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...Continued from Page 2.
LCD labels - turns out they're not-so-new.
The 4-device RRC600 was a top-of-the-line control. Its sibling, the 3-device RRC500, included learning capabilities, but no LCD screen and a much less expensive bill of materials. The LCD screen at the top, which measures 2.5" wide by 1.0" high (6.4cm by 2.6cm), is particularly useful. First, it shows the currently selected device - which is changed via the [SOURCE] hard button. Second, it displays lesser device functions which correspond to three multi-purpose hard buttons position right below the screen.
Think the Home Theater Master MX-500 or Marantz RC2000 were the first remotes to incorporate changeable LCD labels for hard buttons? Not so! Each time the [FUNCTION] button is pressed the LCD screen displays a new secondary label, with up to 8 alphanumeric characters. To the right of the label are three symbols - a circle, an up arrow and a down arrow. These correspond to symbols printed on the three lower hard buttons. If the LCD shows one of those symbols next to the function name, it means the matching hard button will do something.
The number of possible secondary functions varies widely between each of the four devices. For the television there's 23 labels with 32 possible functions, the VCR has 18 labels with 25 functions, the Cable device has only 2 labels with 3 functions, while the Auxiliary device has 22 labels with 27 functions. The remote is smart enough to hide any function that doesn't have an assigned command, so if only 5 out of 32 functions are being used, that's all that'll show during normal use.
Surprisingly intuitive!
Being the very first learning remote, the GE doesn't learn codes exactly the same way as most modern remotes. A recessed switch on the side of the remote, actuated by the ever-practical paper clip, switches between "use" and "learn" modes. Once in "learn" mode the LCD screen begins displaying help prompts: "LEARN MODE / 1 SELECT SOURCE / 2 PRESS ENTER". Simple enough - press the [SOURCE] button until the right device name is shown, then press [ENTER]. The screen now reads "READY", with the text "PRESS MATCHING KEYS" flashing below.
The RRC600's manual indicates that you should place the remote a few inches away from the source, then press and hold both the source key on the original remote and the target key on the GE. After a few seconds the text "RELEASE" flashes, indicating that you should stop holding both keys. Finally, "DO AGAIN" flashes and you must once again press the source remote's button. The manual points out that the remote may ask you to "DO AGAIN" up to three additional times, but in my testing it always worked first try. If all goes well, the text "FUNCTION LEARNED" will flash and the remote's once again ready to learn another key. Of interest, a similar double-learning technique has been in use until very recently on certain remotes.
Some of the memory techniques used on the RRC600 are a bit unusual. For instance, it's mentioned that although any mix of commands from different brands can be stored under a single device, it's more memory efficient to only learn commands from a single brand. I'm not exactly sure why this is the case, but it's possible that the remote stores internal memory-saving references to different code format specifics. The remote captured signals from Sony, Denon, Philips, Hitachi, JVC and Aiwa-branded products without difficulty and I did not run out of memory during testing. Specifications claim that it will learn frequencies from 33 to 70KHz, still a popular range. Memory is dedicated per-device, so if it's exceeded the remote will display "OVERLOAD" and stubbornly refuse to learn any further.
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