The Joy of Harmony. Logitech Harmony Remote Controls Solve All Problems.

June 26, 2019

#316

Gentle reader,

How many remote controls clutter the various rooms with devices designed for your entertainment do you have?

In our bedroom, we have a small flat screen TV our daughter bought for us a few years ago. Attached to it are: A Blu Ray player, a Roku streaming stick, an HDMI switch and a Verizon Fios non-HD cable box. And a row of five remote controls. It's no wonder we almost never have any of it on.

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a computer, clicking on any picture will open a second window over this one. You can click through or use your right and left arrow keys to look at the photos. They will be larger than seen here. If you are viewing it on a device such as a phone or tablet, I do not know if that works the same way.

Do you see all of the components on the shelves above? You'd think one would need a plethora of different remote controls to operate all of them. You would be correct. And incorrect.

This is the very first Logitech Harmony remote control I ever had. My ever-thoughtful daughter (the same one that bought the bedroom TV) bought it for me some years ago. It is a model 650. 

At first I wasn't seeing the need for it. I mean, we had all the remotes for the entertainment devices, all in a wooden holder made for them. But that was in the living room. However, as I came across and bought obscure stereo components for my listening room system, I realized it might be JUST what I needed.

Now, "universal" remote controls have been around for many years. In the beginning, one had to look at the long list of manufacturers on the instruction sheet and try EACH code number listed under that brand, keying each number in, until finally finding the one code number that gave a response from the: TV, VCR, Cable Box, etcetera. That process had to be repeated for EACH device! What a pain in the fingers! And don't lose your place in the list. You'll have to start all over.

As more and more electronics which utilize remote controls were introduced, it soon became clear that no direction sheet list could ever keep up. Something had to be done.

Logitech (a company I do and have owned a number of products from, but with which I am NOT associated in any fashion) came up with the answer. 

Their idea: Universal remote controls with which one can DOWNLOAD the codes from their web site directly into the remote via a USB cable. Brilliant! One chooses the brand, the type of device, the model number and hit's enter. Then once all components are entered, you answer questions Logitech asks regarding your preferences for each devices usage. Then all that information is downloaded right into the remote. You are instructed to test each thing and then hook it back up via the USB cable to confirm all is well, or correct what is not. It's easy.

They have been able to gather ALL of the remote control codes for hundreds of thousands of components from countless manufacturers. They are all readily available via their site, accessed with the application for each Harmony remote they have made.

The same photo as above, but smaller. I have components from: 1990's Dynaco (out of business), OPPO, TDK (I didn't even know they made components) Nakamichi, Adcom and JVC. Plus the Denon turntable and a few other things which do not use remote controls. 

There was no way that I could find a remote control for the TDK dual-tray CD recorder (I was able to download and print out the manual, to my delight) or for the Nakamichi CD changer. Fortunately for me, soon after the very rare Dynaco (top right) PAT-6 preamplifier arrived, another seller on eBay listed the owner's manual and remote control for it. But I PAID dearly for them, knowing full well that I'd never see another of either. The OPPO universal player came with a remote. But I don't use it, I don't need to. Not since I put Harmony to work.

This remote does not have a touch screen nor rechargeable batteries. It is designed and laid out so that all functions used by any of the factory remotes provided to the original buyers of the equipment, are duplicated by it.

The numbers on the remote's screen above: "1/9" are page numbers. You use the left and right arrows below the screen to flip through the screen's pages and the four buttons adjacent to the screen's four labeled squares are pressed to activate each item. They are things that are special and for which a button is not included on the remote.

The buttons are logically laid out (they ARE named Logitech) and easily read so that one can quickly find and activate each. 
I have been happily using this remote control for years and come to think of it, the first set of batteries are still viable.

Next, let's take a look at the living room's audio/visual equipment from four different manufacturers.

The HDTV (not shown) is an LG unit. A Samsung smart Blu Ray player is next, I added those feet to it as the Motorola Verizon cable box below it gets warm whether it's on or not. At the bottom is a SONY home theater receiver.

