Help.... VCR not seeing the remotes...???

[Melissa Davidson]

Hi... I have a SONY VCR which is about 10 years old and lately, from
time to time it doesn't respond to the remote controls all the time.
I would say abot 50-50. I am talking about either the remote that
comes with it or the two universals I have.

The last couple of days, it won't respond to any remotes period. I've
tried "reprogramming", fresh batteries etc... to no avail.

What usually causes this. Do the "sensors" on the VCR go bad? I've
tried cleaning it really well and even had the unit unplugged for
awhile today and it still won't work with the remotes.

Any suggestions? Otherwise, I'll just get another one. They are
ceratainly much cheaper than this one which cost me about $200.

Thanks in advance

Melissa

 

[William Sommerwerck]

The sensor is a photodiode, and should last "indefinitely". It appears the
diode is failing, and that's the likely source of your problem.

If you have a technically competent friend, you might ask him to open it up
and have a look. Touching up the solder joints might be a good idea, but I
doubt that's the problem. You never know, of course.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.

Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

 

[mm]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:46:42 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
<grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.

Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents? Not my vcr, but my digital

to analog converter goes "on" once every 2 or 4 weeks, but it's not
really on. The light on the box is on, but no televiion is coming out
of the wire. And when I use the remote for it to try to turn it off,
it doesn't go off.

I have to unplug it from the wall, and then plug it in again, and
still the light is on, but it seems 5 or 10 seconds after that the
light goes off. Then I can turn it on with the remote, and off again.
(There is no switch on the box itself.)

So it seems to have more problems than just turning on for no apparent
reason, but do you think the CFL or two in ceiling fixture could be
doing this?

I"m not trying to hijack the thread. I think these are related.

 

[jfeng@my-deja.com]

Another possibiliyt is that something else is generating
interference. Maybe a different remote control thaty is stuck ON or
some other infrared light source.

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <mahdg6hacccaptne1skiooo2v5s423u40g@4ax.com>,
mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote:

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents?

They're rather notorious for creating IR interference which can block
IR remotes. If the CFL's internal switching duty cycle happens to
come close, in frequency, to the IR pulse frequency used by your IR
remote control, you've got a real problem (desense and false
triggering are the usual symptoms).

The effect is often brand- and model-specific, for both the CFL and
the equipment being interfered with. Many (most) combinations get
along just fine, but some combinations will give you massive headaches.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

 

[mm]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:54:17 -0800, dplatt@radagast.org (Dave Platt)
wrote:

In article <mahdg6hacccaptne1skiooo2v5s423u40g@4ax.com>,
mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote:

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents?

They're rather notorious for creating IR interference which can block
IR remotes. If the CFL's internal switching duty cycle happens to
come close, in frequency, to the IR pulse frequency used by your IR
remote control, you've got a real problem (desense and false
triggering are the usual symptoms).

The effect is often brand- and model-specific, for both the CFL and
the equipment being interfered with. Many (most) combinations get
along just fine, but some combinations will give you massive headaches.

Thanks. Then I'll change bulbs and brands if it gets to be a
nuisance. (Even when I'm not using the box, most of the time, the
light goes on when this is happening, so I"ll know.)

It's less likely now, because I got the remote from the DVDR working
in the office now, where this has happened. I was going to post
especially about it, after I went back and found who recommended
Powermid pyramids. Thanks to William Sommerwerck too. I got one and
it works great. I'm going to buy for other rooms next.

(I knew about Powermid, but it has competitors. I needed a real
endorsement to get me to make up my mind.)

 

[D Yuniskis]

mm wrote:

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:46:42 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.
Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents? Not my vcr, but my digital
to analog converter goes "on" once every 2 or 4 weeks, but it's not
really on. The light on the box is on, but no televiion is coming out
of the wire. And when I use the remote for it to try to turn it off,
it doesn't go off.

