Battery does not last for more than a day

[jason]

Just now, arenaej said:

I received my Skip 1s yesterday. Set it up on Windows 11 to control my Sceptre tv, Vizio Soundbar and Plex HTPC via Flirc usb. Awaiting a Flirc Fire Cube usb. The batteries that came with it lasted 3 hours. New batteries today lasted 2 hours. Updated with the file Jason posted so we’ll see…I really want this to work…

I installed the update that Jason posted…when I connected to the skip app to make some tweaks to my program a firmware update popped up so I installed it. Batteries now going on 12 hours so something is different. I’ll use it over the rest of the week and see how it goes…@Jason, if the batteries fail I’ll follow your instructions and post the results…thanks for your help.

Please. I’m betting it’s not a battery issue and a firmware issue. I’ve been able to see in one of our rooms a state where it is stuck. Button presses don’t do anything and it looks dead. Hooking up to the computer I see that it never turned off and collected logs. I brought it to work and was going to do some electrical analysis and by the time I wanted to try again, it unstuck. 

[Turbine]

I have the same problem

Batteries only lasts a day

 

[jason]

Alright, I'm not doing this anymore. I'm deleting new posts. I have sent a dozen remotes and only got one back. I have no idea if people are just wanting free remotes or what, but now I'm getting mad. I test every remote before I send it out and never came accross one that uses 100mA because that's what it would take to deplete a battery in one day. Every remote has gone to sleep correctly and is under 6uA.

[jason]

Don't use rechargeable batteries, and follow the instructions I outlined. When it seems to be dead. Press and hold a button that is mapped to something. Do another, hook it up to the computer without disconnecting the batteries, and get the remote logs please.

[Turbine]

I used the original batteries and another Alkaline set.

I suspect it's a software issue. I just tried to replace the batteries and the remote started working again

But now, when I inserted the "dead" batteries again - It's started working again.

I will keep you posted

You cannot take remote logs when the batteries are dead because when you plug it in - you get a USB error. device did not recognized

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by Turbine

[jason]

1 hour ago, Turbine said:

I used the original batteries and another Alkaline set.

I suspect it's a software issue. I just tried to replace the batteries and the remote started working again

But now, when I inserted the "dead" batteries again - It's started working again.

I will keep you posted

You cannot take remote logs when the batteries are dead because when you plug it in - you get a USB error. device did not recognized

 

Batteries get disconnected with USB present. I log a reboot on battery low fail. I’m going to add a ton of logging because it must be stuck somewhere, but you can’t remove the batteries or I lose the logs.  

[Turbine]

1 hour ago, jason said:

Batteries get disconnected with USB present. I log a reboot on battery low fail. I’m going to add a ton of logging because it must be stuck somewhere, but you can’t remove the batteries or I lose the logs.  

OK. But for some reason - After a day or so - when I try to connect the remote to the PC - I get USB error.

After changing the batteries ( maybe its just taking them out and in again ) - It comes to live again and I get no USB error.

So I don't know what to tell you and how to generate those logs without taking the batteries out.

[Mastermax54]

On 11/20/2023 at 4:21 AM, jason said:

 Update with updated firmware posted.

Seems to work for me

[gelein]

On 11/13/2023 at 11:44 PM, borez said:

In my case, the batteries are consistently flat with low voltage. If it was a contact issue the batteries would have been at full charge.

@jason I tried to follow the steps you provided, however I hardly see any logs. See attachment.

flirc-remote-control20231129.log

[jason]

13 hours ago, gelein said:

@jason I tried to follow the steps you provided, however I hardly see any logs. See attachment.

flirc-remote-control20231129.log 3.58 kB · 4 downloads

Thank you for this. I got all your messages but I have not had a chance to sit down this week. But this is helpful. Tells me buttons are recognized, but it’s stuck somewhere and ignoring them or it thinks it’s in a different mode. I’m going to add more logging to get to the bottom of it and send that to you shortly. I hope to do it tomorrow. 

[arenaej]

I believe it’s connected to the “circle”. When I have more than 1 device with cursor up or down it appears to go dead, like in the tv guide on plex or Slingtv. Since I don’t need that on my tv other than changing inputs, I moved that to the channel up or down. No issues after that.

[jason]

2 hours ago, arenaej said:

I believe it’s connected to the “circle”. When I have more than 1 device with cursor up or down it appears to go dead, like in the tv guide on plex or Slingtv. Since I don’t need that on my tv other than changing inputs, I moved that to the channel up or down. No issues after that.

interesting, any chance you can replicate the configuration for me and send that over?

[arenaej]

Here's the configuration that make the Skip appear dead when navigating tv guides.

Loft2.skip

[jason]

16 minutes ago, arenaej said:

Here's the configuration that make the Skip appear dead when navigating tv guides.

Loft2.skip 99.5 kB · 1 download

Excellent. I'll give it a go, thank you.

[ManyLoggins]

On 11/12/2023 at 10:06 AM, Mastermax54 said:

Hi,

Thanks for the answer

This is the photos, seems goods ?

 

Thx

 

 

EDIT:

Battery not working more. They stop working suddenly.

 

Thanks so much for this. Mine stopped working after 3 days and i was trying everything I could find for weeks. Finally the buttons light up and work again!

[KJM]

I've had this problem for awhile. 

Is trying firmware .22 the first troubleshooting tip?

[bitraven]

 

Batteries dead in the time it took to walk from my computer, to my living room.  Twice.

