Dealspace FV-L1/DP-P1 unit not responding to remote

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 18:28

Bought one of these and it arrived today, Unpacked it and everything looks fine. The remote looks new.

The problem is the unit doesn't respond at all to any commands of the remote. I've set the remote to control my telly and it works fine at that. But the unit doesn't respond at all.

I also have a DP-P2 that I've had for a few years now, as the remote for this is supposed to be able to run other Wiz's, I thought I'd try this remote set to BR01 mode, but when I press the 1 button nothing happens, it just stays in BR02 mode. Anyway, seeing as the new remote works on the telly I'm pretty sure it actually works fine - it's just the unit that doesn't respond to remote commands.

Of course it's friday today, and being in WA and 3 hrs behind means they've closed and gone home so I can't phone them. I'm raising a return RMA. Hopefully i can get it all sorted ASAP as we're flying to NSW on the 22nd and would like it to be sorted by then.

In the hope of finding out it might be something I can sort I've been trying everything I can think of. I wish the unit had a reset button on the rear panel - that would be something else I could try.
I've removed the clear front plastic protector thinking this might be blocking the sensor but still nothing.
I've also ensured that the remote is in STB mode.

The unit powers on alright and goes straight to the service scan menu.

Has anyone got any ideas of what might be happening here? I've run out of things to try now :-/

ps, interestingly the manual that came with it also mentions configurable time skipping - i thought the FV-L1s couldn't do this? Whoever had it before has highlighted all the entries for this - so it was probably an issue somewhere along the way in it's history.

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 18:56

Also, after i bought this at $199 of course, they now have these on special for $139 plus shipping! Pretty much a bargain price .... if the one you get works

Thought about a lite model, but i really want front panel display

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 19:09

The remote may be working in TV control mode but not in PVR control mode. If you have a digital camera or mobile phone with a camera you can see the IR signal being transmitted by the remote whenever a button is pressed (you don’t need to take a photo, just look at the remote through the view finder or on the LCD). Try this in TV mode then swap to PVR mode.

Try some new batteries just in case you have a crook battery (the TV may have a more sensitive IR receiver than the wiz & this may work with low battery volts in the remote). The other day I found one of our wizzes had stopped responding to the remote, one second it was working fine the next second no response at all, the reason being one of the batteries had low volts.

You could also try cleaning the remote battery contacts & the battery ends with a small amount of Shellite on a clean rag, or some other harmless cleaner that doesn’t leave any residue (NOT metho or acetone).

Interesting you got a FV-L1 manual for something that isn’t an FV-L1 anymore. The manual I got for the same unit about 3 months ago had an early edition DP-P1 manual which is the correct manual. It sounds like they have run out of DP-P1 manuals.

BTW ... I think that modified FV-L1 is a very good purchase if you get a good one. I must say I have been tempted by the latest deal.

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 19:16

thanks for the tip about being able to see the IR with a camera - it works fine in any mode

yep, also tried other new batteries

also put remote less than 30cms in front of unit and scanned across it

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 20:01

It sounds like the problem may be in the P1 front panel controller doesn’t it. Just confirming ... the new BR01 remote won’t even turn the P1 ON from standby or to standby from ON, but you can turn the P1 ON from standby via the P1’s front panel button?

Being a refurbished unit I would have thought the DP-P1 would have been tested with a remote control, but not necessarily the one supplied. This makes me suspect something with the supplied BR01 remote more than something wrong with the DP-P1, even though the remote appears to be working.

It’s a pity the BR02 remote won’t go into BR01 mode, this way you could really narrow it down. No doubt you tried the correct sequence as per the DP-P2 manual?
“Press and hold the numeric button 1 for 5~6 seconds while pressing the OK button. The red backlight beneath the TV button blinks three-times if the remote control changes its operating mode successfully.
If you want to return the operating mode of the remote control to operate the DP-P2, please press and hold the numeric button 2 for 5~6 seconds while pressing the OK button. The red backlight beneath the TV button blinks three-times if the remote control changes its operating mode successfully.”