Does it respond to any of the buttons on the unit itself??
(i.e., is the processor responding to everything *except*
the remote -- see below)

I have to unplug it from the wall, and then plug it in again, and
still the light is on, but it seems 5 or 10 seconds after that the
light goes off. Then I can turn it on with the remote, and off again.
(There is no switch on the box itself.)

Most of the DTV converters I have seen are "90 day wonders".
I suspect yours is "crashing" and cycling power is essentially
reseting it.

Peek inside. They typically run very hot. If you are the
type that leaves it on for extended periods (turning off the
TV but not the converter), you will likely find toasted caps.

So it seems to have more problems than just turning on for no apparent
reason, but do you think the CFL or two in ceiling fixture could be
doing this?

I"m not trying to hijack the thread. I think these are related.

 

[Melissa Davidson]

Thanks for the replies... The thing is, this problem is somewhat
"intermittent". For about a half-hour last night, the all three
remotes worked. Then... they didn't once again.

I do have some CFL, but nothing new. I do have some other electronic
devices in my apartment, including a laptop and a desktop PC... cell
phones etc... But certainly nothing new. All other devices that have
remotes are working perfectly. This one VCR is the "black sheep" so
to speak.

Thanks again

Melissa

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

Melissa Davidson wrote:

I do have some CFL, but nothing new. I do have some other electronic
devices in my apartment, including a laptop and a desktop PC... cell
phones etc... But certainly nothing new. All other devices that have
remotes are working perfectly. This one VCR is the "black sheep" so
to speak.

If it starts doing things on its own, try covering the sensor with a piece of
aluminum foil. If it stops then it's an IR noise problem.

We also have occasional problems with noise coming down the power line and
upsetting things. If that happens, get a power line FILTER (not a cheap
surge supressor).

You could also try the foil over the sensor trick with a pinhole in the center.
Hold the remote up to the pinhole and see what happens.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

 

[mm]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:07:51 -0700, D Yuniskis
<not.going.to.be@seen.com> wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:46:42 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.
Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents? Not my vcr, but my digital
to analog converter goes "on" once every 2 or 4 weeks, but it's not
really on. The light on the box is on, but no televiion is coming out
of the wire. And when I use the remote for it to try to turn it off,
it doesn't go off.

Thanks for replying.

Does it respond to any of the buttons on the unit itself??

There are no buttons on the unit itself. (It's undercover. MI-5.)

(i.e., is the processor responding to everything *except*
the remote -- see below)

I have to unplug it from the wall, and then plug it in again, and
still the light is on, but it seems 5 or 10 seconds after that the
light goes off. Then I can turn it on with the remote, and off again.
(There is no switch on the box itself.)

Most of the DTV converters I have seen are "90 day wonders".
I suspect yours is "crashing" and cycling power is essentially
reseting it.

Peek inside. They typically run very hot. If you are the
type that leaves it on for extended periods (turning off the
TV but not the converter), you will likely find toasted caps.

No, I don't leave it on. But other than this problem, which may have
started when I put a new bulb in the ceiling fixture, CFL for the
first time, other than this problem, it still works fine. I think it
probably is the CFL. Next time a bulb burns out, I'll change brands,
or put the CFL on the far side of the fixture, or remove it, or all
three.

So it seems to have more problems than just turning on for no apparent
reason, but do you think the CFL or two in ceiling fixture could be
doing this?

I"m not trying to hijack the thread. I think these are related.

Well, they would have been related, except Melissa says there are no
new fluroescents in that room. And come to think of it, her remote
should work anyhow.

Melissa, what do you do between the time it doesnt' work and the next
time it does work? Just wait? Unplug it? ???

Some people are getting rid of their VCRs now, so yardsales and
freecycle are possibitlies. Be sure to get the remote, because all
but the cheapest ones have buttons that don't get picked up by
universal remotes, as I guess you already know. Even the cheap one
I"m using now requires me to use the FF and RW buttons for right and
left on the menu. Nothing on my Maryland Terrapin remote works for
those two buttons.

