My remote control keeps crashing :(

I'm having problems with my remote control - it keeps crashing. Before I describe the symptoms, I'll freely admit that I have *not* changed the battery, as described in the FAQ. However, I don't believe my symptoms are related to a low battery.

I've had my player about a month, and the remote works about 90% of the time. However, occasionally it will just lock up, and fail to work. Up until today, to rectify this, I've had to remove the battery for about 2 minutes, and re-insert. Doing this causes the remote to start functioning properly again.

However, it's done it twice today, so I decided I'd look into it further. I grabbed for my digital camera (and found its batteries were dead, so charged 'em!), and pointed it at the remote. Conclusion: The IR LED is *constantly* emitting IR light - it appears white on the screen. Pull the battery - LED goes black. Put it back in - LED lights up bright white.

This sounds like more of a problem than a simple flat battery. I would just contact support, but I bought my player second hand, and while it was from a very reputable member of this board (you don't get much better), I don't have any purchase paperwork.

I am going to get a new battery in the next couple of days (and have, indeed, ordered a second remote from the store, so I can leave one at home and one in the car), but I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this.

(Incidentally, after successfully 'rebooting' the remote, the digicam shows the LED as being off except when a button is pressed, when it emits a sequence of pulses - as expected)

Suggestions please?

Cheers,

A.

Does it go on continously after hitting any particular button? Or is just random?

Some of my remotes for other equipment do bizarre things when the battery is low though so it may still be a possibility.

- Trevor

It does seem to go on continously more often if I keep hitting the top left quadrant of buttons (1, 2, 4, 5). But it's not 100% reliable. I'm going to get a new battery before calling support - I just wondered if it had been a known issue.

It doesn't seem to be a button getting stuck or anything, because it does just shine out as if there's a direct link between battery and led - it doesn't flicker a code continuously or anything.

Cheers,

A.

However, it's done it twice today, so I decided I'd look into it further. I grabbed for my digital camera (and found its batteries were dead, so charged 'em!), and pointed it at the remote. Conclusion: The IR LED is *constantly* emitting IR light - it appears white on the screen.

The digital camera trick is a good diagnostic, thanks for checking that first.

NOTE: I have seen this happen as well on my Rio Remote. You are not the only person having this problem. When you point a digital camera or a camcorder at the remote, you can see the LED shining steady-white on the camera's LCD.

The IR LED should be off except when a button is pressed. And when that button is pressed, you should see the LED blinking, not being steady. So when you see the steady LED, something is definitely up with the remote. What exactly, I don't know.

Normally, if the remote doesn't work, I'd assume it's a problem with the battery contacts. But if the IR LED is shining steady, then the thing is at least getting power. So what's up with that? If you open the remote and fiddle with the contacts, you're just "rebooting" it by removing the power long enough to clear it. Hence giving the false impression that fiddling with the contacts has fixed the problem.

I would like to update the FAQ with definitive information on this subject, but I don't have any concrete information. Do any of the Empeg Guys have anything to add to this?

email me and I'll replace it.

So does this mean that the "steady LED" thing is a known defect, or is there a bug in the firmware, or what? I'm really interested in what this all means.

Unless it would cause a huge number of returns for you to fill, in which case never mind.

Thanks a lot David - but first I'm going to get a new battery. It seems the best thing to do before flat out stating that the remote is kaput, and if it fixes it, all well and good. If it doesn't, I will take you up on your offer though.

Now, does anyone know where I can pick one of these up on the (uk) high street? (Given that we don't have Radio Shack in any decent form over here)

Cheers,

A.

Radio Shack == Tandy

I don't know what stores are like in the UK, but here in the US, I can get those batteries almost anywhere, including grocery stores and drugstores (sorry, "chemists" ).

They are also used in lots of other types of products such as garage door openers, digital watches, and keyless entry systems.

You have *been* into a Tandy/RS in the UK recently, haven't you?

Anyway, last I heard, they'd been bought out by Carphone Warehouse. Certainly all the ones around here have turned into CPW's.

Cheers,

A.

In reply to:

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I don't know what stores are like in the UK, but here in the US, I can get those batteries almost anywhere, including grocery stores and drugstores (sorry, "chemists" ).

---

I know you can... lucky buggers.

I'll have to go round the shops tomorrow hunting. I know my Psion PDA and my keyless car system both use the same size but slightly thicker (CR2032 rather than 2025).

Thanks,

A.