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 20:36

tried the BR02 remote again and now it's working!

thanks to sub3R for the suggestion to retry it - unit responds and is service scanning now

hopefully it hangs in there all weekend

be much quicker to get a replacement remote than the whole unit!

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 20:47

Ah good. So it was the BR01 remote.

dddp wrote:... be much quicker to get a replacement remote than the whole unit!

This is what I was thinking. A good result.

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 20:51

yep, a good result

one thing i've noticed is that the front panel display is quite bright - much brighter than my old P2. Is there any way to dim this down at all? I can't find any info about dimming in the manual.

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 20:57

This isn’t something that can be done in the Setup menu. I don’t know of any way to dim it down, but Mark (warkus) may know of some hardware mod. Mark has posted a mod for dimming the blue round light with a resistor change but I can’t remember anything about the front panel display.

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 21:02

might have to resort to ghetto modding with some tinted plastic

display brightness is fine when on standby, just a bit too bright when it's on

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 22:21

Hi Dddp,

If you enable the telnet hack on the unit you can issue a command to change the display brightness. This command was never implemented in the UI (though it was often requested).

If I remember correctly any screen updates *may* revert the brightness level.

Regards,
Ian.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 22:26

There are 7 (and off) software controllable brightness levels. There is no user interface for it, but its very easy to change once you telnet in. I've documented it here: http://www.openwiz.org/wiki/Micomparam

wizdvp does not change the brightness once you set it.

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 00:11

thank you gents, how does one telnet into the unit?

Can you point me in the right direction please?

warkus · Post by **warkus** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 02:07

Hi,

The reason for the display brightness being higher on your new unit v's old unit is that P2 displays deteriorate over time and the backlight reduces as they age. I have seen this in most P2 units and P1 units. The display seems to get burn or heat marks on it if you look at the front of it and the overall brightness is significantly reduced as time goes on. Even specific sections of the display change brightness intensity.

This is not in any way related to the PSU like it is on the old S1 units. Although having said that, when a unit is covered or has another unit sitting on top of it, the additional heat in the unit certainly accelerates the process.

It is the display itself. I have had to replace a few over time that were so bad you couldn't even read them properly.

Mark

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 09:33

dddp wrote:thank you gents, how does one telnet into the unit?

Can you point me in the right direction please?

You first need to enable the telnet server on the Beyonwiz by installing hacked firmware. Then you can use any telnet client (there's a telnet command-line client in Windows) to connect. Once connected you have access to a cut-down Unix system.

However, if you dim the display just by telnetting in and using the micomparam command, you need to re-dim the display each time the Beyonwiz is started up.

The bw_patcher tool in BWFWTools allows you to create copies of Beyonwiz .wrp firmware packages with a number of simple hacks, including enabling telnet.

However, the same tool allows you to create a hacked firmware package that runs the display at lower brightness (fixed level of dimming, though, because at the time I wrote it I didn't know that there were more than two brightness levels). If you hack the firmware with the Beyonwiz::Hack::Dim option to bw_patcher, you can dim the display without resorting to enabling and using telnet at all.

Once you've created the hacked firmware .wrp, you just install it as usual. Those two hacks can be reversed by installing an unhacked firmware .wrp.

BWFWTools requires Perl to be installed. There are instructions about how to do that for WIndows in the BWFWTools READ_ME.txt. There are only command-line interfaces to the BWFWTools programs.

Unfortunately, the Web site I distribute BWFWTools from (different site from the release notes linked to above) has been down for some time. If you PM me with your email address, I'm happy to email you a copy.

Using user extensions or hacks may make your Beyonwiz unable to operate correctly, or even start. Some modifications are known to interfere with the correct functioning of the Beyonwiz.

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 09:35

warkus wrote:Hi,

The reason for the display brightness being higher on your new unit v's old unit is that P2 displays deteriorate over time and the backlight reduces as they age. I have seen this in most P2 units and P1 units. The display seems to get burn or heat marks on it if you look at the front of it and the overall brightness is significantly reduced as time goes on. Even specific sections of the display change brightness intensity.

This is not in any way related to the PSU like it is on the old S1 units. Although having said that, when a unit is covered or has another unit sitting on top of it, the additional heat in the unit certainly accelerates the process.

