Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
I have a pushy neighbour who (somewhat unwelcomely) doesn't mind telling you what you should do, or demanding help when she wants it. I had a phone call the other morning "my TV remote control has broken and I can't make the replacement work". It's easier to give in than resist: "I'll be around later".
It was their bedroom TV, a Tesco Special (Technika) TV/DVD combo. She had been to Tesco to get a replacement, but they said they would have to change the TV and remote as a set, and anyway it was out of warranty. They sold her a Technika universal remote, and they had not managed to code it up. I had taken my iPad and roaming Internet, and started by checking the outputs with the camera. "Have you checked the batteries?" "New batteries."
The first thing I discovered is the iPad camera isn't sensitive to IR and I had to use my phone camera! Nothing coming from the original remote, output from the universal. I jiggled the batteries in the original, still no output. Then I looked at the list of codes for the universal - Technika TV not listed, despite it being a Technika remote!! An Internet search was fruitless, even for the same remote model number the setup instructions were different. I started the automatic search procedure, but I was pushed for time at that point and I was not being given any PEACE to concentrate on what I was doing (back seat driver - how does her husband cope?).
I suggested they phone the advertised Technika help line, took a note of the various model numbers, and said I would see what I could find out.
A couple of days later I had another Internet search and still came up with very little, apart from some pre-programmed remotes on eBay which claimed to be for that particular TV. I hooked up my Harmony 200 (now unavailable it seems) and tried programming it, but MyHarmony.com did not have the TV model in the library. I ticked "yes I am sure" and something downloaded, don't know what (best guess I suppose). Then I went back to the black widow's den.
The Harmony did nothing at all, so I turned my attention back to the Technika universal to try a code I had found, no good, all this time being 'supervised'. "I need some peace to concentrate" I said, several times, and eventually the hint was taken (unwillingly). I was resigned to running the auto-scan, but wondered if it might be simpler to fix the original remote, depending what was wrong with it. I got the camera out again, still dead. Then I thought of switching the batteries from my Harmony - wrong size. Batteries from the (functioning) Technika universal? Well I never, original remote working again.
I went to break the news. "Batteries." "What??? Bob, did you check those batteries?!!!" (poor Bob). He had a battery tester. It seems he had tested the batteries that came out, but not the batteries that went in - one was good, the other was dead as a door nail. "Cheap batteries" I said (guess who bought them). "I always use Duracell for this kind of thing, they're sometimes on offer and then I stock up".
It was their bedroom TV, a Tesco Special (Technika) TV/DVD combo. She had been to Tesco to get a replacement, but they said they would have to change the TV and remote as a set, and anyway it was out of warranty. They sold her a Technika universal remote, and they had not managed to code it up. I had taken my iPad and roaming Internet, and started by checking the outputs with the camera. "Have you checked the batteries?" "New batteries."
The first thing I discovered is the iPad camera isn't sensitive to IR and I had to use my phone camera! Nothing coming from the original remote, output from the universal. I jiggled the batteries in the original, still no output. Then I looked at the list of codes for the universal - Technika TV not listed, despite it being a Technika remote!! An Internet search was fruitless, even for the same remote model number the setup instructions were different. I started the automatic search procedure, but I was pushed for time at that point and I was not being given any PEACE to concentrate on what I was doing (back seat driver - how does her husband cope?).
I suggested they phone the advertised Technika help line, took a note of the various model numbers, and said I would see what I could find out.
A couple of days later I had another Internet search and still came up with very little, apart from some pre-programmed remotes on eBay which claimed to be for that particular TV. I hooked up my Harmony 200 (now unavailable it seems) and tried programming it, but MyHarmony.com did not have the TV model in the library. I ticked "yes I am sure" and something downloaded, don't know what (best guess I suppose). Then I went back to the black widow's den.
The Harmony did nothing at all, so I turned my attention back to the Technika universal to try a code I had found, no good, all this time being 'supervised'. "I need some peace to concentrate" I said, several times, and eventually the hint was taken (unwillingly). I was resigned to running the auto-scan, but wondered if it might be simpler to fix the original remote, depending what was wrong with it. I got the camera out again, still dead. Then I thought of switching the batteries from my Harmony - wrong size. Batteries from the (functioning) Technika universal? Well I never, original remote working again.
I went to break the news. "Batteries." "What??? Bob, did you check those batteries?!!!" (poor Bob). He had a battery tester. It seems he had tested the batteries that came out, but not the batteries that went in - one was good, the other was dead as a door nail. "Cheap batteries" I said (guess who bought them). "I always use Duracell for this kind of thing, they're sometimes on offer and then I stock up".