Post by: John Schalk on December 20, 2018, 10:15:59 AM
Note -- picture is Dad in 1945. He's still a handsome devil and all of the ladies at his assisted living facility think he's a gentleman :)
Post by: Pete Erskine on December 20, 2018, 02:01:47 PM
Dad turns 97 next month. He's doing pretty well except for some issues with arthritis. I'd like to get him one of those simple TV remotes that just has big buttons for changing the volume, the channel, and power for Christmas (plenty of time, right!) He has a small, white, Comcast xFinity cable box mounted to the wall of his apartment with an HDMI output to his TV. Comcast offers what they call a big button remote, but the pictures on their website show an only slightly less complicated version of what Dad has now. Does anybody have a recommendation for a simple remote that I could pick up at Best Buy or buy using Prime to get it here in time for Xmas?
Note -- picture is Dad in 1945. He's still a handsome devil and all of the ladies at his assisted living facility think he's a gentleman :)
Google "big button cable remote" there were several
Post by: Lee Douglas on December 20, 2018, 09:25:03 PM
Post by: John Schalk on December 21, 2018, 09:35:56 AM
A lot of Xfinity's newer cable box remotes appear to be using an RF signal, rather than the traditional IR, which may not be compatible with an aftermarket remote such as the one you're looking for. Read carefully and be sure to keep all the packaging materials together so you can return it, if needed.
That makes sense Lee. Dad's cable box is mounted to the wall behind his TV and stand so it is totally out of view from his chair. It must be using RF instead of IR. Thanks for the heads up.
Post by: Chris Grimshaw on December 21, 2018, 09:48:12 AM
I'm thinking of a reasonably tough plastic shell that houses the original remote, with 5 buttons which are wired into the original circuitry:
On/Off
Volume up,
Volume down,
Channel up,
Channel down.
The choice of button would be up to you, but you could probably have anything you like. Bit of work with a dremel tool and a soldering iron, might only take an afternoon once you've got the parts together.
Thinking about it, I'd love to have a remote with a big red button to press to switch everything on/off.
Hmmmmm...
Chris
Post by: Marc Sibilia on December 21, 2018, 11:48:09 AM
Does anybody have a recommendation for a simple remote that I could pick up at Best Buy or buy using Prime to get it here in time for Xmas?
I've been going through this with my dad. I cannot recommend one, but I can "un-recommend" one and offer a reason why none will work very well.
I have tried the Flipper remote v. 7. On paper, it is perfect. You can set it up to do all the things you need and none of the others. Like leaving the cable box on and just turning on and off the TV, so they never get out of sync (a great idea).
However, it seems to go through batteries too quickly (much faster than the standby current measured with a VOM would indicate) and when it gets low, upsets the setup. Then things go awry and my dad sits in silence for half a week until I get over there again.
I have considered stripping out the guts and adding my own microcontroller to do it right, but there is a fundamental deficiency in the remote control protocols. You can't turn the cable box or the TV "ON" or "OFF". You can only switch it to the opposite state, so you always have the problem of what if he plays with the switch on the TV or the cable box or aims the remote so one device sees it and the other doesn't and gets things out of sync.
Anyway, if you hear of something that works well, I would love to hear about it.
Post by: John Schalk on December 22, 2018, 08:21:24 AM
I've been going through this with my dad. I cannot recommend one, but I can "un-recommend" one and offer a reason why none will work very well.
I have tried the Flipper remote v. 7. On paper, it is perfect. You can set it up to do all the things you need and none of the others. Like leaving the cable box on and just turning on and off the TV, so they never get out of sync (a great idea).
Thanks for this feedback Marc. The Flipper with an IR to RF gadget was on my radar. Based on what I've found so far, I may try picking up Comcast's big button, but still confusing from the pictures, remote and give it a try. At least that one should only cost me some time if it doesn't work out.
Dad often ends up watching soccer in Spanish! Of course the volume is on 11 :)
Post by: Erik Jerde on December 22, 2018, 08:42:47 AM
It’s possible the Comcast box has an IR sensor too even though it’s default mode is RF.
We just canceled Comcast at my late 70yo in-laws yesterday. Now I’m trying to teach them to use an Apple TV with Plex and DirectTV Now. Could use a big button remote for the Apple TV!
Post by: John Schalk on December 22, 2018, 10:56:44 AM
If the Comcast big button remote otherwise works you could open it up and remove extra buttons. A razor blade will usually cut them out of the membrane pretty easy. Put a piece of thin hard plastic in to cover the openings.
A friend's son works for a local fiber ISP and he has done a similar mod to the remotes for his grandparents who are using the service that he works for. I will checkout Dad's box this weekend to see what my options are and swing by the local Comcast office on Monday to see if I can get one of their big button remotes for him to try. Hopefully they'll be flexible about it as Dad doesn't actually have a Comcast account anymore because he gets it included with his apartment.