I paid $500 for my first one in 1984 and it was excellent until 2002
or so, when the head motor started to wobble or something. I thought
I'd be able to get another expensive one for 300 since prices had come
down, but none that were for sale, even at the hotshot stereo stores
had nearly the features that mine did. They found the most popular
features, like Slow Speed, and put them in even the cheap ones, and
then made only cheap ones. Mine had more good features than I can
remember but four of them were that all the buttons on the remote were
also on the VCR itself, the VCR always displayed the time, and one
could see it on-screen also with the remote, it had separate buttons,
both on the VCR and on the remote for setting *and* erasing index
points with one press of the button.

And best of all, it calculated, hours before the tape ended**,
accurately and precisely, how much time was left on the tape, so I
knew if there was space to record something. It had four forward
speeds and four reverse. And of course after playing one recording,
it went straight to the next one, unlike the DVD players (although now
that I have remote control from the basement to the second floor,
that's not so important.)


**It must have used the rotational speed of the two spindles or the
capstan and the supply spindle to figure out how much was left to play
or record. It was great. And it too was always displayed. They
didnt' scrimp on the size of the display.

 

[D Yuniskis]

mm wrote:

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:07:51 -0700, D Yuniskis
not.going.to.be@seen.com> wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:46:42 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.
Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents? Not my vcr, but my digital
to analog converter goes "on" once every 2 or 4 weeks, but it's not
really on. The light on the box is on, but no televiion is coming out
of the wire. And when I use the remote for it to try to turn it off,
it doesn't go off.

Thanks for replying.
Does it respond to any of the buttons on the unit itself??

There are no buttons on the unit itself. (It's undercover. MI-5.)

Ah. :<

(i.e., is the processor responding to everything *except*
the remote -- see below)

I have to unplug it from the wall, and then plug it in again, and
still the light is on, but it seems 5 or 10 seconds after that the
light goes off. Then I can turn it on with the remote, and off again.
(There is no switch on the box itself.)
Most of the DTV converters I have seen are "90 day wonders".
I suspect yours is "crashing" and cycling power is essentially
reseting it.

Peek inside. They typically run very hot. If you are the
type that leaves it on for extended periods (turning off the
TV but not the converter), you will likely find toasted caps.

No, I don't leave it on. But other than this problem, which may have
started when I put a new bulb in the ceiling fixture, CFL for the
first time, other than this problem, it still works fine. I think it
probably is the CFL. Next time a bulb burns out, I'll change brands,
or put the CFL on the far side of the fixture, or remove it, or all
three.

My point is that there is no *valid* way for the device to
get into the state that you have described. *Perhaps* you
can argue that a "bug" is causing it to react incorrectly to
some bizarre "Ir code" that it *thinks* it is seeing. I'm
suggesting that the processor has actually "gone south"
(a point I was hoping you could verify by "pressing buttons on
the unit itself" while it was "crashed").

Anything that can potentially "stay on indefinitely" should be
designed with some sort of automated "crash recovery" mechanism
in place (watchdog timers, etc.) so that they "fix" themselves i
*if* they crash.

 

[mm]

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:55:13 -0700, D Yuniskis
<not.going.to.be@seen.com> wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:07:51 -0700, D Yuniskis
not.going.to.be@seen.com> wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:46:42 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.
Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents? Not my vcr, but my digital
to analog converter goes "on" once every 2 or 4 weeks, but it's not
really on. The light on the box is on, but no televiion is coming out
of the wire. And when I use the remote for it to try to turn it off,
it doesn't go off.

Thanks for replying.
Does it respond to any of the buttons on the unit itself??

There are no buttons on the unit itself. (It's undercover. MI-5.)

Ah. :

(i.e., is the processor responding to everything *except*
the remote -- see below)

I have to unplug it from the wall, and then plug it in again, and
still the light is on, but it seems 5 or 10 seconds after that the
light goes off. Then I can turn it on with the remote, and off again.
(There is no switch on the box itself.)
Most of the DTV converters I have seen are "90 day wonders".
I suspect yours is "crashing" and cycling power is essentially
reseting it.

