Universal Remote Control MX-900 Owner's manual

Programming Manual
for the MX-950, MX-900 and TX-1000
Unleashing the MX-950 Core Engine
COMPLETE
CONTROL
™
Universal Remote Control
BY ®

Programming Manual for the MX-950, MX-900 and TX-1000 © 2006 Universal Remote Control, Inc.
The information in this manual is copyright protected. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced or dis-
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THE MX-950 “CORE ENGINE” 1
WHAT’SCOMMON? SPEED!!! 1
New Programming Features: 1
Key Differences: 1
THE TX-1000 EDITOR WINDOW 2
THE MX-900 EDITOR WINDOW 2
THE MX-950 EDITOR WINDOW 3
PROGRAMMING OVERVIEW 4
A. New File, Existing File on PC or in Remote 4
B. Use SAVE AS 4
C. Use the Program Menu 4
D. Save and Reuse Customer Files 4
E. Download to both Remote Controls 4
CREATING, NAMING AND ARRANGING DEVICES 5
Open the Create and Name Devices Window 5
Creating Devices 5
Setting the Backlight Color of Each Device (MX-950 and TX-1000 Only) 6
USING THE IR DATABASE 8
Applying a “Set” of IR Commands to each Device 8
FINDING DISCRETE COMMANDS FOR RELIABLE MACROS 11
Discrete Commands versus Toggle Commands 11
Use the IR Database Navigator to Find Discrete Commands 11
Use the Universal Browser to find Discrete IR Commands 13
TEST ALL COMMANDS AND RELABEL FOR EASY OPERATION 15
Using the LCD Button Editor to Relabel and Re-arrange Buttons 15
Hiding Pages in LCD Button Editor 17
Using Page View to Relabel and Re-arrange Buttons 17
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Table of Contents
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Hiding Pages in Page View 19
LEARNING 20
Tips for Learning from Unusual Devices 20
Learning IR Codes One at a Time 20
Learning a Batch of Buttons Quickly 22
Standalone Learning 23
MACRO PROGRAMMING 24
Bullet Proof Macros or Point N Pray? 24
Finding Workarounds When There Are NO Discrete Codes 24
Using the Macro Window 25
Programming a System Power On Macro 26
Programming a Power Off Macro 29
Copying or Importing Macros for Activity Macros 29
Push and Hold Macros 30
Variable Macros (MX-950 Only) 31
USING SOUNDS (MX-950 ONLY)34
Setting the Default Sound 34
Using the Sound Gallery 34
USING THE IMAGE GALLERY (MX-950 ONLY) 34
PROGRAMMING PUNCH THROUGH 35
PROGRAMMING RF CONTROL OPTIONS 36
The RF Setup Window 36
Adjusting Signal and IR Output Options 36
Adding RF Base Stations, Conguring ID#’s and Front Blasters 37
ENABLE OR DISABLE STANDALONE EDITING 38
DOWNLOADING 39
USING THE SETUP MENU 39
ii Table of Contents
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The MX-950 “Core Engine”
What’s Common? SPEED!!!
New Programming Features:
All three applications, MX-950, MX-900 and TX-1000 share all the convenience and speed of MX-3000 Editor
combined with the simple, straightforward interface of the MX-850. You’ll find that many things that were diffi-
cult or impossible to do with MX-850 are now very easy to do with the MX-950 Core Engine:
Drag and Drop single IR Commands without creating a new device
Multiple page jumps during macros for easy programming of Status Messages
Better Text display. TX-1000 allows six characters per label, MX-900 allows seven and MX-950
allows up to eleven!
Nesting - All three remotes enable you to modularzie your code with one macro “nested” as a single
step inside another macro.
No need for Shortcuts - If you need a ROUTED command from one device on another device,
record a macro of a single step. This will respond exactly the way the original button does, including
repeating while the button is held, but is routed via the original commands routing.
All three remotes can now be programmed with a Navigate - Page jump, which allows you to pro-
gram buttons with a BACK button that takes them back to the last device they were on.
Key Differences:
Only MX-950 and TX-1000 can change the color of the backlighting per device. MX-900 has blue
backlighting only.
Only MX-950 can change the TEXT label of a button during a macro.
Only MX-950 can use GRAPHICS on the LCD screen.
Only MX-950 can use SOUNDS in macros.
Only MX-950 can use VARIABLES in macros.
1
The MX-950 “Core Engine”
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COMPLETE
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The TX-1000 Editor Window
\
The MX-900 Editor Window
2TX-1000 and MX-900 Editor Window
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Tree View Simulate
View
Macro
Window
Edit Buttons
Window
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Tree
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Simulate
View
Macro
Window
Edit Buttons
Window
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The MX-950 Editor Window
Menus and Shortcut buttons for common tasks. The Program Menu activates each task in the correct order.
Tree View of your configuration. Double clicking on any page enables you to quickly display that page on
the simulator view. Right clicking on a device or page activates a context menu.
The Simulate View is used to navigate and to select a button to program, edit or record a macro.
Edit and Label Buttons window is used to control a buttons graphics, text and activation.
The Macro window is used to view and edit macros.
The information bar displays whether your keyboard is cap locked or num locked.
The important thing to remember as you program is that most Windows conventions hold true in all
URC Editors. Explore the program menus. Hover your mouse over most of the buttons and controls
and a balloon will appear with a hint as to purpose. Navigate around the program window and
explore a little before you begin programming.
Introducing MX-950 Editor
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Tree View
Simulate View
Macro Window
Edit Buttons
Window
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MX-950 Editor Window
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COMPLETE
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4Type in Section Title
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Programming Overview
A. New File, Existing File on PC or in Remote
NEW - Starting from scratch on a new job, go to the File Menu, choose New from the File Menu and
pick either the default file or a blank file. The default template is pre-programmed with IR commands
and is useful for quick testing, but everything will have to be reprogrammed for your system. A blank
file is completely empty. It is really personal preference which way you start.
OPEN - Open a configuration that you have worked on before and saved onto the PC hard drive.
UPLOAD - Get a file from a client’s remote control that another installer created. Now, you can save
the file on your laptop, make any edits or changes as the client requests or the jobsite requires.
B. Use SAVE AS
The templates files are simply configuration files that have been preprogrammed for you. They will keep any
changes you make. Utilize Save As to make a new file with a new file name. All configuration files are saved
with the file extension .mxa.
TIP — Always use File | Save As to rename the file before doing any programming!
Use the customer’s name and a rev # (i.e. SmithTheaterRev1.mxa)
C. Use the Program Menu
The Program Menu is your lifeline to a fast, easy programming experience.
Follow the steps in the order shown in the Menu for best results. Typically, you
will download to the remote control several times throughout this process and
test what you have done so far. You’ll need to download after finishing all pro-
gramming. For macro playback to work, you need to have downloaded. These
downloads are not listed in the steps here in the Program Menu and are not
automatically done for you.
It is important that you do all of the tasks for each step before moving on to the
next step. Keep this manual handy so that you can verify that you have com-
pleted all of your tasks.
D. Save and Reuse Customer Files
Archive and save your customer files. Programming systems with similar components gets even faster when
you don’t have to redo your work over and over. You have your own ideas about what buttons should be
labeled and how they should be arranged. You’ll save all of your work and reuse it on the next job with simi-
lar components and devices.
E. Download to both Remote Controls
Test the file before training your client.
Programming Overview