The tasks of the Harmony ONE remote (below) are far more complex than the model 650 remote's are. 

This is the newest and most complex of our family of Logitech Harmony remote controls. It does have a touch screen and based upon the fingerprints by the OFF button, it gets used often.

Watch TV. Seems simple enough. However, the remote must: Turn on the Motorola cable box. Turn on the LG HDTV. And assure that the Input on said TV is set to the correct HDMI input from the cable box.

Watch A Movie has even more complicated requirements. It must: Turn on the SONY receiver and make sure the receiver's input is set to the output from the Blu Ray player. In this case, LD/DVD Digital Coaxial input. Turn on the LG HDTV and choose the correct HDMI input from the Samsung Blu Ray player. Turn on the Samsung player and examine it to see if it has a disc loaded. 

Caveat, there is one thing this remote does not do that the factory Samsung remote does, at least, I haven't found it yet: When streaming with the player, it's return button, located below the channel +/- buttons, does not take one back to the previous screen. Perhaps newer ones do. That's the only time I reach for an original remote.

This remote has a charging platform and rechargeable batteries. It has performed flawlessly.

Next, let's go down to the family room, one room that is almost never used since all the kids stopped moving back in. All of the equipment is older down there.

Our first flat screen TV, a Samsung, which is actually a monitor, as no TV tuner is built in, is seen below. The single HDMI input stopped working some years ago. So it is strictly analog audio and video inputs.

The wide black object below the TV is a very early soundbar. Made by Pioneer, it has a separate subwoofer with a ten inch driver and amplifier in the sub's cabinet. They were a thrift store find and use two separate cables to tie them together, one of which was missing. Pioneer was the only place that had the missing one. I paid more for that cable than the rest of the components. It's face can be seen below:

Below, something most homes do not have, a VCR, this one a good one with six heads. The more heads, the better the picture and sound. It also plays DVDs. Is a remote control available for either of these devices? Not on your life.

 Atop the RCA unit is one of Verizon Fios' non-HD cable boxes. I added those feet too. Makes it look like it could go off road, or take off like a drone.

This Logitech Harmony remote is a model 890. It is in the middle of the age range of the three we own. It too has a touch screen and charging cradle and rechargeable batteries.

See that it has THREE choices of activities. The RCA DVD/VCR has two sets of outputs, one for the DVD and one for the VCR. The Samsung HDTV has several analog audio and video inputs to accommodate various devices that might be vying for your viewing/hearing attention.

The remote's tasks are as complicated as the one in the living room. Since the sound bar has built-in amplification, there is no receiver. The remote control must: Turn on the TV, turn on the cable box (if that is one's desired source) and choose the correct input on the TV for the output from the cable box or the RCA player. In this case, the remote's volume switches controls the TV's volume.

For watching either the DVD or VCR, it must: Turn on the Pioneer sound bar, turn on the RCA player, choose which player is to be played. Turn on the TV and choose the correct input for whichever format of recording is to be played, and once all that is done, control the various devices. 

Again, it does it flawlessly. One's only responsibility is that the remote remains aimed at the electronics until each is on and set to the proper everything.  

It works and boy do they make it easy on my wife who resorted to making labels for each remote control as to what they are for and she still gets confused sometimes. So, I patiently point out the Logitech Harmony remote and it's screen choices. "Ah, well that's a lot easier."

And like the "Hokie Pokie", that's what it's all about. (If you don't know what that is, do a search. It'll date this author, but I don't care.)

While I would love it if I got a kickback from Logitech for every remote that you buy as a result of reading this article, that is not the case. Sigh.
No, I am merely doing my civic duty passing on what I have learned by buying and using these wonderful remotes. 

It is still up to you to OT lose the remote, regardless of who made it.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my humble words and viewing my images. Your kind words and comments are what keeps me putting out these articles.

Scott
June 26, 2019
#316

Tackling Installing Classic Wooden Screen Doors Over French Doors.

