I have a few commercial projectors at the theater but they don't have remotes. Normally not an issue because if I need to use one it's usually just sitting beside me in the tech booth. One is about to be installed permanently about 26' off the floor in the lobby for sponsors, production photos, upcoming plays, etc.
I have tried about 6 different Panasonic remotes (including one for a Panasonic homeowner projector) and none of them make anything happen. Replacement remotes for this projector have been out of production since 2014 and I found some obscure seller on walmart dot com selling one for $25, so I ordered it 3 years ago and it still says "shipped" but my card hasn't been charged.
I have a universal remote that I don't think will work unless I can sorta hack it. Projectors always have separate buttons for on/off since you usually have to press off twice to confirm.
Can you think of any solutions? Other than a 26' stick and some luck? Does anyone make a programmable universal remote that I can load firmware on it that will make it control this projector? I really only need on/off.
Could you plug the projector into one of the Christmas plug adapters that have a remote and on/off capabilities?
Edit: something like this?
No a hard power off for a projector will blow the bulb. They need time to cool off hence the separate off button with press to confirm.
I think your best bet is a saved search on eBay for the right model number of remote or projector + remote.
what model is the projector?
And before you all suggest it, any of them that look like this do not work.
Panasonic's compatibility list says they work, so people sell them as working with my DZ570, but they do not.
Duke
MegaDork
6/24/22 11:12 a.m.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Is it a matter of programming? Lots of remotes need to have the correct 3- or 4-digit code entered in order to get them using the same encryption/comm protocol as the projector.
I'd take apart the projector, figure out how the switch is wired and then mount the switch remotely. If it's an IR remote even the factory one might not work 26' off the floor..
This stands out on the spec sheet:
- Web Browser Control over a Wired LAN
any chance that would be an option?
Also check out this image from the user manual of the remote control:
It looks identical to the remote you said didn't work. Maybe the problem lies in the "ID select" buttons which allow you to chose which projector you control with the remote. It's intended to choose a specific projector in a large installation so you're not controlling them all or just the wrong one. I didn't take the time to see how to set it but note there's an "all" button. Did you try that prior to hitting any other buttons on the remote?
wae
PowerDork
6/24/22 12:43 p.m.
I played around with an Arduino kit that I got from Amazon that came equipped with a remote and an IR sensor. I was able to use that to "read" the signal that a remote sent. I can only assume that if they make an IR receiver that an IR sender exists? That makes a further assumption that you can find something that sends the correct signal, of course.... Or I guess you could just blast it with anything and everything and see if you can find what triggers it.
A programmable learning remote program running from an Android tablet or even a handheld x86 PC running a desktop OS of some sort would be your best bet. With this you could copy commands from existing physical remotes and even download saved remote commands from the Internet to use with your devices, and then you can back up the software and its configuration so you aren't tied to one piece of hardware.
I don't know what would be the best software to use with this nowadays, back in the early/mid 2000s there was a PalmOS program called OmniRemote that was great at this and came in very handy for me and classmates in a university where AC system remotes were hard to come by 
1kris06 said:
Could you plug the projector into one of the Christmas plug adapters that have a remote and on/off capabilities?
Edit: something like this?
Or, even better, a CLAPPER!
wae
PowerDork
6/24/22 1:19 p.m.
GCrites80s said:
1kris06 said:
Could you plug the projector into one of the Christmas plug adapters that have a remote and on/off capabilities?
Edit: something like this?
Or, even better, a CLAPPER!
While inconvenient, it would be pretty hilarious in a theater.
Having a look at the software options, LIRC + irrecord look like the best option, it's FLOSS and therefore architecture-independent so you could run these on an ARM-based Linux tablet/convertible to save power/increase battery life.
In reply to dculberson :
The web browser over LAN works great, but your only controls are for the projector functions which includes turning it off, but not turning it on. When the projector is off, there is no connectivity. It's like trying to access your laptop remotely to turn it on. You can't. It's schrodinger's projector when it's powered off.
My first thought was to set the projector to auto-on when it gets power, then use LAN to shut it off. The problem is that is difficult for even me to figure out, and the control and content will all be handled by the executive director or the marketing director. Don't even get me started on the BrightSign boxes that I have to figure out... that's a whole different learning curve.
Regarding the remote, I tried multiple things including what you mentioned. There were (after a long conversation with Panasonic) multiple firmware and hardware changes to this projector, each one with its own remote. Instead of reprinting the literature they just included a supplement in the manual. Any reprints of the manual that are out there only reflect the projectors that were manufactured in the first few months with that remote. Since the projector has since become obsolete, Panasonic never saw the need to worry about it. The final iteration of the remote (which two of my projectors would use) paired a unique "carrier" signal with the IR to identify which projector went with which remote. I can defeat that setting in the projector menu in order to make one remote control all of them... if I had a remote.
APEowner said:
I'd take apart the projector, figure out how the switch is wired and then mount the switch remotely. If it's an IR remote even the factory one might not work 26' off the floor..
It's a momentary microswitch on the motherboard. Possible, but not by me.
Duke said:
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Is it a matter of programming? Lots of remotes need to have the correct 3- or 4-digit code entered in order to get them using the same encryption/comm protocol as the projector.
I've tried a few different ones. Universal remotes cover the 2,000 or so most common TVs, DVD players, etc. Seems like projectors, especially commercial ones, are a completely different ball game. It's not like Panasonic recycled their TV's remote protocols for their projectors, it's all different.
dculberson said:
Check this out:
They are currently set to "all" so that I can use one remote. The way they're set up, they're never in the same room at the same time, or if they are I could ID them separately. I tried IDing one of the projectors as a number and setting the remote for that number and it didn't work. I learned - after my conversation with Panasonic - that it was the wrong remote for my serial numbers.
GameboyRMH said:
Having a look at the software options, [words I've never heard] look like the best option, it's [a dental cleaning string] and therefore architecture-independent so you could run these on an [apparently a ragtop penguin] to save power/increase battery life.
I promise I'm not making fun of you, I'm making fun of me. I can't even get LAN access to the projector, and I set the IP address myself. Don't even get me started on trying to access the BrightSign box. That's bloody voodoo.
I had access to one of the projectors before, but no dice after 4 hours of trying everything. Doesn't even show up on the network when I directly connect Cat6 from my laptop to the projector.
So a home-brew software solution is mind-blowingly outside my realm.
GameboyRMH said:
A programmable learning remote program running from an Android tablet or even a handheld x86 PC running a desktop OS of some sort would be your best bet. With this you could copy commands from existing physical remotes and even download saved remote commands from the Internet to use with your devices, and then you can back up the software and its configuration so you aren't tied to one piece of hardware.
I don't know what would be the best software to use with this nowadays, back in the early/mid 2000s there was a PalmOS program called OmniRemote that was great at this and came in very handy for me and classmates in a university where AC system remotes were hard to come by
And I could try this... if I had a remote... in which case I wouldn't need to try this
Here's a somewhat less complicated but more fragile and labor-intensive way to do the same thing, you can buy learning universal remote controls such as this one which have a receiver in the bottom for copying signals from other random remotes:
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/blackweb-universal-learning-remote-control-black/6000202691246
If you can get your hands on one working original projector remote, you can pass their knowledge onto these learning universal remotes (you can map any odd functions onto unused buttons) and as long as you preserve a lineage of programmed remotes, you'll always have a remote that works. You could take one and solder long wires to it (maybe put the IR LED on a 26' long wire pair) so it can be used to control the projector from a very long distance.
