I have done a search on Timers but cannot find a post that actually explains how to use them. I have reviewed the Ultimate Pronto Guide, but didn't see it in there either. I have tried messing with them on the remote, but can't seem to get them to work.
I am wanting to create a sleep timer page in which I could have listed different times of the evening, i.e. 12:00, 1:00, etc... I would like to link the buttons with these times to the corresponding sleep timer. I cannot figure out how to use the timer function, though.
I am hoping that someone would be kind enough to give a detailed description. If what I am trying to do is not possible, please tell me.
Thanks in advance.

Timers can be activated through the Tools menu on the remote. There is no way to edit timers currently in the NG software. What types of actions are you wanting to do. This will help us explain if the NG timers can do what you want.

Is there nothing in the Help Text of PENG or PPENG with regard to Timers? What about in the User's guide for the remote?

It took me a while to do it but I figured it out.

Go to the timers page.

Press "Add" to create a timer. You'll note that 2 buttons will appear. One labeled "Timer 1" and the other, to the left of it is unlabeled. The left button turns the timer on and off. If the the one labeled Timer 1 shows dark text on a light background press "Edit". If the Timer 1 button shows light text on a dark background press it and then press Edit.

Before you edit the timer you need to know that there are 2 types of timers, single ended timers and double ended timers. A single ended timer, for example, would be using the remote to create a macro to set your satellite box to go to CBS and start the VCR recording eg. satellite on, delay, 2, delay, 4, delay, 1, delay, enter, VCR on, delay, record. A good example of a double ended timer would be my situation, I want my home to look lived in while I'm away skiing. I turn lights on, TV on, and satellite on at 8:30 and off at 11:30. One macro for on and one macro for off.

In the "Start" section of the edit screen you set all the parameters for the beginning stage of your timer. Pressing the date buttons will let you use the hard buttons at the bottom of the screen to scroll up and down to set the date that your timer starts, ditto for the time. "Start Actions" is where you enter the start sequence eg. lights on, delay, TV on, delay, satellite on. Add your steps, test using the hard button below the screeen, and press OK.

Now on to the "Stop" section of the timer editing screen. As in the start section, press the time and scroll up or down to set the time and, if necessary, the date that the finish squence of commands will be sent. Note that the you can only adjust the time up and down but when you scroll past midnight the date goes to the following day. Now press "Stop Actions" and ender the ending sequence of commands eg. satellite off, delay, TV off, delay, lights off. Press OK.

Last but not least, press "Repeat Settings". This screen lets you select the the days of the week that your timer will run. If you just want the timer to run once leave the settings on this screen alone, otherwise press "No" and adjust the settings to suit yourself. Press OK and back to the editing screen.

Press OK again and you'll be back at the first screen where you first created the timer. Press the unlabelled button beside the one marke "Timer 1". Center dark means that the timer you created is not activated. Press this button (center light), press OK and the timer on icon will appear at the top of the screen. Exit the tools menu and you're done.

This message was edited by Boarderbiker on 01/18/05 18:49 ET.

Another thing I noticed about timers, ones that I create usually won't work till the following day. That repeats every time I change something in PPENG and do a download. No timers fire till the next day. Very irritating! Also, I created a Timers page and made macro command buttons in PPENG for that page. That way, instead of adding all the macro commands on the remote I just map the timer to the button and set the firing time. I'll sure be a happy boy if they ever go back to the way things were with the 2000 as far as timers go.

I've never had any problems using the timer on the same day.

They could make everything a whole pile easier to understand if they just WROTE A SET OF FRIGGING INSTRUCTIONS on how to use them!!!! Having to figure this function out entirely on your own by trial and error is pathetic for a piece of equipment that costs as much as this thing did.

There are SEVEN pages of instructions in the manual for setting up timers.

Pages 39 - 46 of the 7000 manual.

You read the manual?!? hehe...

Unfortunately, they don't give you the manual for a 7000 when you buy a 3000. I repeat, it would be nice if Philips could spare a page or 2 for the 3000 timer function.

You can download the manuals from the file section here.

The reason that the 3000 manual does not have timer information is that timers were released for the 3000 later on. The 7000 had them from day 1.

Yes, we did. As Beta testers, we commented on the WHOLE package. Understandably, most folks don't.

Part due to issues found during Beta Testing ....

You had that wonderful sticker on the USB cable when you received your remote indicating that you are NOT to connect the remote to the PC before installing the software.

I have never got the Timers to work on my RU950 (3000) remote. I can go in and do all the steps and activate the timer. When I go back to the timers, the added timers is gone! It just does not save the timer.

Any ideas on how to solve this, what am I doing wrong?

-Hinke

Hi guys again!

I solved my problems with the Timers not saving. I had updated the firmware a while ago to the latest firmware with the Timer function but the timers would just not save.

The reason for my problem was that I was forced to upload my pcf file to the remote after the firmware update. Now they work. Weird but true.

I can finally use my new DVD-recorder coming next week to its full potential with my digital box.

I am a happy camper now.

-Hinke

If you downloaded your original PCF it would have wiped out the timers in your Pronto. You need to add timers directly on your Pronto, then upload your PCF to you computer. Now your PCF contains the timers and when you download you will not wipe out the timers. However, make sure you upload whenever you change the timers.

Hi,

I don't think you understand the problem I had Or I did not explain it well.

My problem was that I had an existing pcf file on the remote I was using. Then the new firmware came out with the Timer function. I then updated the firmware with the Timer functionality and tried to add a timer on the remote itself. The Timer would not save no matter what I did.

I then uploaded the pcf file to my remote with some modifications to some buttons, this is when the timer functionality started to work. I can now add timers the way you are supposed to. So, by uploading my pcf file overwriting the old pcf file the Timers started to work.

-Hinke

might be that the old PCFs did not have a section to save timers. I have not opened a PCF that could or did contain timers, but maybe your old PCF needed something that it did not have until you uploaded it again with the new editor