June 13, 2019

#315

Gentle reader,

This will not be a how-to, so much as a, this is what I had to overcome, article.

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a computer, clicking on any picture will open a second window over this one. You can click through or use your right and left arrow keys to look at the photos. They will be larger than seen here. If you are viewing it on a device such as a phone or tablet, I do not know if that works the same way.

 

That's Heidi, she declined to come out on the deck while I did the final task. Gretchen, our other Dachshund and Mini, our surviving Prague Ratter, helped cheer me on while they tried to catch some rays.

Mini, Gretchen, Maria (now in Heaven) and Heidi. We used to be cat people and still have two. They all get along and sometimes nap touching each other. Just like Bill Murray's character warned in the film Stripes. Prague Ratters are the smallest dog breed in the world and are rarely found outside of the Czech Republic. But this is about screen doors.

Years ago, when we had the cheap Hylton Homes windows replaced in our house, we also had the cheap sliding doors replaced with the French doors you see here.

This photo, I found on the Internet, when I searched: "rolling screen doors". I do not recall the name of the company which built the ones we had, but they looked just like these. They worked well for years. However, they do not keep pets inside. Mo, our now also-in-Heaven cat, found out that he could slide right under a screen and wander around outside. Much to our dismay.

Heidi found that if she poked her nose at the bottom of the metal upright portions you see in the center above, that they would pop open. Adding a second pair of magnets at the bottom did not help. We had to keep a baby gate across the door and in Mo's case, build a barrier between the right door and screen frame. He found climbing the baby gate to be no problem. Silly old Mo.

Finally, we decided we wanted real screen doors, but not the aluminum or plastic ones we have on the single doors elsewhere in the house. We chose instead to go old school: wooden screen doors. Below is a link to the company that builds the doors that we chose. Lowes carries theirs and another brand that is cheaper, but flimsier. We are NOT endorsing this company. Frankly, as you will read, we had issues, some I will not mention, with their doors.

Wood Screen Doors Archives - Screen Tight

This is the same photo as at the top of the article, but full sized. At least it is on my PC as I write this.

This company's doors, and we have NO affiliation with them or any other company, as I mentioned are thicker and heavier than the other brand that Lowes carries. They also designed them with removable frames that hold the screening material . That was a selling point. Lowes had them at $69.99 a piece.

The screen frames are mostly plastic and held in with screws. They come off of the doors easily and the company stresses that one MUST either seal or paint the doors or void the warranty.

First problem: Our doors are 34 inches wide. Both company's doors (at least at Lowes) only come in 32 and 36 inch widths. We could not make the opening larger, so we had to go with the 32 inch wide models. Both are 80 inches tall and I had to shorten them to fit.

Second problem: They come with NO hardware. There are numerous options and accessories on their website, but not in the store. So we found a pack of all-white hardware to use in the hardware aisles at Lowes. We bought two.

Third problem: The doors are from different eras or design styles. The screen frame on the left door (from the outside) is larger and there is a barrier of wood all the way around the inside edge of the frame. That made it difficult to mask that area, but I succeeded. The other door (right one from the outside) the frame is on the inner edge of the wood. Same physical opening and one cannot see the screen's frames when the doors are closed. Far easier to mask those edges.

Forth problem: Both new doors are not SQUARE! As I always do on a project, I made careful measurements and scale drawings (I took drafting in high school, back when they used pencils and rulers and all kinds of things, no computers) before starting.

When I laid out all the pieces on the dining room floor, and did the measurements, that's when I found they were not square. I had to do careful figuring on A: How to shrink the outside opening to fit the 32 inch doors. B: How to cut the pieces of wood the doors would hinge off of that would make the doors as parallel as possible and still fit the opening and LOOK like they are square.

Because I am six foot three inches high, capturing an image of square items and making them look square is not easy, due to my height. 