Post by: Erik Jerde on December 22, 2018, 03:53:55 PM
A friend's son works for a local fiber ISP and he has done a similar mod to the remotes for his grandparents who are using the service that he works for. I will checkout Dad's box this weekend to see what my options are and swing by the local Comcast office on Monday to see if I can get one of their big button remotes for him to try. Hopefully they'll be flexible about it as Dad doesn't actually have a Comcast account anymore because he gets it included with his apartment.
They can look up the account he is getting service through for any account related stuff. My last condo provided cable that way and it was a little more complicated but not really that hard. The Comcast storefront is definitely the place to go. Staff there is much more helpful and the wait is less than on the phone. Plus if you’re canceling service they don’t try to get you to stay. They just close things out like a professional would - much unlike the phone customer disservice department.
Post by: John Schalk on December 27, 2018, 08:52:39 AM
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on December 27, 2018, 12:45:17 PM
Just a suggestion for the arthritis if you haven't already tried it. We use turmeric which is fantastic for all kinds of joint stiffness, aches and pains. See if it helps him.
We try to avoid OTC meds or prescription meds whenever possible.
About 3 years ago Chris started to notice pain in his hands after an hour or 2 of playing bass. Someone suggested a spoonful of mustard and at a show he grabbed some from a table, took it and no pain that night. Well we realized it is the turmeric in the mustard that did the trick. I had already developed a hot drink full of nutrients and natural remedies a couple of years before that which we were already drinking so I started to add turmeric to the drink.
I make him a nice big mug before every show and it has made a huge difference to him. In fact if he forgets or we are short on time - he feels the difference in his hands that night.
Anyway I realize he doesn't have arthritis like your dad but I figured I'd mention it.
Post by: Cailen Waddell on December 27, 2018, 08:37:33 PM
I don't suppose there's any chance of DIYing something?
I'm thinking of a reasonably tough plastic shell that houses the original remote, with 5 buttons which are wired into the original circuitry:
On/Off
Volume up,
Volume down,
Channel up,
Channel down.
The choice of button would be up to you, but you could probably have anything you like. Bit of work with a dremel tool and a soldering iron, might only take an afternoon once you've got the parts together.
Thinking about it, I'd love to have a remote with a big red button to press to switch everything on/off.
Hmmmmm...
Chris
This essentially exists in amazon:
Flipper Big Button Remote for 2 Devices - Seniors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GR1YZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f4xjCb0Q65NTJ
My mother has some early onset dementia (which she would be mortified to know I’m discussing with anyone - luckily she doesn’t internet) we are experimenting with remote options now.... fun times
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Post by: Rob Spence on December 27, 2018, 09:10:06 PM
This essentially exists in amazon:
Flipper Big Button Remote for 2 Devices - Seniors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GR1YZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f4xjCb0Q65NTJ
My mother has some early onset dementia (which she would be mortified to know I’m discussing with anyone - luckily she doesn’t internet) we are experimenting with remote options now.... fun times
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
He doesn’t have line of sight to the cable box and the existing remote appears to be RF.
I wonder if an IR repeater would work?
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Post by: Cailen Waddell on December 27, 2018, 09:12:15 PM
He doesn’t have line of sight to the cable box and the existing remote appears to be RF.
I wonder if an IR repeater would work?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Fair point. My parents don’t either. I have them a Logitech harmony setup for them that I can remote into from my phone and fix things... but I’m wondering if there is an easier way with an IR repeater as well...
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Post by: John Schalk on January 07, 2019, 09:08:36 AM
Out of the box, the remote would change the channels and the volume, but it would not power off the TV set. I went through the steps that are listed on the back of the remote to program it for a given TV, but that produced indifferent results. I could get channels or volume, but not both :( Next, I pulled up the full list of TV codes from Comcast's website for Dad's LG TV and tried each one in turn, but with the same result. In the process, I also tried changing the cable box brand for the remote using the A, B, C, & D keys, but that only made things worse. Eventually I found the code to reset the remote (981, I think) and got back to where I started.
At this point I handed the remote over to Dad to try from his easy chair and that didn't go great. The buttons do require some effort to push and, as large as they are, I don't think Dad can read the labels. But it wasn't even working that well for him, so I finally decide to shift the TV and TV stand (a 2 drawer chest) to the right to expose his wall mounted cable box. This seemed to work, but I can't figure out why. I cannot find any IR window on the cable box, but the remote was working better for me when I was on the couch versus Dad's chair, so I believe it needs line of sight to the box. I now suspect that some of my issues with programming it may have been related to the remote not seeing the cable box rather than not having the right TV codes.
I left the remote with Dad and I will ask him how he likes it later this week. It would seem that there may not be a good answer for a 97 year old parent who needs cataract surgery! At least the xFinity big button remote doesn't cost anything to try.