Customizer URC-300 User manual

Owner’s
Manual

URC-300 Owner’s Manual © 2003 Universal Remote Control, Inc.
The information in this manual is copyright protected. No part of this manual may
be copied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent from Universal
Remote Control, Inc. UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL, INC. SHALL NOT BE
LIABLE FOR OPERATIONAL, TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS/OMISSIONS
MADE IN THIS MANUAL. The information in this manual may be subject to
change without prior notice. Customizer is a registered trademark of Universal
Remote Control, Inc. Power of Simple is a trademark of Universal Remote Control,
Inc. DoubleTap Learning is a trademark of Universal Remote Control, Inc. All other
brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies or organizations.
500 Mamaroneck Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Thank You!
Thank you for purchasing the Customizer
URC-300 Pre-Programmed and Learning Remote
Control. The DVD tutorial supplied with the
Customizer demonstrates the process of setting
up and automating a home entertainment system.
Watch the DVD first to familiarize yourself with
the capabilities of the Customizer and the pro-
cess of programming. This manual is designed to
assist you step-by-step as you program the
Customizer to replace all of your remote controls
and automate your home entertainment system.
TM

Table of Contents
Getting Started 2
Basic Operation 3
Basic Set Up 5
Pre-programmed Standard Method 5
Pre-programmed Scan Method 9
Learning Method 10
Punch Through Volume Control 13
Advanced Operation 15
Advanced Set Up 17
Editing Button Labels 17
Macro Button Setup 20
Favorite Channel Setup 22
Hiding/Adding Pages 24
Erasing Mistakes 26
Cloning One Customizer to Another 28
Recalling Three Digit Pre-Programmed Codes 29
Expanding Via the Expander 30
Pre-Programmed Code Notes 32
Pre-Programmed Code Tables 33
Frequently Asked Questions 48
Specifications/Warranty 49

Getting Started
Congratulations!
You’ve purchased one of the most advanced touch
screen remote controls ever made! The Customizer
comes pre-programmed with over one thousand
devices. All you have to do is set the Customizer to the
brand and model of each of your components. You’ll
find instructions for quick set up on page five.
In addition, the Customizer buttons can also learn any
button from any remote control to new to be in the
pre-programmed library of devices.
The Customizer’s many exciting advanced features will
help you enjoy the home entertainment experience. By
using Macro programming, you can power on all of
your components and start the show with the press of
one button! You can even program your favorite chan-
nels to tune in with the press of one button instead of
entering the channel number each time.
The Customizer’s features can help you make operating
your home entertainment system fun and easy for
everyone in your family.
We hope you will review this
manual carefully and take full
advantage of all the Customizer
has to offer.
Battery Installation
Remove the battery compartment
cover by pressing up the cover
lock. Insert four AAA batteries into
the battery compartment as shown
in the diagram.
2
The Customizer
Batteries inserted correctly.

3
URC-300
MAIN
Button
takes you
to the
MAIN
Menu.
Touch
the
Screen
to use
Touch
Screen
Buttons.
PAGE
numbers
of the
Device
FUNCTION
buttons
change
their
commands
whenever
a new
DEVICE
is selected.
TITLE
of
Device
PAGE
buttons
( )
change the
page of
buttons
displayed.
Basic Operation

4
The Customizer
Selecting a New DEVICE
Changes All Button Commands Instantly
The Customizer can operate fifteen different devices
even though it is only one remote control. Let’s try it
now! Press the MAIN button, then touch the TV Device
button by clicking your fingernail on the screen at TV.
The TITLE changes to TV. Now all of the buttons are
dedicated to TV functions. If you press the PAGE but-
tons, you can see that the TV DEVICE has a total of four
pages. If you go back to the MAIN Menu by pressing
the MAIN button, then select any of the other fifteen
DEVICES, each of which contains four pages total.
In the next few pages, you’ll set up the Customizer to
control all the devices in your home theater system!
Light Button
The LIGHT button will backlight all of the buttons.
Pressing it again will turn off the light, or just wait ten
seconds (the backlighting automatically shuts itself off).
TV
DEVICE
Button
LIGHT
Button

