Remote Control Help - Sony DB940 amp - Learning Remote ? Or cheap replacement ?

[William Shatners Wig]

Well... the missus has gone and dropped our remote for the Sony DB-940 in a bowl of water that was positioned on the floor beneath the sofa (to heat our latest arrival's milk bottles).

I've dried it out as much as I could; I also left it in the airing cupboard for 24 hours. The remote still doesn't work.

Anyone have any ideas that could help, or even where I can get another one from for a reasonable price?

[DB2k]

these things are not cheap. I;d imagine sony would chargey ou an arm and a leg. Personally i'd consider getting a learning remote control that you can download codes from the web to. Esp since the 940 remote was rubbish.

[William Shatners Wig]

I've been trying to see if I could cope without the remote for a couple of months, and kind of succeeded as I have only been watching DVDs through it.

Now I want to use different inputs and features of the amp regularly and neither me or the missus fancy repeatedly going to the cabinet and tweaking the knobs / buttons.

I managed to download a .ccf file from a website (not sure of the legality of this so won't post a link), what do I need to do now to get a learning remote to work?

Also anyone recommend a cheap learning remote?

Anyone know of any cheap second-hand remotes for the Sony DB-940 amp? The model number for the remote is - RM-LJ304.

[craigizmo2k2]

The CCF file will be useless unless you buy a Pronto remote made by philips, these are around 100 pounds.

[William Shatners Wig]

:(

A new DB-940 remote is £98 delivered here in the UK, and can get it for about $150 from the US - which isn't much cheaper once I get stung by customs.

So, I don't suppose anyone know of anyone else with a broken DB-940 who wants to sell / trade their remote ?

[dtsrules]

But you can use the Pronto with all your gadgets not just the sony so its better than the sony remote.

[grimley]

IMO the Remote for the 940 is 'B' awful (I had to use one for 3 years B4 I bought an e-pilot from Maplins. Dont' miss it at all...

[William Shatners Wig]

Hi Grimley. I don't suppose you want to sell you DB-940 remote?

I can't seem to find the Epilot on Maplins site, could you give me a bar code / model number ?

[DeadKenny]

Originally posted by William Shatners Wig
So, I don't suppose anyone know of anyone else with a broken DB-940 who wants to sell / trade their remote ?

Hmm, well my DB-940 is playing up (centre speaker keeps switching off with a 'click' in the amp when it does it, and display is fading on some pixels), and it's out of warranty :(.

I don't use the remote much because I use the Home Theatre Master MX-500 remote (excellent remote by the way :thumbs: ), though the MX-500 won't do the sound field changes for some reason (possibly it needs the two-way feature of the Sony remote for that).

That said, I'm not in a position yet to abandon the thing as the remote is useful for some things and as a back up, but if fixing the amp is going to be expensive (given I only paid £99 for it in the first place :D) I may end up ditching it so I'd be happy to sell the remote then.

[William Shatners Wig]

Keep me in mind if you do ;) :thumbs:

[grimley]

Hi Grimley. I don't suppose you want to sell you DB-940 remote?

I can't seem to find the Epilot on Maplins site, could you give me a bar code / model number ?

Sorry, I sold the 940 back in Feb to a mate of mine.

I've Checked for the remote on maplins site & its discontinued.

This remote looks simliar though, Dunno if its any good.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Default.asp?CartID=040627182446753&secure=y

[William Shatners Wig]

Still remote-less :(

Deadkenny, have you decided if you wanna sell your remote?

Any other suggestions would be cool.

[DeadKenny]

I'm still struggling with my amp anyway so I may be tempted to just pop into Richer Sounds and get a new one. Not sure what to do with the amp itself but the remote would then be yours.

However, I'm currently trying to work out what's making the amp lose the centre channel (got the lid off and I'm checking it out). If I fix it then I'll likely keep the remote as though I use the MX500 I need the original remote to learn off if the MX500 dies or I get a new learning remote.

It's not totally dead yet and I'm reluctant to shelve out a load of money on a new amp, but if it comes to the DB940 needing repair then the cost would likely just make me go get a new amp instead. Anyway, I might have decided in a week or two if the thing gets too frustrating to use.


The other thought is to try either Sony UK or on ebay for spare remotes (or bust amps that are being sold for parts with the remote).

[William Shatners Wig]

Just bumping this back up to see if DeadKenny has decided to sell the remote or keep the unit...

...also to see if anyone else knows of anyone wanting to be rid of their old Sony DB940 remote.

Tried Ebay, and no luck :(

[DeadKenny]

I'm still plodding on with the amp as it does work so long as I let it warm up for a bit so it stops switching off/on the centre channel. I can't do without the remote though as I've realised I need the remote for the sound-field settings which my MX-500 won't learn :(.

I'm going to replace the amp at some point, but I'm looking for the right amp. If I get another AV 'receiver' amp, I want one with DAB in it not just FM, but I can't find any. Otherwise I may go for separate amp + decoder so I can just replace one part if one breaks.

I'm not sure if other Sony 'DB' remotes will work with the 940.

[Crocket]

Hey,

I have recently brought a DB940 i might sell you the remote at the right price :)

Means i will be remoteless, but i dont think that will matter too much !

[William Shatners Wig]

Sounds good to me... How much were you thinking?

I can also part pay with DVDs if you like - any from my trade list (here (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4834868#post4834868)) take your fancy?

[johnbown]

Hmm, well my DB-940 is playing up (centre speaker keeps switching off with a 'click' in the amp when it does it, and display is fading on some pixels), and it's out of warranty :(.

Snap! this is driving me mad!! its been doing it for about 6 months now (amp is about 3 or 4 years old) Seems to happen less once its warmed up for a while?

Very annoying though. Havent even bothered to see how much it might cost to repair - guess it'll be a trip to Mr Richer for a cheapo replacement.

[DeadKenny]

Snap! this is driving me mad!! its been doing it for about 6 months now (amp is about 3 or 4 years old) Seems to happen less once its warmed up for a while?

Very annoying though. Havent even bothered to see how much it might cost to repair - guess it'll be a trip to Mr Richer for a cheapo replacement.
I've had mine for about the same amount of time. Does seem to be affected by weather. When I got home and the heating hasn't been on during the day it seems to go on and off a lot more until it warms up.

Though one thing that's made it happen less is sticking it on it's side (i.e. so it's vertical).

I'm holding out until it dies and then I'll get something but I haven't decided what to get yet. I may end up upgrading my speakers as well (and get a sub at the same time), which means maybe I'll go with 6.1 though it's OTT in my room. I'm also trying to decide between an AV/Receiver or go for separate amp and decoder. I'm hesitant about the receivers because none of them do DAB radio, only FM. Seems pointless getting an FM one these days.