Above is the left door installed. Sadly, the doors being one inch thick and wood being attached to come either 3/4 of an inch or 1 1/2 inches thick, AND not having a plane to take 1/2 inch off of a "by 2" board, I had to buy 3/4" thick "by 1" wood. That is technically: Fifth problem.

Larger images of the installed left door above and right door, below.

The small openings you see at the lower corners of the door frame are where I had to cut away the face of the aluminum threshold to be able to mount the rolling screen door's housings. I will cover them with angle-aluminum pieces, they do not open into anything but the metal or the threshold.

Then there was the problem of making the doors fit together and SEAL to keep flying and crawling things from entering the house AND keep four legged family members from going outside with a poke of their nose or push of their paw.

The width of the 1 by 3 inch board precluded using the white knobs that came with the hardware kit. So, this solid stainless steel cabinet pull does the trick.

The "fixed" door, which would only be opened if we needed to move something large in or out of the house, needed to have a piece of wood glued to it for the moving door to close against. I chose a 1 by 3 (actually 3/4 by 2 1/2") for this purpose. 

However, that made it impossible to use the standard hook and eye closer. I carefully bent it in a vise until I got the shape I wanted that would keep the door tight.

Below shows the two pieces that we salvaged from the rolling screen door frames which secured the top and bottom of the left (from the outside) rolling screen. Careful cleaning and in the case of the moving door, spacing, allows the top of both doors to seal. I added the white handle seen to allow one to pull the door's top inward to allow the slide bolt to seat in the hole.

While the fixed door fits tight against the door frame at the top and the threshold at the bottom, it does not seal on the edges. We thought of that and bought neat white rubber weatherstripping that comprises of two rows of sealing material. Below, shows it installed on said 1 by 3. 

The moving door did not seal at the top, so I sliced one half of the seal off to make it fit and seal the top of the door.

You can see the rubber seal closer in the photo below. I still need to touch up the Phillips screw holes with white model paint so that they will not rust and streak the doors.

The two generic screen door hardware kit came with a total of two of these "L" handles, two with round knobs plus six spring loaded hinges. They do not close the door quickly or tightly enough, so I will be adding a long coiled spring. 

What wooden screen door is complete without a spring to bang it closed?

Once again, the first photo. If you look closely, you can see that the wood pieces that hold the hinges secured to the house are wider at the top on the left one and wider at the bottom on the right one. All to make UN-square doors fit in a square opening.

The final piece of wood, also a 1 by 3, I added across the top to direct rain out and away from the top of the doors and prevent it from seeping in through the top.

Lastly, I cut the two 36" wide aluminum and rubber "sweeps" down to 32 inches and attached them to the bottom front of both doors. This is the final weather/insect barrier. I hope.

It was was far easier to install standard "storm" doors to the single doors on the rest of the house, but I welcome a challenge and am happiest fixing, tinkering, designing, fabricating and building things. I've been remodeling the house since I retired two years ago and this is the latest achievement.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my humble words and view my images. It is your kind words and comments that inspire me to create more articles.

Scott

June 13, 2019

#315

 

Incredible Boardwalk Transports You Above Potomac River Tidal Basin Neabsco Creek Boardwalk

June 9, 2019

#314

Gentle reader,

We attended the grand opening of a unique and beautiful creation our County had built. It's called Neabsco Creek Boardwalk. Here is a link to the county web page which has overhead views:  Neabsco Creek Boardwalk

This is one of over a hundred shots I made the day we went. There was a huge turnout. Below is a wider shot, both made from an observation tower they built which gives a wonderful view of the facility.

According to the Park employees on hand on opening day, the 3/4 mile long meandering boardwalk was built without any person or equipment physically standing in or touching the wetlands. The first ten feet were built on land and a huge and complicated machine rolled onto it that: drilled holes and pounded piles (posts) into the ground precisely located. All supporting structures are built by the machine then walkway boards laid. The handrails are added and their tops all slope so that rain runs off rather than settling and eventually rotting them. Everything is sturdy and so well made.

