Good X10 RF remote for use with MP and MR26A? (1 Viewer)

Darkcobra

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October 29, 2010
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I need a remote that:

* Transmits RF signals that can be received by the MR26A X10 RF Receiver. I do not need direct MP support, as I have my own program that monitors the MR26A serial stream and sends the appropriate keystrokes to MP.
* Autorepeats (sends repeated RF codes) when buttons are held down.
* Has Power, Ch+/-, Vol+/-, Mute, 0-9, Left/Right/Up/Down, Enter/Menu/Exit, Play/Pause/Stop/FF/Rew buttons; and actually sends unique RF codes for all of them.

I've been using a UR47A with a MR26A and MediaPortal with good results.

However, my UR47A is getting increasingly flaky. After attempting repair, it appears that the UR47A may suffer from an non-repairable issue that causes them to fail over time, regardless of actual use (see footnote for details). Since the UR47A is no longer manufactured, and even a "new" one is rather old and may be on its way to failure, I'm looking for an alternative.

At this point, I've tried three other X10 RF remotes, none of which worked to my satisfaction:

HD23: I had one lying in wait as a spare. When I finally tried it, I realized it lacks the up/down/right/left buttons necessary to navigate the MP GUI.

R550: I bought this since the HD23 didn't work out. It has all the necessary buttons, but doesn't transmit RF codes for all of them.

UR74A: Since it's the direct successor of the UR47A, I bought this next with high hopes; but it too has issues. It transmits a code only once, regardless of how long you hold down a button. This lack of autorepeat makes navigating long lists tiresome. Even worse, the Play and Pause buttons transmit the exact same code; making them indistinguishable. What genius thought of that?

So, any suggestions? I'm tired of buying remotes only to find they don't work.


FOOTNOTE: The UR47A uses conductive paint extensively; not only for the button contacts (which is common in remotes), but for long circuit traces. It seems that in order to interface all the buttons to a MCU with low pin count, it's using the trace resistance to determine which button is pressed, since that resistance varies with the length of the trace. Clever, but it appears the resistance of the paint has changed over time. So sometimes buttons don't work, or are confused with entirely different buttons. Replacing batteries doesn't solve the problem. Opening the remote up and cleaning the contacts doesn't help. Bridging the board's contact with a wire as a test (in case the problem lies with the mating contact made of conductive rubber, which is a common failure) doesn't work. Sometimes certain buttons on the remote stop working for days, then spontaneously start working perfectly again; perhaps the paint is being affected by ambient humidity? Replacing or recoating the paint would likely result in such a different resistance that I think the remote would never work again. I could be wrong about all this, but it's my best theory.
 

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