From 446ab81da2e70ea02e607418b74b1286546bd37a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: dakkar Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2012 12:49:20 +0100 Subject: usb-ir-toy --- src/SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc/document.en.rest.txt | 108 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 108 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc/document.en.rest.txt (limited to 'src/SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc/document.en.rest.txt') diff --git a/src/SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc/document.en.rest.txt b/src/SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc/document.en.rest.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9f7169e --- /dev/null +++ b/src/SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc/document.en.rest.txt @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +============================== +Using the USB IR Toy with LIRC +============================== +:CreationDate: 2012-10-08 10:49:07 +:Id: SW/usb-ir-toy-lirc +:tags: - software + - configs + +So I got myself a `programmable remote control in the shape of Eleven's +sonic screwdriver `_ (sorry, +horrible in-accessible website). Of course I want to control my PC +with it! + +To do that, I needed a IR receiver and `LIRC +`_. Since I sometimes like being overly generic, +I bought `Dangerous Prototypes `_ +`USB Infrared Toy +`_, which allows +me to send & receive any kind of IR pulse stream. + +Getting the three pieces (remote, toy, LIRC) to play together was more +effort than I'd really liked, so here's what I did, to help everybody +else. + +Flash a newer firmware +====================== + +Your IR Toy is probably running an old version of the firmware. If +you're running Windows, the `instructions provided +`_ may +work; otherwise, you have to dig deeper. The source code for the +``fw_update`` program that you can get from those pages (or from `the +Subversion repository +`_) +does not even compile (it "forgets" to include half the header files +it needs), and when you get it to compile it segfaults. User +"JessH" of the Dangerous Prototypes forums `posted a working version +`_ +(`here's the patch `_ if you want to see it, it should +apply to the SVN version). + +.. note:: + + Yes, I know I'm pointing at the updater source for the 18F24J50, but + the chip on the actual IR Toy says "18F2550". What can I say, it + works! + +Having compiled it, I was able to update the firmware to version 22:: + + $ echo '$' > /dev/ttyACM0 + $ ./fw_update -e -w -v -m all -vid 0x04D8 -pid 0xFD0B \ + -ix ~/src/dangerous-prototypes-open-hardware/USB_IR_Toy/package/firmware/USBIRToy.v22.hex + +Unplug, re-plug, and we're set. + +Patching LIRC +============= + +LIRC can use the IR Toy in ``irman`` compatibility mode, but I needed +full send capability, to program the sonic screwdriver. I found `a +patch to add full support +`_, +thanks to Peter Kooiman. If you're running Gentoo, you can add `my +overlay `_ and +install `my patched LIRC +`_. + +Configuring LIRC +================ + +This may well be written down somewhere, but I had problems finding a +useful guide, so I'll just show what I did: + +1) get a full Philips RC-5 code list from `the LIRC remotes repository + `_ + +2) assign, arbitrarily, the first 39 codes to the 13 gestures on 3 + memory banks of the screwdriver:: + + begin remote + name sonic + # snip + begin codes + b1_tap_top 0x1000 + b1_tap_left 0x1001 + #etc etc + +Programming the remote +====================== + +I wrote `a simple Perl program to send the IR codes `_. Run it +with ``lircd`` running and ``irsend`` in your path. When it say +``Ready to send $something``, press "enter" to send it, ``a`` to go +back to the previous code (useful if the screwdriver didn't get it), +``n`` to go the next code without sending anything. + +I put the screwdriver in programming mode, performed all 39 gestures +one after the other, and programmed all of them. LIRC now uses +sensible names for the 39 gestures. + +Using it +======== + +Finally, I re-compiled `vlc `_ with LIRC +support, and wrote `a |lircrc| for vlc `_. With that, I can +control ``vlc`` with my sonic screwdriver! + +.. |lircrc| replace:: ``~/.lircrc`` -- cgit v1.2.3