Howto: Hama MCE Remote Control without Focus (with Eventghost) (1 Viewer)

[dedi]

Using Eventghost for Hama MCE Remote (to control without focus). It's also named as Hama 52451. Its probably work also with Ortek VRC-1100, Adesso ARC-1100 and Auvisio VRC-1100

Instructions:
1. Download experimental Version 0.4.X of Eventghost: Download EventGhost
2. Start Eventghost with Administrator Privileges. (Maybe not necessary)
3. Create a new config (Ctrl-N)
4. Add Plugin: auvisio VRC-1100 Ro
Say OK to download the drivers. A Installation Dialog will appear. Follow it.
5. Add Plugin: Media Portal
6. Replace __init__.py file in C:\Program Files (x86)\EventGhost\plugins\Auvisio from "Updated __init__py for Hama MCE.rar" to get the color buttons and info button to work (thanks to Luca Brasi from Eventghost Forum)
7. Replace __init__.py file in C:\Program Files (x86)\EventGhost\plugins\MediaPortal from "Updated __init__py for Eventghost MediaPortal Plugin.rar"
8. You can either download my provided Hama.MCE.Dedi.xml file and load it (File->Open..) or do it manually yourself:
Press every Key on the Remote. On the left panel the line with "Auvisio.[Command]" has do be drag&dropped to [+]Mediaportal/[Command]. It will look like this:

[-]MediaPortal
       [-]Cursor Up
             Auvisio.Up
             MediaPortal: Cursor Up

9. Download Message Plugin from below and follow the instructions from the readme.
10. Media Portal Config: Enable the Message Plugin, then start Media Portal

Known Problems:
- OK and Enter buttons are the same
- Pause and Play are the same
- Rightclick is info
- Star not mapped
- Volume Control does not seem to control the selected device. Eventghost problem.
- Mouse Pad not working

Special Bindings: Feel free to change them (drag from right panel (mediaportal/MyTV) to the right panel item of your choice)
- Volume Up/Down & Mute are mapped to directly control an audio device, not via MediaPortal.
- Color Buttons are mapped to MyTV/MyMusic/MyFoto/MyVideo.
- Internet is mapped to Teletext

Unclear Bindings:
- Dash -> Aspect Ratio
- Start -> Starts MP, if started goes to Home Screen. You need to adjust the MediaPortal Path in Eventghost Event.
- Clear -> Fullscreen TV (clears GUI)
- Internet -> Teletext

Also the start button is configured to start MediaPortal. You may have to update its path.

I'll try to fix the "Known Problems"
Update 11.06.2010: You need to update all files except init.py for Hama MCE for this changes:
- Moved the "Home" Bind to the "Start" Button (still starts MP if not running)
- Updated MessagePlugin.xml for TVSeries (MyPictures/Green) and Moving Pictures (Videos/Red) (old file still in archive)
- Rebound Clear to "FullscreenTV" (Clears GUI)
- Rebound Close to "Close" (Exit MP)
- Rebound Power to "Standby"
- Added modified replace file for Eventghost MediaPortal plugin (forgot that before)
- Updated chronology
Update 31.05.2010: Added Clear Button for "Home" (Updated MessagePlugin and Hama.MCE.Dedi.xml)
Update 09.05.2010: Added autorepeat for some keys in Hama.MCE.Dedi.xml.

 

[Spragleknas]

Great to see you managed to get it working (ref. prev. posts), end even greater that you did this write-up to help others!

 

[cubii]

Because i am so impressed from dedi`s post, i will summarize my setup with a generic hp mce remote (receiver) from ebay to control mediaportal without focus:

On windows 7:

0. Uninstall all remote software like intelliremote, irserversuite and so on. (They can block the mce service from windows 7)
Than restart your pc

1: Do like 1 +2 (perhaps also point 3) from dedi`s post

3: deactivate all plugins like keyboard, xxremote etc.

4: Add Plugin:" mce remote " and leave "disable hid devices" enabled (you can re enable hid device with right click on mce plugin !)

5: restart pc. You have to start eventghost as administrator on win7 (Maybe not necessary, but the function disable hid service makes it necessary, i think)

6: Do like 5, 8 + 9 in dedi`s post

7: Press every Key on the Remote (in Eventghost). On the left panel the line with "MCE.Remote.mce[Command]" has do be drag&dropped to [+]Mediaportal/[Command]. It will look like this:
Code:

[-]MediaPortal
       [-]Cursor Up
             mce.remote.mce.Up 
             MediaPortal: Cursor Up

Than your remote will work.

Tipps:


this is useful for autostart of eventghost on win 7 with full admin rights:
User Account Control ? Peerblock Site

If you want to blast ir signals with the mce blaster you need a new (beta) mce plugin: EventGhost • View topic - New way to get MCE Remote signals in EG (for Vista/Win7)

Lets say you want to switch of your soundsystem when suspend/shutdown pc:

1: Add new macro, rename it like "blasting" or something else.

2. Add new "Event", rename it to "System.Shutdown" if you want to blast when pc is going to be shutdown or "System.Suspend" for an action before pc is going to sleep and so on...(Events can be anything from start of a program to restart pc etc) and drag&drop it under the new macro (blasting)

3: Add new "Action", search for Microsoft.mceremote Win7/Vista ,there are 3 actions, 2 for testing and one for blasting (transmit ir), select: transmit ir and drag&drop it under the new macro (blasting).

