|
...Continued from Page 2.
After unscrewing and wrestling the small bit of plastic off without breaking it, each battery must be slid individually into one of two narrow tubes that show up on the rear of the remote as twin ridges. Slightly more difficult is getting the battery cover back in place. The cover actually forms part of the power circuit and has a metal spring on it to hold everything in place. The spring is stiff and awkward, but while fighting with it and the batteries you must also fit two fragile little plastic pins into tiny slots between the aluminum back and the plastic interior. Then, once everything is in place, tighten the screw with your free hand while ensuring that two further little pins install correctly.
While I understand that a super-thin metal remote might require an unusual way of fitting batteries, I’ve seen other solutions that might have been simpler – or at least wouldn’t have required digging out a Phillips screwdriver.
Those two battery bumps formed on the aluminum back panel continue along the length of the remote until tapering off in the plastic end caps. The ridges do provide an interesting ergonomic focal point (read: feel neat!), but also have a downside as the remote cannot be used on a tabletop. Whenever the outer left or right hard buttons are used, the remote rocks over to the side. Small stabilizing struts could have prevented this.
Bigger than any touchscreen!
Something unique about the 15-2133’s design is that there is almost no margin from the side of the “touch panel” to the edge of the remote. The Kameleon’s control surface measures an impressive 8.50” long by 2.19” wide (21.7cm by 5.6cm), nearly as big as the remote. Except for the bottom, the bezel is only about a quarter of an inch wide.
In this large expanse you’ll find a total of 53 buttons, which works out to a button density of about 2.8 buttons per square inch. 44 buttons are usable for device functions, with 4 of those dedicated to macros or learned functions. Of the remainder, 6 buttons choose devices, one enters setup mode, another activates “favorite channel scan”, while the last changes screens in a device.
Better keep that manual handy...
As with all hard-buttoned remote controls from UEI, programming the 15-2133 involves using a combination of a special setup hard button, entering all sorts of archaic numbers, and counting blinking lights. Those numbers aren’t only where they’d be expected for punching in database codes. Each setup mode (such as learning, macros and backlight adjustment) can only be accessed with the right code number. So, you’d better keep that 60-page manual in a handy place – without it you’ll have to resort to searching the internet for even the most basic of changes. On the bright side, anyone unfamiliar with the remote won’t be able to mess it up!
The six-device Radio Shack 15-2133 is both preprogrammed and code learning. The preprogrammed side of the remote makes use of a very recent edition of UEI’s fantastic code database, so if you’ve lost or misplaced a remote control the 15-2133’s built-in codes are as good as you’ll find.
| 
Previous page
