This might sound like a strange request, but this site looks like it might have the right people to ask. Here goes:
I need to find one (or more) universal remotes that existed prior to 1996 that had the ability to spit out multiple codes for a single button press. For example, a unit that you could program to power up several devices at once when you push the "power" button (TV, stereo amp, etc). I know programmable remotes have been around for a long time, and I find plenty on the market today that can perform this feat, but I need to know whether they could do the same thing back in the early 90's. Better still, I would like to find the manual for such a gizmo.
I have done some searching on my own, for example it looks like Universal Electronics has been around for a long time and maded lots of different remotes. If someone from that firm lurks around this board, maybe they can help me...

That feature is called a macro nowadays, the only remotes from the early 90's that had that feature were the memorex CP8, CP8 Turbo, and the radio shack models 15-1901, and 1903. In those models thay called it a sequence.

If it is a written description of a macro capability you are looking for, U.S. Patent 4,959,810 has one. As I recall, that was filed around 1987. It calls the feature a "DO" function. You can get a copy here: [Link: patft.uspto.gov]

Greetings!

A Google search turned this up!

I have a Radio Shack 15-1901 Universal Remote Control, and it has been WONDERFUL! And, my mother (who is elderly and lives with me) *needs* it! I can grab a couple to few different remote controls in our family room, but my mother needs just one remote control! (She has the SELECT down, but can't get much more than that.)

It is wearing out. I'd like to replace it with things that this one does.

When she turns on the TV, it sends signals to the stereo receiver box, turning it on and selecting the TV (among its inputs), it turns on the TV and it turns on the digital converter box. One SEQ 1 turns it on and a SEQ 2 turns it all off.

Though not as frequently, I use the timer! When we go on vacation, I place it on the bed in my mother's bedroom, and it turns her TV on about the time she goes to bed each night and off about the time she gets up in the morning. (She leaves her TV on all night, and with blinds, it would be able to be noticed that her TV is on.)

Though I have just started looking, I have asked folks (at Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc.) whether they knew of any remote controls that did what this one does, and none of them do.

(Last Saturday, I took it in with me to Radio Shack, and the young man helping me drew the attention of another man and the manager, saying "Look at this remote control!")

If anyone can help me know the best thing to purchase today to replace this, I would appreciate it!

Thank you very much!

Barry

Sorry I know of no current remotes with timers. The last models were the Sony rm-av3000 or 3100 each are long discontinued. Other remotes with timers were the OFA urc-8080, 8090, 8800, and 9800. Also all long discontinued.

I have a Radio shack 1901A, 1903, Memorex CP8, and CP8 Turbo remotes, I could make a package deal on them.

Thank you, Edmund, for your fast answer!

That's a shame! It seems like if something (especially electronic) was available 20 years ago, it should be now!

I'll likely keep my eyes/ears open. However, we have a new bit of good news. The TV in my mother's bedroom was acting up, though not completely broken. She purchased a 19" Samsung HDTV at Circuit City. I discovered today that this TV has its own timers! It can turn itself on and off! :-O

That was definiitely if not the only reason I appreciated the timer on my wearing out 15-1901. So, when I do decide to replace it with a new universal remote, the timer portion may not be quite as important now...

Thank you again!

Barry

HI again, Edmund (and whomever else)!

You seem to know A LOT about universal remotes, so I'll ask my most important question now as I still consider replacing my 15-1901...

Are there any other universal remote controls available today that allow you to program what the various buttons do the way the 15-1901 does? I LIKE putting it learn mode, pressing the appropriate button with the appropriate SELECTion and then using the real device's remote control positioned lower/behind the 15-1901 to program whatever I want that button to do!

(I actually have a VERY old Crown record player with a remote control that I haven't even found in the one newer universal remote control which I have that you set up by choosing codes! Plus, in the event that I may want a particular button to do something "special" -- whether or not it agrees with the label of that particular button on the 15-1901, I use it! I've only done a couple of these, but it is wonderful to be able to!)

And, I guess the other thing is I like being able to set up sequences, where whatever buttons of whatever SELECTions is transmitted, with pauses/waits, possibly, too.

Given these two items of the 15-1901 that I still want, if possible, are there any available today that at least works like this?

Thank you!

Barry

Sure many modern remotes are learning remotes, and you don't have to much up the command to a similar labelled key if you don't want to.

The following Radio shack models are learning remotes, 15-100, 15-133, 15-134, or 15-135.

Edmund,

Thank you very much for the numbers! I'll check them out! :-)

Barry

Hi Edmund!

GREAT news!

Today, I purchased a 15-100 for my mother.

And, having just finished programming it, I'm very happy! :-)

Having set TV to our Sony TV remote, I then used the LEARN mode to change a few things. I changed the channel up and down and the individual digit channel buttons to control the Zenith DTT900 digital converter box we have. (We don't have cable or a satellite dish, but an antenna.) And, I changed the volume up and down to control the stereo receiver box (Pioneer) I have. I also added the GUIDE button to be the Guide of the digital converter box, and a couple of things like this.

That works perfectly.

AUD is our stereo receiver box. (I have speakers in all the rooms of the house, and the TV, as well as all the other sound from our family room goes to all these speakers.)

VCR is her older VCR. And DVD is her newer VCR. (She purchased the newer VCR which is a DVD/VCR combo unit just a couple of weeks ago. She REALLY disliked the extra things she had to do to record off the digital channels! :-) I also program whatever into the VCR memory. I then always chose channel 3. She had to make sure the digital converter box that was hooked up to her VCR was on and assure it was on the proper channel. So, she purchased a newer one that has a digital tuner!) :-)

PVR is our digital converter box.

Everything is working perfectly!

I chose the KEY MACRO instead of the POWER MACRO, to match what she was accustomed to doing via the SEQ 1 and SEQ 2 of the older remote control. (It's M1 and M2 now.) The reason is, I wanted to do one thing that was in addition to just power. I was therefore unable to select the POWER MACRO, because it did power only. I have it do AUD, power (the stereo receiver box), PVR, power (the digital converter box), TV, power (the TV), and then back to AUD, channel 7, which selects the TV.

I had the SEQ 1 actually do a WAIT, and then select the TV input on the stereo receiver box, in case I accidentally had it attached to something else and left it on that something else.

Doing the AUD, power, and then going to PVR, power, and TV, power and then back to AUD and 7 works just fine. I didn't need a WAIT. (I therefore don't know whether it has such a thing or not. I haven't needed it.)

The M2 (used to be SEQ 2) just powers the three devices off.

This works perfectly.

And, want even more great news? It has the timer capability about which I was asking! It calls it TIMER MACRO! It does that, too!

(I will have her TV turn itself on/off this year when we go on vacation, but if I needed a remote control to do it, it looks like the 15-100 would do that, too!)

Bottom line: I'm very pleased! Thank you for helping me quickly narrow down the very large list of choices of universal remote controls! :-)

Barry

Barry thats great, I hope mother likes the remote.