5
URC-300
Basic Set Up
You can set up your Customizer using either the learning
or the pre-programmed method. Because all the buttons
are set up in one quick operation rather than one button
at a time, we recommend you start with pre-programmed
setup before you do any learning.
Pre-Programmed Standard Method
Turn on the component you wish to program (TV,
VCR, DVD, etc.)
Look up the code table shown on pages xx - xx and
take note of the three digit codes listed for your
component and brand.
Press and hold the MAIN and ENT (Enter) buttons
at the same time for approximately three seconds.
The top of the display screen will show “SET UP”.
You are in SET UP mode now.
Note: You have 30 seconds to perform a step while you are in
SET UP mode. If you don’t press a buton within that time, the
Customizer will time out and return to normal operation.
MAIN
Button
ENT
Button
1
2
3

Press the P-PRO button to select the
Pre-Programmed Code method.
The display will show a list of the first seven devices.
Move the blinking cursor to the device you wish
to program by using the cursor UP or cursor
DOWN button shown below, then press SELECT.
For Example: If you want to program your TV,
make “TV” blink by pressing the cursor up or
down, then press the SELECT button.
P-PRO
Button
Press either of the Page buttons ( ) to display
the second list of eight devices.
First
Seven
Devices
6
The Customizer
4
5
6
UP
SELECT
DOWN

7
URC-300
The bottom of the display should now be flashing
FROM TABLE. This prompts you to select the
CODE TABLE via the Cursor and SELECT buttons.
For Example: Let’s pretend you are programming a
TV. You would find the the three digit codes for
Televisions in the TV CODE TABLE. So you would
press the cursor buttons until “TV” is flashing,
then press the SELECT button. This selects the TV
CODE TABLE. Now you are ready to test codes!
Point the remote control at the component, then
enter the first three digit code number from your
notes using the numbered buttons. Continue to
enter codes until the component powers off.
For Example: Let’s pretend you have a Sony TV. You
would find the the three digit codes 070, 139,147,
126, 185, 194 and 085 under Sony in the TV CODE
TABLE. Using the numbered buttons on the
Customizer, enter the 070 and watch the TV. If it
doesn’t turn off, enter 139, then try 147 and so on.
Note: If none of the codes turn off the component, you
should try the Scan Method (see page 9).
7
8
UP
SELECT
Enter the
Code via
the
Numbered
Buttons
DOWN

When the component turns off, save the code
number you entered by pressing the SAVE button
that appears on the touch screen.
Exit SET UP mode by pressing the MAIN button
two times. When the display shows “MAIN”, you
are back in normal operating mode. Now it’s time
to test the all the buttons. If some buttons don’t
work, try another three digit code to see if it gives
better operation.
For Example: My Sony TV powers off with code
139. However after trying 139, not all buttons
work. I repeated steps 1 to 10 trying other code
sets and eventually discovered that the 185 code
set operates ALL my buttons.
Repeat steps one through ten for each of your
devices. In most systems, you can finish basic
programming in just a few minutes and put all
your old remote controls away. Once you are
finished all of the devices, you can move on to
page13 to set up your volume control.
If you can’t find any code that powers off a com-
ponent, try the Scan method on the next page. If
you are missing one or two commands, use the
Learning method on page 10.
SAVE
Button
Code You
Entered
8
The Customizer
10
11
9

9
URC-300
Pre-Programmed Scan Method
If none of the codes listed for your brand in the Code
Table powered off your component, you can scan the
entire Code Table for a working code set. Often a code
set for another brand will operate a device (some
brands contract manufacture for other brands). Here’s
how to scan an entire Code Table:
Put the Customizer in Setup Mode and
select P-PRO, then the Device you’d like
to program, then the Code Table you want to
scan. This is described in steps one through eight
of the Standard Method on the past few pages.
When you see the P-PRO display shown below
(we used TV as an example), use the UP or
DOWN buttons instead of entering the three-digit
code. You’ll see the code number on the display
change as you press the either UP or the DOWN
button. Each time the number changes, you’ve
tested another power off command.
Watch your component. When it powers off,
press the SAVE button to save the code you test-
ed. Press the MAIN button twice to return to nor-
mal operating mode and test all the buttons. Use
the Learning method described on the next page
to correct any problems.
1 8
9
to
SAVE
Button
Code You
Tested
UP &
DOWN
Buttons
10

