My elderly parents were driving me up the wall. If they were to press the wrong key on their existing (complicated remote control supplied by the cable company), sometimes they would be left without TV for days until I could visit them to reset their TV. I searched for a simple "ELDERLY REMOTE" and found nothing of interest. Most of the elderly remotes are too expensive, lack the necessary functions or do not have the codes for modern equipment. Many of these remotes are too small for elderly people to see what they are doing.

I purchased a Jumbo Remote. The buttons are big, perfect for seniors! However, in its' original configuration it also lacks codes for modern electronics. Even if you find a code that will work on some devices, most times the command would not be correct for the associated key. (i.e. to get the play function, you may have to hit record) These days, and with modern electronics, this product is obsolete!

So I decided to write my own code for this remote. Because the original remote is equipped with an epoxy covered "chip on board", the board would have to be replaced with one that contains a re-programmable chip. I chose the Atmega328PB because of its' pico power capability and pin change interrupts on almost every pin.

I also wanted 100% control of all keys on the remote. Disabling keys that are not being used, and re-organizing the keys was also necessary. This way, even if their life depended on it, my elderly parents couldn't press the "wrong key" and leave their TV in some strange mode, unable to watch. They are not active at their age, so being without TV is a big deal for them.

For more information:
https://www.tindie.com/products/remotemod/programmable-jumbo-remote-control-with-atmega328pb/