Peek inside. They typically run very hot. If you are the
type that leaves it on for extended periods (turning off the
TV but not the converter), you will likely find toasted caps.

No, I don't leave it on. But other than this problem, which may have
started when I put a new bulb in the ceiling fixture, CFL for the
first time, other than this problem, it still works fine. I think it
probably is the CFL. Next time a bulb burns out, I'll change brands,
or put the CFL on the far side of the fixture, or remove it, or all
three.

My point is that there is no *valid* way for the device to
get into the state that you have described. *Perhaps* you

I believe you on that.

can argue that a "bug" is causing it to react incorrectly to
some bizarre "Ir code" that it *thinks* it is seeing. I'm
suggesting that the processor has actually "gone south"
(a point I was hoping you could verify by "pressing buttons on
the unit itself" while it was "crashed").

Anything that can potentially "stay on indefinitely" should be
designed with some sort of automated "crash recovery" mechanism
in place (watchdog timers, etc.) so that they "fix" themselves i
*if* they crash.

Yes, it should. That would be a good idea. But it's coy, and it's
lazy, and feels entitled, and expects me to do for it, what it won't
do for itself. I think it grew up rich and spoiled.

It is labeled DISH TV. Why a satellite provider handles digital OTA
conversion boxes I don't know. It cost 40 dollars in addition to one
of the 40 dollar coupons that every household in the US was entitled
to get, making it among the most expensive. It has a program timer
with maybe 8 slots that can be set to correspond to a VCR timer,
providing the desired channel at the same time the VCR records. And
I think it has a better Program Guide than most other boxes (but I
never use that anyhow. I use a webpage, that shows much more stuff at
one time).

Thanks.

 

[Mark Zacharias]

"mm" <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:v56gg69fe7gpo94a3dh3od6p0dtc0vt6vi@4ax.com...

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:55:13 -0700, D Yuniskis
not.going.to.be@seen.com> wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:07:51 -0700, D Yuniskis
not.going.to.be@seen.com> wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:46:42 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

Another possibility is interference, possibly from
an infrared light source.
Fluorescent lamps put out a lot of infrared, and I actually had one
that
occasionally changed channels on a Sony VCR. Make sure all
fluorescent lamps
are turned off.

Have you added any new incandescent lamps? A bright IR source will
reduce
the receiver's sensitivity to the remote's commands.

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents? Not my vcr, but my digital
to analog converter goes "on" once every 2 or 4 weeks, but it's not
really on. The light on the box is on, but no televiion is coming out
of the wire. And when I use the remote for it to try to turn it off,
it doesn't go off.

Thanks for replying.
Does it respond to any of the buttons on the unit itself??

There are no buttons on the unit itself. (It's undercover. MI-5.)

Ah. :

(i.e., is the processor responding to everything *except*
the remote -- see below)

I have to unplug it from the wall, and then plug it in again, and
still the light is on, but it seems 5 or 10 seconds after that the
light goes off. Then I can turn it on with the remote, and off again.
(There is no switch on the box itself.)
Most of the DTV converters I have seen are "90 day wonders".
I suspect yours is "crashing" and cycling power is essentially
reseting it.

Peek inside. They typically run very hot. If you are the
type that leaves it on for extended periods (turning off the
TV but not the converter), you will likely find toasted caps.

No, I don't leave it on. But other than this problem, which may have
started when I put a new bulb in the ceiling fixture, CFL for the
first time, other than this problem, it still works fine. I think it
probably is the CFL. Next time a bulb burns out, I'll change brands,
or put the CFL on the far side of the fixture, or remove it, or all
three.

My point is that there is no *valid* way for the device to
get into the state that you have described. *Perhaps* you

I believe you on that.

can argue that a "bug" is causing it to react incorrectly to
some bizarre "Ir code" that it *thinks* it is seeing. I'm
suggesting that the processor has actually "gone south"
(a point I was hoping you could verify by "pressing buttons on
the unit itself" while it was "crashed").