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a computer, clicking on any picture will open a second window over this one. You can click through or use your right and left arrow keys to look at the photos. They will be larger than seen here. If you are viewing it on a device such as a phone or tablet, I do not know if that works the same way. 

Here are specifics from the official site:

"ABOUT THE NEABSCO CREEK BOARDWALK

The ¾-mile boardwalk traverses Neabsco Creek, allowing hikers access to wetlands where the tall grasses and marsh filter pollution from the river and provide a rich habitat for great blue herons, wood ducks, mallards, sparrow and red-winged blackbirds, just to name a few of the winged wildlife known to populate the area.
The walkway is part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, which was established by Congress in 1983 designating an 800-mile trail network stretching from the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania to the Potomac River, winding through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.
The project is designed to showcase Woodbridge's most valuable natural asset -- the Potomac waterfront – while linking historic landmarks such as Rippon Lodge and Leesylvania Park. The boardwalk will be ADA compliant and will encompass educational sites that highlight information on native wildlife and plants.

ABOUT THE POTOMAC HERITAGE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL

The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST) is an 800 mile network of locally managed trails along the Potomac River from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to the upper Ohio River basin in Pennsylvania.  The trail system was designated by Congress in 1983 with the goal of linking trail users to the history, culture and natural beauty of the Potomac River.  Within Prince William County, the trail is planned to link several parks, communities and other destinations including the historic towns of Occoquan and Dumfries, Occoquan Bay and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuges, Julie Metz Wetlands, Leesylvania State Park, Prince William Forest Park and the National Museum of the Marine Corps." "

Power, which we are completely dependent upon in this digital age, marches on.

Because of the large number of curious walkers, we had to park quite a ways down the road at a local church which had prepared for just such a situation. They have a tent setup in the front of their parking lot offering free cookies and bottled water. While there were several packets of the former there, only two bottles were left. We partook of each and were very glad we did. The County had paved a nice wide and smooth walkway adjacent to the road to further allow and encourage residents to get out and stretch their legs.

Our first glimpse of the wetlands appeared behind these 

These reeds appear to be cattails. We saw ones later on with newly forming "tails", which frankly look more like corn-dogs to me.

The image above shows the first sighting of the boardwalk. Is it just me, or are you too bothered wen concrete walkways behind beaches are called "boardwalks"?

These large leaved water plants were the first we had seen. We made the mistake of plating water Hyacinths in our pond. In no time they had multiplied and would have taken over completely had we not intervened. 

We did not know their name, or that they were in the process of blooming. A unique way we had never seen before.

Being tidal wetlands, the water level rises and falls with the tide, even though we are quite a ways from the Chesapeake Bay.

Another feature the designers and builders added was elevation change of the walkway.

Such beauty and the weather cooperated, being in the low-80's.

One could benefit from carrying a flora guide book to identify the great number of naturally occurring plants in the park.

These two images show the boardwalk that veers to the left once one has committed to perambulate upon the countless boards.

A closer look at the far end.

When we approached the "T" intersection, Nancy asked, "Which way should we go?" "We could ask the Scarecrow," I replied. The gal (above) in the wheelchair laughed. She got my reference.
The woman speaking with them, I also spoke with. She had an impressive lens on her Canon mirrorless digital camera. 

Speaking of gals, this is my lovely Nancy. The love of my life, soulmate and very best friend. We've been married now for 23 years and every minute I spend with her are the best.

There are many channels which run near the boardwalk. The depth (at low tide) was a few inches in places. 

There were many, many varieties of plants and trees living and thriving in the wetlands. The blossoms on these bushes are tiny singly, but they grow in great clusters.

One cannot see them, but there are wee fishes within that water.

We found these tiny sisters adorable with their hats and holding hands.

The first birds we saw crossing the first bridge were Swallows soaring around. Such acrobatic birds and eat lots of mosquitoes! Anything that eats those are friends of ours. Quite colorful, so I'm thinking it's a male.

You can clearly see the robust construction employed, these will be here for many decades.

