B3-01   Where can I get a serial cable for the Pronto?

All shipping remotes include one in the base package. If you don't want to wait you can use a Kodak DC210 digital camera cable or you can wire your own using the diagram below:

More information on working with Macintosh computers can be found later in this document.

Note that the pinout is NOT the same as the cable that comes with Home Theater Master products.

There are several versions of the Pronto software designed for various OEM customers, each one slightly different. When you download a software update intended for another version of your remote the above message will be displayed. Your only option is to get a software upgrade created for the specific version of your remote and use that to update instead.

Although in the past the firmware for the Pronto could be cross-loaded on the Marantz RC5000, this is not the case any more. Please do NOT upgrade the RC5000 with Pronto software or the Pronto with RC5000 software.

If you have already flashing another model's firmware, you are likely receiving the error message above. You should instead flash your remote back to its proper firmware program with either RC5000 Setup or ProntoEdit and the most recent firmware update file.

Always check what version of firmware your remote has and compare it to what the PC offers before attempting to upgrade. Very often remotes direct from the factory will have a newer firmware version than is available to download.

This usually indicates that the CCF file is corrupt. To correct this you can try downloading your file again from ProntoEdit or RC5000 Setup. Otherwise, you must re-flash the firmware using the TOOLS | UPDATE PRONTO menu option in ProntoEdit (or TOOLS | UPDATE RC5000 in RC5000 Setup) while the remote is connected to your PC.

You may experience this problem without ever having connected the remote to your computer. The solution is still the same: you must update your remote via the PC software.

Yes! First, make a serial cable as per the diagram earlier in this document. If you made the PC version, use a standard DB-9 to Mac DIN8 adapter to connect it to the serial port on your Macintosh.

The following information was submitted by Ladd Morse:

How to Use Virtual PC on your Macintosh for Flawless Pronto Upload/Download. One person's setup that works; your mileage may vary.

Computer: Power Mac 8500 with XLR8 466 MHz G3 upgrade card
OS: Mac OS 9.0.4
Virtual PC: Version 3.0.1 running Windows 95
Mac Serial Port-to-Pronto Interface Cable: Kodak Part Number 1008473 (for DC20/DC25/DC200/DC200 Plus/DC210/DC210 Plus/DC215)

After installing Pronto Edit 1.5 onto my "C" drive in Virtual PC, the following adjustments were required for proper ProntoEdit/Pronto communication:

Virtual PC preferences:

• Select COM port used (in my case, COM 1)
• Ensure COM 1 is set to "Mac Serial Port"
• Enable checkbox "non-modem device"

  In Windows 95:

• Open up Windows "System Control Panel" (Path: My Computer:
• Control Panels: System)
• Click on "Device Manager" tab
• Select "Ports"
• Select Port used by Pronto (in my case, COM 1)
• Click on "Port Settings" Tab
• Change "Bits/Sec" setting to 2400

  None of the above work? The following manual method may help:

• Use Zterm to upload the CCF file from your Pronto to your Mac.
• Set Zterm to use 115200 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit.
• Hold the Left and Right buttons on the pronto while inserting the Pronto cable quickly. You may notice a bad connection if you insert the cable more slowly.
• Type "ul ccf" followed by ENTER.
• Select Xmodem receive.
• The Pronto should then send the CCF and you'll see the Xmodem progress bar.
• Bring the CCF into ProntoEdit under VirtualPC.
• Customize it.
• Now download the CCF back to your pronto by typing "dl ccf" and pressing ENTER.
  

The answer is yes, however there are some conditions. First, the USB emulator you purchase must be able to emulate a serial (COM) port between 1 and 4 - many prefer to operate as "COM 12" or something, but ProntoEdit will not work with that. Ideally it should function as COM 1. Secondly, some USB adaptors are known not to work - this includes the Keyspan USB-to-PDA adapter. However, the Keyspan USB-to-Serial adaptor does work.

There are several causes. But first, when you receive the "Pronto not connected or not responding" message, click on the "Details" button. This will list all found COM ports and what the error message was.

If the message is "Access denied (in use by another application?)", that means another program is using the port. A common culprit here is the Palm HotSync software. Disable it and then try again.

If the error is "Opened but no response from Pronto", you can check several things:

1. Ensure the COM port is functional. Try something else out on it.
2. If nothing else will work, the port may not be configured correctly in your system BIOS or Windows. Its IRQ may be shared by another device, such as a modem. By default COM 1 and 3 use IRQ 4, while COM 2 and 4 use IRQ 3. However, since COM ports cannot actually share IRQs with anything else, you will either have to disable one of the shared COM ports or set one to another IRQ. If you have an older AT-based system, the port may be configured correctly but may not be connected inside the system. If using a notebook, make sure the port in question is not configured to "IR" mode, since that disables the physical port and/or may interfere with others.
3. If the port works but ProntoEdit just can't seem to see it, make sure you're using COM 1. Many users have found that trying to use any other port has failed if COM 1 itself is not in use. It is possible to use other COM ports, but the ports before it should be "busy" or "in-use" by other applications.