10
The Customizer
The Learning Method
The Customizer can learn commands from your old
remote controls one at a time, via this simple process:
Line-up the Customizer with your old remote con-
trol, head-to-head, one or two inches apart.
Press and hold the MAIN and ENT (Enter) buttons
at the same time for approximately three seconds.
The top of the display screen will show “SET UP”.
You are in SET UP mode now.
Note: You have 30 seconds to perform a step while you are in
SET UP mode. If you don’t press a buton within that time, the
Customizer will time out and return to normal operation.
Press the LEARN button to select the Learning
method.
The top of the display screen will
change to “LEARN”.
Press the
LEARN
Button
1
2
3

11
URC-300
The display will show a list of the first eight devices.
Select the device you’d like to teach a few com-
mands to by pressing the Device button directly.
Now, navigate to the page you want and press any
button you want to teach a command to.
Note: The only buttons you can’t teach are the PAGE,
MAIN and FAV buttons. They are factory set only.
Once you select a button, the top of the screen will
change from “LEARN” to “READY”.
4
5
6
Select
any of
the
Devices
directly.
Select any
button you’d
like to teach a
command to
by pressing it.

12
The Customizer
Press and hold the button on your old remote con-
trol until the display changes to “RETRY”.
Press and hold the same button on your old remote
control once again.
Note: DoubleTap learning is exclusive Customizer tech-
nology bringing you the most reliable operation.
Once you have taught the button twice, the display
will change to either “GOOD” or “FAILED”.
If the “GOOD” label appears on top of the display
and “SAVED” flashes on the bottom, you were suc-
cessful. Now, you can select another button to teach.
If the “FAILED” label appears on top of the display
screen, try to teach the same button in Customizer
once again by repeating steps six and seven.
Continue to teach any commands from any of your
remote controls by repeating steps five, six and
seven (to go back to step 5, press MAIN once).
Once you completed teaching all the buttons you
wish, return to normal operation by pressing the
MAIN button twice. Test all your new commands, if
any of them don’t work, try learning again using
these notes:
7
8
9
Move to another room. Plasma TVs, sunlight, halogen or
quartz lighting can interfere with the learning process.
Although the old remote control seems to work fine,
change the batteries to fresh alkaline batteries.
Vary the distance between the remote controls
gradually. Try 1/4”, 1”, 2”and so on, up to 4 feet.
Tap the button on the original remote control instead of
pressing and holding it during the learning process.

13
URC-300
Punch Through Volume Control
The one feature that will really make life easy for you
and your family is Punch Through. It’s worth setting up
right away! In most home entertainment systems, the
sound volume is controlled by only one device. In
some systems it is the TV device that controls the
sound; in others it would be the AUDIO device (for the
A/V surround sound receiver).
Now, imagine you are watching a DVD, so the
Automator is set to operate the DVD. If you want to
lower the volume you have to press MAIN, then the
device that controls the sound (TV or AUDIO), then the
Volume Down button. After you adjust the volume,
you would have to press MAIN, then the DVD Device
button to get back to your DVD controls!
This is very inconvenient. You can fix this very quickly
by using Punch Through.
Punch Through Volume Control Set Up
Enter Set Up mode by pressing MAIN and ENT,
then select PUNCH from the Set Up menu. You
have 30 seconds as usual.
The display changes to “PUNCH”. Press VOL to
program Volume Punch Through.
1
Select
Volume
to
Punch
Through
2