It is the display itself. I have had to replace a few over time that were so bad you couldn't even read them properly.

Mark

Thanks Mark. I sort of thought something along those lines might be the case too.

And the blue centre power light on my old P2 doesn't seem as bright as i recall it was when it was new - or is that just my memory that's dimmed lol.

BTW, Since you operated on it a few months ago, it hasn't missed a beat - another satisfied customer

warkus · Post by **warkus** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 09:58

Your welcome any time.

There are 3 blue LEDs on the front panel in a triangle under the blue circle of fire...

Over time they indeed do loose their intensity, eventually giving out altogether, giving an uneven effect on the blue circle when one or possibly two globes fail completely.

I use surface mounted globes in replacement.

Mark

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 18:24

prl wrote:
dddp wrote:thank you gents, how does one telnet into the unit?

Can you point me in the right direction please?
You first need to enable the telnet server on the Beyonwiz by installing hacked firmware. Then you can use any telnet client (there's a telnet command-line client in Windows) to connect. Once connected you have access to a cut-down Unix system.

However, if you dim the display just by telnetting in and using the micomparam command, you need to re-dim the display each time the Beyonwiz is started up.

The bw_patcher tool in BWFWTools allows you to create copies of Beyonwiz .wrp firmware packages with a number of simple hacks, including enabling telnet.

However, the same tool allows you to create a hacked firmware package that runs the display at lower brightness (fixed level of dimming, though, because at the time I wrote it I didn't know that there were more than two brightness levels). If you hack the firmware with the Beyonwiz::Hack::Dim option to bw_patcher, you can dim the display without resorting to enabling and using telnet at all.

Once you've created the hacked firmware .wrp, you just install it as usual. Those two hacks can be reversed by installing an unhacked firmware .wrp.

BWFWTools requires Perl to be installed. There are instructions about how to do that for WIndows in the BWFWTools READ_ME.txt. There are only command-line interfaces to the BWFWTools programs.

Unfortunately, the Web site I distribute BWFWTools from (different site from the release notes linked to above) has been down for some time. If you PM me with your email address, I'm happy to email you a copy.

Using user extensions or hacks may make your Beyonwiz unable to operate correctly, or even start. Some modifications are known to interfere with the correct functioning of the Beyonwiz.

Thank you for all your help with this. At present the new unit is in the family room and the bright display isn't really a problem there. It might be moving into our bedroom though in the future and so I'll be wanting it dimmed there. I'll use the hack to dim it.
PM sent.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 00:39

The brightness of the front panel in standby mode is not adjustable, it's at the lowest setting already when in standby. The firmware hack will only affect the brightness of the VFD during operation. It does not affect the brightness of the circle at all.

prl · Post by **prl** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 09:40

What peteru said. How To Put Out Your Blue Circle Of Fire On Your Beyonwiz deals with some hardware hacks to dim the blue circle. I haven't tried any of them

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 13:23

Hi,

For my $0.02 on this matter I would like to offer that in my case I leave my Beyonwiz units on 24/7 but to minimise display burn I *always* leave my idle Beyonwiz on channels that have a long enough name to cause the front display to scroll. By avoiding a fixed display for any length of time I believe that I am reducing the opportunity for the display to burn in any static segments.

Regards,
Ian.

beetle · Post by **beetle** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 05:55

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I ordered the $139 DP-P1 special from Dealspace and got an FV-L1. I was somewhat surprised. Am I to understand that it's an FV-L1 with DP-P1 firmware? I have not removed it from the box to power it up and have sent a query to Dealspace to 'please explain'.

Thanks,
Mark

Jiml · Post by **Jiml** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 07:00

From the Dealspace web Page..

Beyonwiz DP-P1 Twin Tuner HD PVR 320GB PVR (Reconditioned)

** Please Note** The outer casing of this unit is from a Beyonwiz FV-L1 but the hardware and software of the unit is that of a DP-P1 so it operates fully as a DP-P1.

Dealspace FV-L1/DP-P1 unit not responding to remote

Dealspace FV-L1/DP-P1 unit not responding to remote

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