I have an old Mitsubishi Tv and the remote control does not work. The only way to add cable TV stations is through the menu of the remote control. Can I use any universal remote control to add the stations or it has to be a Mitsubishi remote?
Have you tried replacing the batteries in the remote? If yes, then find a digital camera, point it at the LED in the remote, and watch what happens when you press a button. You can sorta see the IR on the camera LCD display. If that shows output, it's possible that you have a problem in your unspecified model "old" Mitsubishi TV.
If genuinely dead, try:
20 different remotes for Mitsubishi. One of them is probably the original for your unspecified "old" model Mitsubishi TV.
Maybe. My luck hasn't been too good with cheap universal remotes. The one that came with my DirecTV (RC32) is marginal. I've tried 2 Radio Shack models that allegedly would work with my ancient assortment of C-band receivers. The mostly work, but there's always some button that either missing or works strangely. I've had the best luck with emulators running on my laptop and PDA where I can tweak the display and limit the number of buttons to a manageable number.
If possible, get the original or as someone suggested, get an overpriced Logitech Harmony universal remote:
While you're at it, buy a "TV-B-Gone":
Most remote controls will turn off the TV and one other device with a single button. My RC32 is really odd. You can use one button to turn two devices on, but you have to use two different buttons to turn both of them off. When I want to turn off all the boxes and gadgets, it's real ordeal. With TV-B-Gone, one button does it all. It even works with my video switcher and TIVO.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
you can try to test the remote control by using it on AM radio receiver , if you hear pulsing sounds so it should work and the problem is in your tv receiver
Remote controls don't use RF. Modern remote controls use IR (infrared). This happens to be light and no AM radio that I am aware of detects IR signals since they're not RF.
I believe you are thinking of some other device you can check with a AM radio.
That was my initial (internal) reaction to that suggestion until I suspected that the respondent meant to check for digital circuit RFI which the remote may radiate and be detected by the radio (sometimes FM works better for high clock frequency circuits, and certainly a shortwave radio would permit tuning to a sweet spot to listen to digital noise as the various buttons are pushed).
I will try it with various remotes and report the results; to be useful, the noise patterns would need to map well to button presses.
*AND* be radically different if the IR LED is faulty. That *may* be the case if its open circuit, but if its gone short, I'd not expect much change. At best its a quick way of checking the RC isn't totally brain dead.
I always favoured an IR photodiode mounted in a BNC plug with a black rubber shroud (off a large croc clip and cut to length) to exclude ambient light. It used to live on the 3rd channel input of the scope when I was doing TV work. Nice clear pulse signal as the scope's
1M/30pF integrated the ~40KHz carrier so easy to check the different buttons gave different signals.
For a rough function check I'm sure most of us know that IR is visible on most mono and some colour video cameras so just point it at the shop's CCTV and press the buttons. If using an unfamiliar camera try a known good RC first to confirm the camera can see IR.
--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
The remotes for my Qwest 2-way cable are hybrid - IR for on/off and volume (cuz those are TV functions), and RF for everything else (cuz that stuff's in the gateway box).
Or one could check the IR Remote Repair FAQ. Now what a concept? :)
-- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ:
formatting link
Repair | Main Table of Contents:
formatting link
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ:
formatting link
| Mirror Sites:
formatting link
Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.
I'm interested to hear your results. I'd be surprised if a remote radiates enough EMI to detect with an AM radio. I guess its possible, it would have never occured to me to try this. It just seems easier to check it with a camera, then you know (within reason) that it's working.
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.