Anything that can potentially "stay on indefinitely" should be
designed with some sort of automated "crash recovery" mechanism
in place (watchdog timers, etc.) so that they "fix" themselves i
*if* they crash.

Yes, it should. That would be a good idea. But it's coy, and it's
lazy, and feels entitled, and expects me to do for it, what it won't
do for itself. I think it grew up rich and spoiled.

It is labeled DISH TV. Why a satellite provider handles digital OTA
conversion boxes I don't know. It cost 40 dollars in addition to one
of the 40 dollar coupons that every household in the US was entitled
to get, making it among the most expensive. It has a program timer
with maybe 8 slots that can be set to correspond to a VCR timer,
providing the desired channel at the same time the VCR records. And
I think it has a better Program Guide than most other boxes (but I
never use that anyhow. I use a webpage, that shows much more stuff at
one time).

Thanks.

Possible causes include a film from cigarette smoke, either on the sensor
itself or the IR window, bad solder connections, ripple on the sensors'
power supply, and of course the sensor itself could be bad.

Late to this thread, excuse me if some of this already mentioned.

Mark Z.

 

[Arfa Daily]

"Dave Platt" <dplatt@radagast.org> wrote in message
news:9bvit7-4m2.ln1@radagast.org...

In article <mahdg6hacccaptne1skiooo2v5s423u40g@4ax.com>,
mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote:

Hmmm. What about compact fluuorescents?

They're rather notorious for creating IR interference which can block
IR remotes. If the CFL's internal switching duty cycle happens to
come close, in frequency, to the IR pulse frequency used by your IR
remote control, you've got a real problem (desense and false
triggering are the usual symptoms).

The effect is often brand- and model-specific, for both the CFL and
the equipment being interfered with. Many (most) combinations get
along just fine, but some combinations will give you massive headaches.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Yes indeedy. Just yet another reason to dislike them ... :-\

Arfa

 

[Arfa Daily]

"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ie6dao$epj$1@news.eternal-september.org...

The sensor is a photodiode, and should last "indefinitely".

Well actually, it isn't. It's a photodiode with quite a bit of additional
signal processing electronics 'glued' to it. It is typically a three-legged
device, those being power, ground and output, and a highly processed and
cleaned up version of the signal that is actually received from the remote,
emerges from that output pin. And it is by no means uncommon for them to
fail totally, intermittently, or with poor sensitivity. I replaced one in a
hifi just a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. A
'scope check on the output pin showed a reduced amplitude waveform, which
was just hovering for level on the threshold that the system control micro
could 'see'.

It appears the

diode is failing, and that's the likely source of your problem.

If you have a technically competent friend, you might ask him to open it
up
and have a look. Touching up the solder joints might be a good idea, but I
doubt that's the problem. You never know, of course.

It is not at all uncommon to see bad joints on them, although less so on
equipment of this age, which will have been built using traditional leaded
solder.

Arfa

 

[Meat Plow]

On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:42:43 +0000, Arfa Daily wrote:

"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ie6dao$epj$1@news.eternal-september.org...
The sensor is a photodiode, and should last "indefinitely".

Well actually, it isn't. It's a photodiode with quite a bit of
additional signal processing electronics 'glued' to it. It is typically
a three-legged device, those being power, ground and output, and a
highly processed and cleaned up version of the signal that is actually
received from the remote, emerges from that output pin. And it is by no
means uncommon for them to fail totally, intermittently, or with poor
sensitivity. I replaced one in a hifi just a couple of weeks ago.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. A 'scope check on the output pin
showed a reduced amplitude waveform, which was just hovering for level
on the threshold that the system control micro could 'see'.

I just replaced an IR receiver in an RCA 19" CRT set on Monday. Had a few
'gadgets' on the module certainly designed to individualize its output to
the ROM.



--
Live Fast, Die Young and Leave a Pretty Corpse