Hello,

I have a preamplifier ADA Cinema Rhapsody with no remote (it is normally sold with one, and the CCF files given on remote central is for the MachII model...not compatible with mine).

Anyway, ADA' support send me a PDF file with a list of code for each function, but it is not recognize by the pronto, for instance :

To Turn On the preamplifier, the code is : FF,01,adress,02,02,id1,ff

Do I need a specific software to convert all this code ?


Thanks for your help

Hopefully, they gave you more information than just the list of "codes" for each function. If there is information you don't understand enough to quote meaningfully, you could email the pdf to me.

If we knew what "FF,01,adress,02,02,id1,ff" meant, we probably could use my makehex program to generate the Pronto Hex.

I've never seen that notation for describing an IR signal. Except for IrDA, I've never seen any remote control signalling system that carries enough content for a list of values that long to make any sense. If it were IrDA, I assume they would have said so.

Do you know how incompatible the MackII is? Whether it is a totally different signalling system or is the same system with a different address value? If you could get the pdf describing the MachII then I could compare what it says about the MachII to what's actually in the CCF for the MachII, which would tell me what the notation they use in the pdf really means, which would tell me how to get my MakeHex program to duplicate the signals.

also if you have the learnt code and the PDF code for a button we can probably do the analysis

I had another spare moment to take a better look at the CCF for the MackII and now I do understand what "FF,01,adress,02,02,id1,ff" means.

I can generate these signals easily with MakeHex, but I need to know the values of adress and id1 and I need to know what part of the signal varies from one command to another (maybe I can deduce more of that from the MackII file when I have another chunk of free time, but the whole pdf would be a better source).

For any other IR experts that may be lurking: The data (FF,01,adress,02,02,id1,ff) looks like something that would be transmitted by some IR analog of RS232 serial (such as IrDA) and in fact it is. But it isn't IrDA. It is a lower speed way of modulating bits as IR carrying the standard 10 bit serial frames (Each byte is a start bit, 8 data bits, and a stop bit. The whole signal is a few such bytes strung together.)

The individual bits are just modulated, not encoded AND modulated like most IR protocols and not "run length limited" like most of the protocols it otherwise resembles (10 bit byte frame structure does provide a 9 bit run length limit, but that's much harder to take advantage of than typical 4 bit run length limited designs). All that means the receiver is probably picky about differences in the reference clock of as little as 4%, where most IR protocols are much less picky.

I got the PDF. It doesn't really explain "Address". I assume "Address" is a configurable property of the device allowing you to have multiple of the devices in the same room controlled by IR and not interfering with each other. (They don't say anything like that. I'm just assuming). It doesn't seem to tell how to configure the Address. I hope you don't need to test all 255 adresses to see which one was configured by the previous owner. I looked at one command in the MackII CCF and it has an address of 00. There's a good chance they all default to 00, so address won't be a problem. (The CCF has a "System" value of 03 and the PDF says the "Cinema" model always uses a System value of 01.)

The ID1 value is badly documented. My best guess at its meaning is that it is intended for use in two-way RS232 communication (controlling the device from a computer) and just using the value 01 always for ID1 will turn off most of the consequences of using a one way IR remote in a design intended for two way RS232.

Thanks John for your search..impressive job !

I am not familiar with prontoedit (nor any remote software...) so I cannot help any further...

I assumed from your choice of forum that you plan to use a Pronto to control the device. You'll need to either learn a moderate amount about ProntoEdit, or get help with that (I am not the right person to provide ProntoEdit help. If we were talking about a UEI remote like the Radio Shack 15-2104 or the URC-8811 then I know all the tools involved in doing this.)

If the existing CCF file has the right basic UI then you "just" need to know how to paste a different learned signal in place of the one that's there.

Later, I'll give you some IR signals to test. I can base those on my guesses at what the PDF means, or you could try asking (whoever you got the PDF from) how to configure the "Address" and/or whether just using 00 will work, and whether just using 01 for ID1 will work (for one way communication).

I am trying to learn as quick as possible...but it takes time to fully understand what is what, how it works. :)

Here is Pronto hex for items 0 to 9 from that PDF. I hope you've learned enough to paste them into a CCF. My "function" numbers are that number that appears twice in a row near the end of each line in the PDF, for example the ON/OFF toggle is function 3.

I guessed that ADDRESS is supposed to be 00. I guessed that ID1 is supposed to be 01. If those guesses are wrong these signals won't work. I can generate a wider selection if you want to experiment.

I enhanced my DecodeIR.DLL (used in the JP1 versions of CCF2EFC and IRTOOL) to generically decode IR signals which are analogs of RS232 signals. That generic code decides the MackII ccf is consistent with RS232 of any baud rate from 1153 to 1251 (IR is not as exact as RS232, so one can't deduce the exact baud rate). To generate your signals I needed the exact baud rate. 1200 baud is a standard for low speed RS232 and is right in the middle of the 1153 to 1251 range, so I'm pretty near certain that 1200 baud is what they're actually using.

Here are the signals: (If they work, I'll email the full set of 256)

Device Code: 0 Function: 0
0000 005F 0009 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0147 0024 0147 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 1
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 2
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0049 0024 00DA 0024 0049 0024 00DA 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 3
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0024 0049 00DA 0024 0024 0049 00DA 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 4
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 006D 0024 00B6 0024 006D 0024 00B6 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 5
0000 005F 000D 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0024 0024 0024 0024 00B6 0024 0024 0024 0024 0024 00B6 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 6
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0049 0049 00B6 0024 0049 0049 00B6 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 7
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0024 006D 00B6 0024 0024 006D 00B6 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 8
0000 005F 000B 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0091 0024 0091 0024 0091 0024 0091 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147
Device Code: 0 Function: 9
0000 005F 000D 0000 0024 0147 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0147 0024 0024 0024 0049 0024 0091 0024 0024 0024 0049 0024 0091 0024 0024 0024 00FE 0024 0024 0147

Thank you very much ! I'll try as soon as I am home...I am in vacation for a week, far from my preamp.
I do know how to enter the code...so i'll cross my fingers.>Anyway, thank you very much for your time. Bye