Both times with fresh batteries (the set that came with the remote, then a newly, off the charger set of rechargeable)

I programmed the remote, went to the TV, tried to turn the power on.  Lights are all dead on the remote.  Removing, replacing the same batteries gives me about 30 seconds more flashing lights.

This remote seems unusable so far.

:(

[bitraven]

3 minutes ago, bitraven said:

 

Batteries dead in the time it took to walk from my computer, to my living room.  Twice.

Both times with fresh batteries (the set that came with the remote, then a newly, off the charger set of rechargeable)

I programmed the remote, went to the TV, tried to turn the power on.  Lights are all dead on the remote.  Removing, replacing the same batteries gives me about 30 seconds more flashing lights.

This remote seems unusable so far.

:(

i just posted this, but then started reading some other people's issues.  I will try to get logs and some of the other things you recommend too.

 

[benjamin]

Hi

Same issue here battery drain problem since i received

What IS the solution ?

Thanks a lot 

Order #Shop-35931

Edited December 6, 2023 by benjamin

[georgmi]

@jasonI managed to catch a hardware exception when my batteries died. Sorry it's a screenshot; I don't have RN clipboard and the best my OCR capture app could do with it was this f'in mess:

<2>task_start(41): Hypnos: v4.12.21
< 1 Heap Block OX20002COC - Ox20007BFF (19k)
< 1 BOD33 BOD12 SYST WDT EXT POR
< I > log_rcause(385):
Hardware Exception
<2>crash_report(205): —
rO:
rl
OxOOOOffb4
r2
r3
<2> 0): rl 2.
<2>crash_report(211): Ir:
0011070
< crash
_report(21 2): ra.
< 2> crash_report(21 3): xpsr.
< crash_report(21 7).
OxOOOOd1ab
Ox20007f28
Ox20007f23
ox20002c70
OxOOOOda41
Ox0100d9c1
< 1 > Initializing Pas
t Profile: A
<3>usb_hotplug(46): Connected

 

I hope it's helpful; I'm going back to rechargeables because alkalines are expensive. :)

Edited December 8, 2023 by georgmi

[jason]

I think I got it. I can not figure out how this happened to everyone so often. It must be strictly timing, because I essentially played the remote like a 2 year old playing a piano until I was able to reproduce it. I analyzed the logs until I was able to understand what was going on. We'll do some internal testing, but I'd really be appreciative for some feedback to make sure I got it. 

Essentially, the remote appeared dead. If you took the batteries out and put them back in, it would reset it and fix it. Essentially, it was stuck in a state blocking presses. However, if stuck in this state long enough, it could drain the battery. 

Mac Download

Windows Download

You should be prompted for a firmware update. Update it, and you wont need to do anything else. If you are not prompted, do the following:

• Close the software
• Unplug the USB-C cable
• Remove the batteries.
• Press and hold the return and center key while you insert the USB-C cable (image attached)
• Start the software

If the above doesn't work, PM me.

Thanks for the patience, this was a bitch.

[asyba]

Sometimes (3 times) my remote did't turn on and after taking out and putting back again the batteries the remote came to life again.
After two months my batteries died minimal use, I have to swap with another pair of batteries then those die in one day (they where not new batteries could be that) then swap again a batteries, for now its working.
could be that stuck loop that you are describing and drained.
I did't report since I was thinking was an old issue in the first kickstarted units and wasn't mine, since other reported that never got back to life again.

I will try this new firmware.

 

[ytsejam1138]

16 hours ago, jason said:

I think I got it. I can not figure out how this happened to everyone so often. It must be strictly timing, because I essentially played the remote like a 2 year old playing a piano until I was able to reproduce it. I analyzed the logs until I was able to understand what was going on. We'll do some internal testing, but I'd really be appreciative for some feedback to make sure I got it. 

Essentially, the remote appeared dead. If you took the batteries out and put them back in, it would reset it and fix it. Essentially, it was stuck in a state blocking presses. However, if stuck in this state long enough, it could drain the battery. 

http://update.flirc.tv/skipapp/pr/1188/SkipApp-0.9.955.7086-fw-fix-x64.dmg?token=skipAppUpdate

http://update.flirc.tv/skipapp/pr/1188/SkipApp-0.9.955.7086-fw-fix-x64.msix?token=skipAppUpdate

You should be prompted for a firmware update. Update it, and you wont need to do anything else. If you are not prompted, do the following:

• Close the software
• Unplug the USB-C cable
• Remove the batteries.
• Press and hold the return and center key while you insert the USB-C cable (image attached)
• Start the software

If the above doesn't work, PM me.

Thanks for the patience, this was a bitch.

@jason  I'm trying to download the Windows version and it's prompting me to sign in on the https://update.flirc.tv webpage.  I tried using my forum login credentials, but they don't work.  Any idea what's going on?

[jason]

15 minutes ago, ytsejam1138 said:

@jason  I'm trying to download the Windows version and it's prompting me to sign in on the https://update.flirc.tv webpage.  I tried using my forum login credentials, but they don't work.  Any idea what's going on?

sorry, script moved them during PR cleanup. Updated.

[ytsejam1138]

24 minutes ago, jason said:

sorry, script moved them during PR cleanup. Updated.

Got it, thanks.  The link above still doesn't work due to the entire link not being hyperlinked.  The ?token=skipAppUpdate isn't linked to the rest of the URL.