Switching Device Control With Harmony 895

[docsmith2k1]

I have spent a few hours getting this remote to control all my equipment, but I am having difficulty working out how to switch between device control while watching.
I want the additional hard buttons around the screen to allow me to switch between amplifier source inputs - i.e if watching sky, then the buttons would switch to dvd or xbox etc, but also the rest of the remote controls should then control that source. I have managed to reprogram the hard buttons to switch between sources, but the remainder of the remote still controls the previous device. I have emailed harmony but have not had a reply. Does anyone know how to do this??

[qwakuk]

I am no expert, but assume you have only set up devices, you now need to setup activities

[czzer]

The Harmony is an Activity based remote. Don't select an individual device to control...set up Activities for everything you want to do and use those exclusively.

[Bachstrad]

I'm no expert either, but that's exactly what I think too.

I sorted my Son in Laws new 895 out for him today, he'd done exactly the same thing, set up his devices, but hadn't linked them via 'activities'. He'd also claimed his Gas Fire couldn't be controlled by the 895 because it wasn't in the database, that's working now too! I have left that as 'device' only though and not made a Gas Fire activity due to wanting to have 'independent control' only over the fire and not include it as part of an 'activity'.

From being frustrated he's now delighted.

ATB

Max

[docsmith2k1]

Thats the problem, I have set up activities (watch dvd, play PS3 etc). But each activity, starts with switching on the projector dimming the lights and switching the relevent bits of kit on (projector, amp, sky to watch sky) so when I switch between activities I get the lights going off, the projector going off the amp going off, then all coming back on again for the next activity, say watch a dvd.
What I was hoping I could do was be able to switch between activities without going through this whole process, so I set up the additional buttons around the screen to switch inputs on the amplifier, this works fine allowing me to switch between sources, but the rest of the buttons on the remote still control the last piece of equipment (sky) even though I now want to control the dvd. What I need (although it looks like I can't do it this way) is for the source switching to also switch my remote to that sources control - If that makes any sense to anyone but me

[czzer]

When you switch activities the remote will only turn on/off things as required. ie if the projector is used in the current activity and the new activity it won't turn it off.

Don't use the "Off" button when switching activities, just select the new activity.

If it is switching devices off and back on when you switch activities, then either you aren't using it correctly, or it isn't setup correctly.

[hhatkin]

Originally Posted by Bachstrad

I have left that as 'device' only though and not made a Gas Fire activity due to wanting to have 'independent control' only over the fire and not include it as part of an 'activity'.

The fire could be included in every activity.

[docsmith2k1]

Originally Posted by czzer

When you switch activities the remote will only turn on/off things as required. ie if the projector is used in the current activity and the new activity it won't turn it off.

Don't use the "Off" button when switching activities, just select the new activity.

If it is switching devices off and back on when you switch activities, then either you aren't using it correctly, or it isn't setup correctly.

I am just selecting the activity, and it is performing as indicated above??? I assume then from everyones reply that I can't switch between sources and have my remote then control that source without switching activity?

[saintalan]

Originally Posted by docsmith2k1

I am just selecting the activity, and it is performing as indicated above??? I assume then from everyones reply that I can't switch between sources and have my remote then control that source without switching activity?

Providing all the required Devices are included in the Activities (which I am sure they are) AND your POWER SETTINGS for these Devices are set to "I want to turn off this Device when it's not in use" then it should be OK. i.e. if they are used in the new activity nothing should change to their power settings.

Go in to Device Mode and for each device go in to "Adjust Power Settings" to check what I have said is true.

If it is still not working then there is probably a POWER TOGGLE that is somehow getting out of sync.

'EDIT' If I have mis read this I apologise, but are you saying you DONT WANT to change Activities? You could do that but there would be no point! If that is so, then a Harmony is probably not for you, as this is what they are about, ACTIVITIES.

Cheers

Alan

[Bachstrad]

Originally Posted by hhatkin

The fire could be included in every activity.

Of course it could ..... but not very practical watching TV in the summer with the fire on!

I could have set up 'watch TV summer' and 'watch TV winter', but then there are some cold days in the summer and some warm days in the winter!

So you see, leaving the fire under 'device' control only seemed the more sensible option to me

ATB

Max

[saintalan]

Originally Posted by Bachstrad

Of course it could ..... but not very practical watching TV in the summer with the fire on!

I could have set up 'watch TV summer' and 'watch TV winter', but then there are some cold days in the summer and some warm days in the winter!

So you see, leaving the fire under 'device' control only seemed the more sensible option to me

ATB

Max

I think hhatkin was saying inc in all activities but have the Fire controls mapped into each activity (soft or hard button). That way you would not have to leave the Activity to control the Fire!

[hhatkin]

Originally Posted by Bachstrad

Of course it could ..... but not very practical watching TV in the summer with the fire on!

You would have commands, on hard or soft buttons, for switching it off or on, and for any other commands it may have, in each of your activities.
You would then not have to go out of activities, into devices, and back into activities, each time you wanted to adjust the fire - as saintalan notes.

[hhatkin]

Originally Posted by docsmith2k1

....I can't switch between sources and have my remote then control that source without switching activity?

A major point about Harmonys is that you DO switch "sources" BY switching activities.
For each "source" you set up an activity; you include in that activity only the devices that it needs, so that when you enter an activity the Harmony turns on any of the activity's devices that are not already on, and when you switch to another activity it turns each of the devices off or leaves them as they are, depending on whether or not they are needed in that next activity.

[docsmith2k1]

I feel I am not explaining my problem well enough, and I do appreciate your advice, but I have set up the remote using activities the way you all suggest, in essence ALL my activities use the amplifier, the projector, and has the lights dimmed, the only thing that changes is my source input, so I thought rather than running the whole macro for "watch dvd" when i am already watching sky, I could program the remote to switch the source input on my amp and then control that source.
Despite what you say about the remote leaving on the things that are common to both activities mine doesn't. For example the on/off commands for amp are the same, so when I am watching sky then switch activity to dvd my amp switches off. Is this a fault with my remote, have I programmed it incorrectly, is there a way of ensuring it leaves the amp on when I switch activities?

I hope this makes things clearer.

I do appreciate everyones help - it's just not doing what I thought it could.

[Artie Fufkin]

Originally Posted by docsmith2k1

so when I am watching sky then switch activity to dvd my amp switches off.

From how I read it, this seems to me to be what the main problem is for you?

If set up correctly, and you change activity from "watch sky" [or whatever it's called on your remote] to "watch dvd" your harmony will switch amp inputs and give you control of the dvd, leaving everything else as you want it - this is precisly what the harmony does and why we all use them.

Somewhere in your harmony setup there is something wrong. Probably to do with power settings in "activities". I don't at the moment have access to my harmony screen, so I can't say for sure.

Have a good look around the available settings while you're logged into the harmony site. Try things out. Click on things you maybe haven't already tried. The answer is out there. Good luck.