Macro for holding down zoom for set time?

[KelvinS1965]

I'm looking for a way to create a macro (with any remote if my 525 can't do it) that holds my projector's zoom button down for a precise amount of time. This will allow me to have automated zoom for 2.35:1 movies (16:9 requires the zoom at minimum, so might be easier to implement.

I created a macro with my 525 but it only gives 3 individual pushes on the zoom button (barely noticable in terms of the amount the image changes). The 525 only seems to allow 5 steps in any macro (or 'sequence' as Logitech call it). The first has to be a change to the 'lens' menu and the last to exit the 'lens' menu, so this only leaves 3 steps for the zoom. It seems that I can't have multiple sequences triggered from a single button press.

I have other learning remotes, so I wondered about building up a macro, then 'teaching' it to another remote, before getting the 525 to learn it back and repeat however many times it takes. I'd need to count exactly how many single presses of the zoom button are required to get the picture where I want it though. It could be frustratingly trial and error though.

If another make (or model) of remote allows the sort of macro that holds on the button for an adjustable amount of time, please let me know.

[Dave964]

Pronto's allow you to set a duration (up to 10 seconds) for IR codes. I use this to set my hi-fi amp volume - by sending the code for 4.5s.

[normalnorm]

Originally Posted by KelvinS1965

I'm looking for a way to create a macro (with any remote if my 525 can't do it) that holds my projector's zoom button down for a precise amount of time. This will allow me to have automated zoom for 2.35:1 movies (16:9 requires the zoom at minimum, so might be easier to implement.

I created a macro with my 525 but it only gives 3 individual pushes on the zoom button (barely noticable in terms of the amount the image changes). The 525 only seems to allow 5 steps in any macro (or 'sequence' as Logitech call it). The first has to be a change to the 'lens' menu and the last to exit the 'lens' menu, so this only leaves 3 steps for the zoom. It seems that I can't have multiple sequences triggered from a single button press.

I have other learning remotes, so I wondered about building up a macro, then 'teaching' it to another remote, before getting the 525 to learn it back and repeat however many times it takes. I'd need to count exactly how many single presses of the zoom button are required to get the picture where I want it though. It could be frustratingly trial and error though.

If another make (or model) of remote allows the sort of macro that holds on the button for an adjustable amount of time, please let me know.

You could set up another similar activity (projector zoom?) the same as your existing one but with the zoom function added.

To do this, either find an unused command on your projector device or create one that does nothing (ie teach it something so that it appears on the list of Harmony projector commands). Map this bogus command to a sequence of zooms. If you want to double the zoom rate teach the Harmony, Zoom times 2 (ie give two zoom pulses from the original remote in learn mode).

So now your new activity will add these commands on entry

Change to lens menu
Unused command mapped to sequence
Time delay equal to sequence length
Unused command mapped to sequence etc (however many)
Zoom (or Zoom X 2) commands to trim time (however many)
Exit lens menu

Would you need to do anything to the lens when you exit this activity? If so, it would just require something similar but in reverse.

Norm.

[KelvinS1965]

Originally Posted by Dave964

Pronto's allow you to set a duration (up to 10 seconds) for IR codes. I use this to set my hi-fi amp volume - by sending the code for 4.5s.

That sounds exactly like what I'm looking for....I hope you don't send your command twice by accident; you'll end up deafened.

Originally Posted by normalnorm

You could set up another similar activity (projector zoom?) the same as your existing one but with the zoom function added.

To do this, either find an unused command on your projector device or create one that does nothing (ie teach it something so that it appears on the list of Harmony projector commands). Map this bogus command to a sequence of zooms. If you want to double the zoom rate teach the Harmony, Zoom times 2 (ie give two zoom pulses from the original remote in learn mode).

So now your new activity will add these commands on entry

Change to lens menu
Unused command mapped to sequence
Time delay equal to sequence length
Unused command mapped to sequence etc (however many)
Zoom (or Zoom X 2) commands to trim time (however many)
Exit lens menu

Would you need to do anything to the lens when you exit this activity? If so, it would just require something similar but in reverse.

Norm.

I tried something like this, with an unused command mapped to the sequence (in the 'additional buttons' page so I could name it), but I found that I need 62 individual presses of the zoom to get into the position I want. That takes 30 seconds or so of fast button pressing (if done manually) or the macro would take this time to run. I didn't try to get it to learn more than one press at a time though, so that might help (especially if I set the intercommand delay to 0mS). If you just hold the button down on the original remote it takes approx 2 seconds to get into position. It's like a volume control; one push goes up 1db, holding it makes it speed up.

The 'time delay equal to sequence length' would work if the zoom was a 'start' zooming and 'stop' zooming, but it doesn't work that way. That method did work for my electric screen, but I've now got a constant image height setup, so my screen doesn't need to move when the aspect ratio is changed. I used that method to nudge my screen up to cut off the bottom black bar from 2.35:1 films BTW.

I'll have to look at a Pronto....the 525 is used in 'Screen 2' (conservatory) in the summer as the TV and amp use the same codes and macros so it won't go to waste.

[KelvinS1965]

I found a way round this: teach the 525 the 'raw' code and hold the button down. There is a time limit, so I couldn't teach it the required 2 seconds (approx) hold, so I've now created a sequence with three 'long' presses and set the device inter button delay to 0mS. Unfortunatley the zoom overshoots the screen edge, so a little more trial and error is required. Two long presses wasn't quite enough...but I'm getting there.

I emailed Logitech support and they asked me to teach the remote in 'raw' then they will add a delay to my setting if I contact them again. It might be that this delay will be adjustable to allow a more accurate setting, I'll post back once I've received the update.