Paradox Designs

Learning

When you use the pre programmed codes, you will likely not get many of the features your device offers. Or your device may not even be in the library (even more unlikely). If this is the case, you can learn from other remotes. Learning is accomplished by selecting the learn item in the control panel, then selecting a device. When in learn mode, you press any button you want to teach on the RF-30, and it will enter learn mode. You then press the button on the other remote (if its a non repeating button, like a number or input button), or hold it (if its a repeating button, like channel up/down, volume, menu controls, fast forward, etc.) The RF-30 will flash GOOD at the top, and SAVED at the bottom. When it has fully learned a command, it changes back to LEARN. The hold to get repeating commmands feature is not documented, but the manual does tell you to hold buttons. This had me confused for a while.

But there are only so many physical buttons on the RF-30, so how can i add my special commands? you may ask. Thats what the touch screen is for. When your in learn mode, you can press any of the buttons on the touch screen, and teach it any command from the other remote. You can even add more pages of buttons, but more on that later.

If you want to learn a whole new device, there is a many step process i have learned. First, you will want to make sure you have a device entry where you want its button to appear. This is done by going to the pre-programmed command page, setting up a device on a slot (the names dont have to match up), and saving it with the default blank code, 001. Then you edit the name (more on this later), and then learn each button one at a time. Or you can use a pre-established device, and learn one at a time. The process is the same as learning special buttons for a pre-programmed remote, except you have to program EVERY button (including the 1-9, 0, etc buttons). While this is tedious, its rewarding to add devices not commonly supported by a Universal remote (eg boom boxes).

If you have more than one MasterControl, you can clone the setup on one to control the other, through a simple clone menu.

Editing

While you may have programmed in all your custom buttons and devices, you may still have the default lables. Not to worry, you can change any label on the touch screen (sorry, cant change physical buttons, did you think you could?), from device names to commands. To edit a name, you just select the Edit setting from the main control panel. You can then select your device, and edit the names of its custom commands from there. You can also edit the name of the devices, just hit the scroll over button at the bottom of the display twice to enter device name edit.

Editing names is simple. Press the button you want to edit, then the number pad becomes your keypad, like a phone pad, except ABC is on 1. The 0 button has several remote-centric symbols (pause, rewind, etc). To delete a character, you press down on the d-pad. To delete a whole name, press up. Moving between characters is done with the left and right buttons. When your done editing, just press the button again, and it saves that name.

I have found that blanking out buttons I dont need is a good way to ensure i dont accidentally press them. This, combined with erasing the functions on these buttons, will make the remote preform exactly as you want it to.

Hiding menus

In addition to blanking names, if you have pages full of blank names, you can choose to not even use these pages, by hiding them. Hiding is done by selecting the Hide entry on the control panel, then selecting the device. Pages are hidden by browsing to them from the bottom page selector, then hitting the light button. The light button toggles a pages visibility. If the page isnt in the sequence, it displays Add. If it is, Hide is displayed.

Erasing commands

You can erase any learned or programmed command on any button, from the erase menu. This behaves like the learn menu, except it gives you options of what to erase. You can choose to erase keys, whole devices, or macros. There is a seperate reset step, that resets the whole remote to factory defaults, but that is a dangerous command, and is rightfully hard to activate by accident.

Macros

This is one of the more useful commands that comes with this remote. With the macro function, you can make PowerOn macrost that turn on all your devices, poweroff macros that do the inverse, button macros (even touchscreen buttons), and much more. Programming macros is done in a step by step process, so you can choose which devices come on first (allow that big plasma time to warmup while the other devices are turned on), and the order in which they are turned on. You can also create macros for things such as switching the input to HDMI, dimming the lights, and turning up the sound. Macros are very easy to use, and make this remote able to compete with other, expensive remotes.

Punch through

Punch through is the ability to have certain commands go to other devices, even when said device is not selected. Unlike many other remotes, you can change which commands punch through to which device, depending on the device selected. For example, you could make the Xbox punchthrough for volume go to the Home Theater, while the VCR goes to the TV. But you are not limited to volume. You can set up channel, playback, and menu controls to punch through as well. This is done with the menu system as well.