like info on anyone who has used one of the Wiz-Bang LCD remotes!

Thanks!

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Playboy..-your remote should have an absolute minimum of these 3 things to fill your needs successfully:
1. programmable timers (LCD display)
2. macros-connected to timer(s)
3. learning ability!

I just sold a good one on eBay for a measly $25.
Here's a crude photo of it;

I'll try opening mine up and looking for crud/bad connections, but it is dead as a doornail!

Sounds like if I buy another I better buck up and get the Sony RM-P35 that they recommend. I just feel kinda like I need Vaseline to shell out $130 for that!

Any old universal can do my TVs and other stuff.

Playboy--you can test a remote by looking at it with a digital camera of some sort. Camcorded, digital camera, webcam--they all work. If you aim the remote at it and push buttons you should see light coming out of the IR LED. Maybe it's not the remote that's broken, but the reciever...

Saaby-

I've used alchohol and quetips to bring remotes back to life. What is your method?

Playboy-

Thanks for opening up this thread. I did not know about programmable/learning remotes.

I had it open. It looks fine in there. I measured 2.64v at where the battery connections are soldered to the board. I could not measure any volts used by pushing buttons nor at the IR leds "legs".

Thus I can't make a learning remote learn anything from this one.

Basically, if I can power up or down, change from AM-FM/CD/DVD/Video, change main, center and rear volumes, and play, stop, pause from the remote on the cd and dvd (although controlling anything else unless easily done is useless) that would be enough.

It's down to I guess getting the $130 (OUCH!) remote that Sony recommends. The only other way is any of those LCD remotes can be taught anything without the original remote. Something like the Sony RM-AV1000 or AV3000. At least with those I could reasonably expect to use one remote for everything....

I didn't get to be this cheap by spending over 100 bucks on something like a remote control!!!

Playboy Joe-

You are vastley more skilled than I am but I just gotta ask you...did you point it at a camera and record the output? That will tell you allot. Last year I installed an RS camera pointing at my driveway. $150.00 and well worth it. Not the CCD but another component (I think IR sensor) is what makes modern cameras pick up low light situations so well.

I was reading CPF one night and got an idea. I went outside with my remotes and pointed them at the camera. When I viewed the tape, sure enough, you could very clearly see the flashing codes.

Did you clean the pushbutton contacts?

I'm following your thread with great interest.

Again, thanks for opening it up.

Icebreak...

I take them apart and...

Gently wipe the PCB/blow it clean with compressed air

Take the case and clean it--especially the "top"/the side where the buttons stick through. My sister had my stereo for about a month and this surface was unusally dirty from hairspray and other products...

I then thoroughly wash the rubber sheet of buttons.

Wait for everything to dry and re-assemble.

Thanks Saaby.

I also took a pencil eraser to the contacts on the rubber sheet. That brought an old RCA back to life.

I REALLY like the Sony "RM-Vxxx" line of universal remotes. Not sure if that's the current model number designation, but the 8-n-1 with learning does everything I need on my home theatre system.

I've got 1 button programmed to turn on the DVD, Stereo, Powered Sub-woofer, Cable box, TV and channels it to the correct channel for viewing of the DVD input.

Another button shuts everything down sequentially.

Another button shuts down all of the Home Theatre features, but leaves the TV on and channels it back for regular viewing.

If I remember correctly it was around $60 with a discount (normally around $80 or so?). I've owned it for about 9 months.

HUH? I opened it up again. It looked clean as a whistle under the key pad. I washed the key pab, and used alcohal on the board, stuck it back together and what d'ya know? It works!

I been saved!

Playboy, I noticed on that remote I mentioned, that it is pre-programmed with thousands of signals (including Sony Audio components).
-Hope you don't have any more trouble, but, something to keep in mind.

p.s.-really quick way to see if your IR remote is putting out anything is to shoot it at an AM radio, -tuned off-station, and then listen to the radio for it's impulses.

Ah...I almost forgot...

Sony stuff is pretty much always backwards compatable...you could probably pick up a cheeper Sony reciever remote or maybe even buy a broken reciever just for the remote (Did somebody say eBay?) and it'd likely work with your equiptment.

the alcohol probably washed out whatever was in it.
also check the solder joints on the battery contacts,ir led(s) and the 455 khz resonater(square blue or orange thing)
the leads like to break off too..

Playboy Joe-

If you hear the doorbell it's Bart, Illuminated, vcal, Saaby, Sigman and me with Hot Dogs, Nachos, popcorn and assorted beverages. I'll be bringing the ice.

So what's playing tonight?

Oh yeah, Hot Dogs, Nachos, popcorn and assorted beverages are new members. Hope you don't mind too much. And could you get the door? I think it's Dominos...also a new member.