Redwing Blackbirds were another species that are prevalent there. It seems to be sitting on air, but it clutches something green.

I carried two cameras with me, one with the (35mm equivalent) of 28mm to 84mm and the other with 90mm to 300mm. The latter made these two images of the railroad bridge and marina.

Until I shot this, I wasn't sure what the brown thing in the distance was, it's a blind, hopefully for bird watching and not shooting.

This Redwing Blackbird cooperated for me by staying in place.

Above and below are some images of the blossoms I mentioned in the beginning. There are several stages to their growth and we saw most of them that day.

The ball at right is one of the stages. The yellow one is just beginning to open.

There are two shots of this particular one. If you have the ability to make the image larger, do so, you see a surprise.

There are at least two varieties of Dragonfly we saw, this little fellow was very patient for me.

Once the ball (seen in the first image of these blossoms, above) opens, this green ridged casing appears.

Here is where the blossoms usually are just above the waterline.

Second image of the same blossom. Now the spider, still checking me out, is more visible. But the bees are more hidden. Just how did the spider get there? Is it now trapped? At least it has plenty of food as long as the bees are pollinating the blossoms. I am truly curious what the final form of them is.

As seen from the lower platform at the end of the boardwalk are these hundreds of frogs eggs.

On the upper portion these two struck up a conversation. Something I tend to do. A lot.
There is a winding ramp and a fold-up aluminum set of stairs from the upper platform to the lower. The stairs are hinged so that they can be lifted and secured in the evenings.
There are lockable gates at both ends of the boardwalk entrances. But even my 62-year-old eyes could see that the barrier fences outside the railings would not be a deterrent to adventurous and possibly amorous youths determined to use the facilities after dark. 
There is a narrow wooden path just above the water between the trees which leads to/from (?) to the lower platform. 
People were coming and going via it, so I assume it leads to a neighborhood.  

The wandering boardwalk in the distance. 

Another cooperative dragonfly.

Although I have written a LOT of articles about cameras, rarely do I show the reader what I was using to make the images.

I have a several-years-old Nikon D200 DSLR camera with a passel of lenses for it. However, it is big and heavy, so I rarely bring it anywhere. 

I became interested in Panasonic Lumix cameras years ago because so many of then come with Leica lenses. Ironically, Leica would sell almost the exact same camera, but with their ubiquitous RED DOT on the body for nearly twice the price of the Panasonic version of it. Paying for the name......
 
My carry-all-the-time camera is seen in a Panasonic created image I borrowed from the Internet, since I do not have a shot of mine all by itself. It is their DMC-ZS15.

Image by Digital Photography Review.

The camera on the left is a DMC-LX5 which has a very fast and fine Leica Vario-Summicron lens on it. It's bigger brother, a mirror-less-interchangeable lens camera is the one that had the longer lens on it that day. BOTH are sporting their optional (and expensive, even used) eye-level viewfinders. The very reason I purchased both. Composing a shot in sunlight with a large screen is frustrating if one is seeing their face reflected on the screen.

DMC-GX1 is on the left, and a DMC-G1, the very FIRST Micro-Four-Thirds digital camera, is on the right. Both are still wearing the lenses that I mentioned above. The GX1 is newer, but still several years old, and packs more megapixels.
In the middle is the lens I completely forgot that I had in my pocket. An Olympus (35mm equivalent) 9mm full-frame (as opposed to circular) fisheye lens. It might have made some dramatic images.

But that is OK, because we will be going back, many times. One cool thing about this place is this: Very few mosquitoes survive in the tidal wetlands. Fish eat the eggs and larvae. Swallows and Bats eat the ones that fly. We never saw nor felt a mosquito the whole time we were there! 

Thank you SO much for reading my humble words and viewing my images. Your kind words and comments truly encourage me to keep putting out articles.

I encourage YOU to do some digital exploring of places OUTSIDE near you. Getting out into nature is a sure way to improve your mood, mind and body. 

Scott
June 9, 2019
#314 Not pi.