Integration of new Hardware IR Receiver / Transmitter (1 Viewer)

[AndreWeber]

Hello I'am the new guy - with the new hardware -
I have developed / built an alternate IR-Receiver und Transmitter - I allready wrote Plugins für Girder and MiriServer - yesterday somebody
asked me for direct MediaPortal support - so I decided to ask somebody else like mPod to do that for me - because I haven't much time at the moment.

The hardware is accessable through a small application which is running inside the taskbar notifcation area - the programming API is COM (ActiveX) based - the received IR Codes will be forwarded through a ConnectionPoint / EventSink interface.
Which you have to service ... inside you mediaPortal plugin - I think?

If this sounds interesting to you - feel free to ask me ... I will try to provide english documentation for the required parts of my development.
(Currently the whole documenation is in german)


André



-- here a short brief of the hardware
* connected to COM-Port
* able to power up your PC via PowerSwitch-Emulation or WOL
* power up - is possible via Remote
* or throught the internal clock - which is currently used by PVR-Scheduler.. f.e.
* IR-Receive will work for the following Protocols:
* RC5
* Sony - Sircs 12,15 or 20-bits
* CommonIR (Nec/yamaha - far east stuff)
* JapanCode (Panasonic)

* Transmission is possible for
* RC5, Sony, CommonIR, Panasonic, Motorola Encoded, nearly anything
- the transmitter uses a very flexible protocol description so new
protocols can easy defined without changing the firmware
* extensions of the hardware is possible through an intergrated
I2C Bus
and last but not least ... everything is open - the hardware schematics,
the source of the clientsoftware and of the firmware of the µC...
- I'am using an PIC16F628 as base...

the german discussion runs at:
http://forum.htpc-news.de/showthread.php?p=105592

Some pictures of the project..
http://eldo.gotdns.com/yard/gallery/index.html

Or have a first look here:

[/img]

 

[mPod]

Unfortunately your images do not load. Also the website with the link is down.

I don't have "chronische Langeweile", so I'm asking now: How many users would use this? Only you, or do you sell the receiver, or...? Also, this way I can judge if it will be something for CVS or for an external plugin... :wink:

Good for you: If I'd do the plugin for you, you don't have to translate any documentation...

So, you wanna donate such a receiver?

 

[AndreWeber]

Hi,

Unfortunately your images do not load. Also the website with the link is down.

Look at my signature - I don't have a real webserver (only using my flatrate) so it has opening times - (these times are GMT+1!) - I am sorry.

I don't have "chronische Langeweile", so I'm asking now: How many users would use this?

Currently there are nearly 20 devices working out there. All inside europe german speaking countries. Some of them useing currently Girder to automate MediaPortal - but there is no need to use Girder if there is direct integration way to save some memory...

Among the current users - are 2-3 useing MediaPortal I have opened a poll at www.htpc-news.de where I asked them who want to use MediaPortal with my device.

Only you, or do you sell the receiver, or...?

First time this was my intention - but after I showed the idea of it on htpc-news.de it started as a self running project (nearly 6 Month ago) - so I decided to built a small number of these devices - to sell them as "do it yourself kit" including all necessary parts - or sometimes as build up unit - "for soldering handicapped people". - but only inside European Union.

For all other - it is possible to download anything required to built it your self - including PCB-Schemantics (eagle), Firmware and Clientsoftware - including sources.

Also, this way I can judge if it will be something for CVS or for an external plugin... :wink:
Good for you: If I'd do the plugin for you, you don't have to translate any documentation...

could you give me an advice where to start? with the implemenation?
- currently its not for me, because I am not sure to which media center software I will go next.

So, you wanna donate such a receiver?

If we come to an agreement - it think this an option. (I sold allready some of these devices to other people supporting me - sometimes only for paying shipment or paying a reduced price ... for free is not possible - because I have also to pay for the parts...)

André

 

[mPod]

Well, it shouldn't be that hard to code. Some days ago I checked in some stuff for x10 remotes. And your device seems to use the same technique to send commands to the app.

If you'd like to have a look, it's in mediaportal\RemotePlugins\X10Remote\ in our CVS repository.

Principle behind it (in short): The commands are being received by an OCX and then converted to some integer values. Those int values are being compared against a mapping in an XML mapping file (user-configurable with MP's own mapping editor).
After that, if the condition is true, the mapping is being executed.
I dunno if your OCX (or driver) already handles button repeat handling. If not, you'd have to implement logic for that into the MP "bridge" plugin.

Because your device "talks" to the app in a similar way the x10 remotes do, the existing code should be the perfect template for you. Of course, you can copy all stuff and put it into a ProcessPlugin DLL, so you can distribute it (maybe as a free bundle with your device, dunno).

Sorry, guys. 2 German sentences follow:
(BTW, ich habe nicht gesagt, dass die Doku für mich Englisch sein muss. Mir reicht auch Deutsch. Mir fehlt nur irgendwie die Motivation, ohne ein Device und nur für 2-3 Leute...)

 

[Bitmonster]

Well, sorry for using this thread, but I find it related.

I'm currently the main-developer of the "EventGhost" project, that targets on automation of PCs with devices like consumer remotes. Quite similiar to Girder.

The YARD transceiver is already supported and other devices also.

I don't use MediaPortal myself, so please excuse my ignorant question:
How do the users normally connect Girder to MP? SendMessage? Are there messages that are unvaried to access the different functions of MP, so they are not influenced by the users key-assignments? If so, I could write a plugin for EventGhost that has fixed functions for lets say "play" and the user could assign it to a remote button of his choice.

Since mPod, AndreWeber and me are all native german speaking, shouldn't we temporarily switch to another forum, so we could discuss this in german?

 

[mPod]

How do the users normally connect Girder to MP?

Plain keystrokes. So very inflexible and only a workaround if you don't have a supported device. But as we support more and more devices out of the box, the need for using Girder or HIP shrinks...

Since mPod, AndreWeber and me are all native german speaking, shouldn't we temporarily switch to another forum, so we could discuss this in german?

I'd like to keep it here and English, cause others are also interested in such discussions.

 

[Bitmonster]

mPod

So wouldn't it be better to first create an interface that could be used by external programs (and plugins also) to access these functions in a common way though COM, SendMessage or sockets for example?

 

[mPod]

@mPod

So wouldn't it be better to first create an interface that could be used by external programs (and plugins also) to access these functions in a common way though COM, SendMessage or sockets for example?

The floor is yours, be our guest... :wink:

 

[Bitmonster]

@mPod

So wouldn't it be better to first create an interface that could be used by external programs (and plugins also) to access these functions in a common way though COM, SendMessage or sockets for example?

The floor is yours, be our guest... :wink:

Well, I currently don't think so.

I'm not familiar enough with MediaPortal to do anything on this side. I see, that you want to get support for remotes directly, but as you can guess, this approach is not my philosphy. I always prefer a "bridge" like EventGhost, Girder or HIP, because this way a remote device developer has to do its work only one time and not for every program again and the other way round also. Since EventGhost is open-source (and also has some functionality that you can't find in HIP or Girder), the user might benefit more from such approach.

 

[AndreWeber]

Hello,
- thats a nice Idea to make a function for automating MP -

* SendMessage - is poor performance (I think)
* COM - and .NET are terrible stuff (I think)
* Sockets - with a well defined protocol - something soap like? would be nice and give us the chance to remote control MP also via network... this gives a lot new possibilities ... for doing something ... f.e. WLAN PDA*g*

André