I'm not aware of the remote hanging and constantly sending a signal - if I've had such reports before, then I would have just put them down to a stuck button (which has been the case on the ones I've seen).

Most remotes fail because of the battery contacts - they're made of thin wire and don't always make good contact (Tony - I'll email you a photo of the board inside the remote that shows this for the FAQ.) but this is unlikely to be the case for this fault.

Anyway, last I heard, they'd been bought out by Carphone Warehouse. Certainly all the ones around here have turned into CPW's.

You don't say? Good to know that the problems with their company are global.

Uhh. No.

Anyway, try Dixons, Smiths or Boots.

> does anyone know where I can pick one of these up on the (uk) high street?

Try local hardware stores (not that there are many around now), places that repair watches, an electronics store such as Maplin or the photo counter at Boots.

I'm not aware of the remote hanging and constantly sending a signal - if I've had such reports before, then I would have just put them down to a stuck button (which has been the case on the ones I've seen).

It's not sending a signal per se, as if from a stuck button. If it were, the LED would be blinking. In the case I've observed (and has been reported a couple of other times here on the BBS), the LED is stuck on steady. It's not modulating any signal at all. Almost as if the internal firmware had locked up in the middle of an "on" pulse.

Thanks both... I'll give those suggestions a try... I'd thought of Maplin, but the nearest is 15 miles away. Boots seems a very good idea though.

I'll update you on the remote issue tomorrow, with any luck!

Cheers,

A.

The firmware could crash if the battery was almost exhausted or making poor contact and, perceivably, cause this effect.

Rob

Halfords sell them, I can't remember how much but they are relatively expensive ~£3.

A good place to buy them, if you can wait until the weekend, is a Car Boot Sale. If you go this route you should try to avoid the cheaper Chinese batteries and stick to Duracell or a Japanese make.

cheers,
Rue

Okay, makes sense. I'll update the FAQ with this information.

I've had the same problem with 2 remotes I have. Both would work off and on for a period, and now neither of them work at all. From your camera trick, It sounds like my remotes could have been getting stuck and ran the battery out. I have yet to get a new battery. I'll do the camera trick on mine and see whats up. So what is the concesus on this. Are the remotes bad and need replacing or just the battery or some lead bending?

From what Rob said (and David) it seems that the "constant on" symptom may be a sign of a weak battery. When the battery is weak, the remote doesn't work the way it should.

This seems odd though too - I'd expect that if the battery was borderline, it wouldn't be capable of lighting the IR led very brightly - but it was giving out a beam more powerful than my other remote controls! Also, I would have expected, with a flat battery, a beam that started bright and quickly dimmed (similar to a torch when it has a very low battery), but it stayed steady and strong. I'd also expect the LED to take far more power than the logic circuitry that pulses it. But I don't know for sure.

Ahh well, time (tomorrow) will tell!

Cheers,

A.

I've found 7dayshop to have pretty cheap batteries. Two Panasonic CR2025's in a pack for £1.49 but I think there is about £1.50 P&P for all orders.

- Trevor

I had the same symptoms with my new from factory Riocar/remote. The remote would stop functioning until I removed the battery for a few seconds. It did this for a couple weeks, then stopped working completly. Got a new battery and I haven't had a problem in the 4 months since.

Chris

Ok, this is so interesting. I can confirm all that you guys said.
I've been having the same problem with my wheel remote by Kenwood, the one comaptible with the empeg since its early days (before Mark's Hijack). It's been working perfectly for almost a year. Then it started to behave exactly as you guys describe. My digital camera showed the steady light when it used to hang. I replaced the battery with the one in the Empeg remote (I use the rio remote, which I also have, so I keep the empeg one as a collectible) and everything went back to normality for a while. Now I am back to the same problem, which makes sense because the battery I am using now is old as well.

FYI, this same exact bug happened to me. I've e-mailed David as well.

I had this exact same problem with my first Empeg and my first Remote. David replaced it for me. Since that time I have bought more Empegs and remotes, now I own 4 of them. Today, the last one working just died on me. They all show the same symptoms. As far as I can see this is a serious epedimic. I will try new batteries, but since most of the remotes had rarely been used, I fail to see how a low voltage condition was to blame.

I had this problem too. I fiddled around with the battery and it started working again. I don't have a digital camera to check if it's the same problem, but it sounds exactly the same. I just stopped using the remote because I couldn't rely on it.

Tom