4: configure "action: transmit ir" with right click -> configure item -> learn ir code: Press remote button from soundsystem :"power off" in front of your mce reciever - the there should be something like this in the field "pronto code"

0000 006E 0000 002C 0153 00A6 0017 0015 0015 0015 0017 0013 0017 003E 0017 003E 0015 0040 0017 0013 0017 003E 0017 0013 0017 0013 0017 0015 0017 0013 0017 0013 0017 0015 0017 0013 0017 0013 0017 003E 0017 0015 0015 0040 0015 003E 0017 003E 0017 0013 0017 0015 0015 003E 0017 0015 0015 003E 0017 0015 0015 0015 0017 0015 0017 003C 0017 003E 0017 0013 0017 0680 0153 0053 0015 0E13 0153 0053 0017 0E11 0153 0053 0017 0E13 0151 0053 0017 0E13 0153 0053 0015 0EB8

5: Test blasting with right click on mce.remote.mce : ir transmit :execute item. (your sound system should be off now)


Save your config!! (file-> save as)


Done!

 

[dedi]

Hey cubii,

I updated my Post and removed the link for MessagePlugin, since I now use a modified version. This still works with your setup (just added one line), but just to say

 

[Luca Brasi]

AW: Howto: Hama MCE Remote Control without Focus (with Eventghost)

Hey guys,
nice to see that my __init__.py made it back to the mp forum I am running a very similar config here on my sys. With the latest betas the guys from eventghost did a great job with those alternative usb drivers. I struggled with this hid-stuff for such a long time.

One hint for you: If you want to map keys to windows like tvseries or moving pictures you can edit the messageplugin.xml like this

		<button name="*" code="29">
			<action layer="0" condition="*" conproperty="-1" command="WINDOW" cmdproperty="9811" sound="click.wav" />
		</button>
		<button name="#" code="28">
			<action layer="0" condition="*" conproperty="-1" command="WINDOW" cmdproperty="96742" />
		</button>

But be aware that if you do so your not supposed to go into message plugin config in mp. It will kill your custom xml and set it back to default.

 

[dedi]

hi Luca Brasi

this is something that will come up soon, and I'll upload a alternative version of it

You may want to know, if you put the modified Version of messageplugin.xml in ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\Media Portal\input devices (and not in the MP installation dir) it should not crash when opening the message plugin config This is only required when you use cmdproperty values that are not assigned to a skin value that already exist in the remote mapping configuration.

I'm still looking for an answer in the eventghost forums, you could find out some numbers (for the colored keys) which are still not clear for me how (as they are not the same numbers appearing in the eventghost log). any ideas on that?

 

[Luca Brasi]

AW: Howto: Hama MCE Remote Control without Focus (with Eventghost)

Hi dedi,

this is exactly where I put the xml and it got lost every time I entered the config. Last time I tried Rc1 was still running. I will have a look at it this evening.
Sorry if didn't see your post in eg forums, I wasn't aware that you have to subscribe to every thread there to be notified about new posts .
Having a look at the eg log while pressing the keys in question is the only way I know of to find out the signals code. For the colored keys I took these. You could try to find help about that in this thread in eg forums EventGhost • View topic - Plugin for USB PC Remote Controller. Maybe there is something about the dll that can be fixed.

By the way what do you exactly with
- Star not mapped
Not mapped in EG Mp plugin? Should be MediaPortal: Oem8 there. Or did you mean in message plugin?

 

[dedi]

when pressing the colored keys i get (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) in the EG event log. And there is no match between the EG log and the numbers in __init__.py file, no matter which key I compare.

almost all keys I press show (2, 0, 0, 0, 85) or (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) in the EG log. But they are all working! It looks like this:

08:48:34   Auvisio.Ok
08:48:34      Ok
08:48:34         MediaPortal: Ok
08:48:34            (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

Seems I have to give it up and dismiss the plan to map the remaining buttons.

By the way what do you exactly with
- Star not mapped
Not mapped in EG Mp plugin? Should be MediaPortal: Oem8 there. Or did you mean in message plugin?

I just did not found a good function for this button. But it works and can you can just bind it in eventghost as described on step 6

 

[Luca Brasi]

AW: Re: Howto: Hama MCE Remote Control without Focus (with Eventghost)

when pressing the colored keys i get (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) in the EG event log. And there is no match between the EG log and the numbers in __init__.py file, no matter which key I compare.

almost all keys I press show (2, 0, 0, 0, 85) or (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) in the EG log. But they are all working! It looks like this:

08:48:34   Auvisio.Ok
08:48:34      Ok
08:48:34         MediaPortal: Ok
08:48:34            (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

Now I get it! The code won't show for events which are mapped in the .py! The 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 is some additional signal received by eg, but it isen't driggering Auvisik.

For instace if I press yellow I will get

When I replace my .py with the original one I will get:

As you can see 3, 0, 23, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 appears - which is exactly the code for yellow in my .py.

I just did not found a good function for this button. But it works and can you can just bind it in eventghost as described on step 6

Allright.

 

[dedi]

ahhh, now its clear thanks for your excellent answer!

i had to remove any button assignment in the init.py to get the numbers (default one showed the same). and now i see too that the buttons that are the same put out the same numbers, so it's something the usb driver delivers I guess.

Did you got the mousepad working? (got the numbers in the eg log but thats it)