14
The Customizer
The bottom of the display flashes ”PUNCH TO”.
Press the device button for the device that doesn’t
have volume control commands yet (i.e. DVD).
This is the device you are going to PUNCH TO for
the volume and mute commands.
Note: If you wish to PUNCH to the MAIN device, press the
POWER OFF button at this time.
The bottom of the display will then flash “PUNCH
FROM”. Now you select the device that has the
volume commands you want. The bottom of the
display will flash “SAVED”.
Repeat steps 1-3 until all your devices operate the
volume perfectly. Press the MAIN button twice to
return to normal operating mode and test your
punch through programming.
Note: The Punch Through feature is not limited to volume
and can also be applied to channel or other functions. If you
find yourself switching to a particular device frequently to use
a group of controls, consider using Punch Through for anoth-
er group, as listed here:
VOL - Volume Up, Volume Down and Mute
CH - Channel Up, Channel Down and Prev. Channel
PLAY - Play, Stop, Pause, Rewind and Fast Forward
VOD - Guide, Menu, Info, Exit, Up, Down, Left, Right, Select
POWER - Power On and Power Off
5
3
4
Select
the Device
you want to
“Punch To”

15
URC-300
Advanced Operation
Setting Backlight Options
You can adjust the amount of time that the Customizer
backlight stays on by entering the SET UP mode and
proceeding to page 2 and press the LIGHT button on
display. Simply enter the duration time from 0 - 99
seconds using the number pad. After making your
selection, press the SAVE button.
If you do not want the backlight feature activated,
press the ON button that appears on the display screen.
The ON will automatically change to OFF. Press the
SAVE button. Exit the programming mode by pressing
the MAIN button.
The FAV Button
When you press the FAV button, the screen changes to a
list of your favorite TV channels. You can automate chan-
nel surfing by recording the channel numbers for your
favorites with one touch. There are eight pages of five
favorite channel buttons for a total of 40. Simply touch
the PAGE buttons to display the other favorite channels.
When you would like to return to the last device you
viewed, press MAIN once (a second press will take you
to the MAIN menu).
To set up your Favorite Channel buttons go to page 24.
Favorite
Channel
Buttons

16
The Customizer
Adjusting Contrast
You can make the text darker by pressing both the
MAIN and cursor UP buttons at the same time. To
make the text appear lighter, press both the MAIN and
cursor DOWN buttons at the same time.
Transmitting (Busy Signal) Icon
When a command is being transmitted, an
icon will appear in the top right corner of the
display. It is a useful aid when setting up
Macros and FAVs, since it flashes with every
step of a sequence of commands.
Contrast set low.
Cursor
Up & Down
Buttons
MAIN
Button
Contrast set high.

17
URC-300
Advanced Set Up
After you’ve finished all your basic programming, you
can choose to make operation easier for everyone by
customizing the Customizer just the way you want, using
the Advanced Set Up features described in this section.
Editing Button Labels
You can change the name of any of the screen labeled
buttons (including Favorite Channels) by following
these steps:
Enter the SET UP mode by pressing and holding
MAIN and ENT. As usual, you have 30 seconds.
Press the EDIT button.
The screen changes to the EDIT menu. Press the
TEXT button.
EDIT
Button
TEXT
Button
1
3
2

18
The Customizer
The screen displays the MAIN menu of devices
while flashing “EDIT” at the top of the screen.
Navigate to the device and page where there is a
button label you want to edit using the FAV,
MAIN, DEVICE, and PAGE buttons.
Note: There is a trick to navigating to the MAIN menu and
changing the name of one of the DEVICE buttons. The trick is
that you must press the Page Up button twice when you get to
step 4. The top of the display changes to MAIN, and you can
navigate to MAIN page 1 or page 2 before going on to Step 5.
Press the button you want to edit. The first charac-
ter of your button label blinks.
4
5
Blinking
Character
EDIT flashes at the bottom of the screen.
DOWN Cursor
button deletes the currently
blinking character.
UP Cursor
button deletes ALL text.
LEFT Cursor
button
moves blinking
character left.
RIGHT Cursor
button
moves blinking
character
right.