5
Type in Section Title
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COMPLETE
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Creating, Naming and Arranging Devices
A device is the basic grouping of a set of hard buttons and up to 255 soft button pages. You will need one
device group for each remote control that the MX-950 is replacing. You can have a maximum of 255 devices
in your configuration. When you create devices in the Create and Name Devices window, every device is
automatically linked with a jump-link to the device via either the WATCH or the LISTEN menu. If you create
devices manually you have to create a jump link from either the WATCH or the LISTEN menu button to each
device manually.
Open the Create and Name Devices Window
You can open the Create and Name Devices window by clicking on the first item of the Program Menu or by
clicking on the Toolbar icon as shown here:
Creating Devices
1After the Create and Name devices window appears, select the WATCH or the LISTEN menu from
the Device list box:
2 MX-950 Only: Select the button position you’d like to create a new device name in by clicking on it.
Now, decide if you need a double column or a single column label. A single column label can have
up to 5 characters, a double column label up to 11 characters. When you combine a button, IR
command or Macro programming will be duplicated automatically on both the left and the right
button.
Combine both left and right buttons
into one double column button.
Separate a double column button
into two separate buttons.
TIP - Use combined row LCD buttons to type user friendly labels for important activities.
3Now, select the LISTEN menu from the Device List box and create all the devices for listening.
Creating, Naming and Arranging Devices

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3You must hit the SAVE button to create all the new devices.
4Tree View reveals the new devices you’ve created and the simulator shows the new WATCH page,
with all the new device buttons displayed.
5Select SAVE from the File menu or click on the SAVE icon on the toolbar.
Setting the Backlight Color of Each Device (MX-950 and TX-1000 Only)
1Right click on any device in Tree View (including the WATCH or the LISTEN device). Select Backlight
Color from the context menu that appears.
Creating, Naming and Arranging Devices