-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 131
OcelotWindows
I have tried various methods of transmitting IR codes from my PC to my TV and hi-fi. First I made a CIR ( http://www.ziplabel.com/cir/ ) , but found it too cumbersome to set up (if the hardware did not work perfectly you have to reboot the computer). I tried the UIRT2 ( http://users.skynet.be/sky50985/ ) , but found that it would not learn all of my codes.
Eventually I took the plunge and bought an Ocelot. It was expensive, and there are some irritating features, but it has so far learnt all the codes I have tried it with.
It is supplied with CMAX software, but if you want to use it with Misterhouse you need an alternative method for telling the PC to transmit codes. On a Linux box you can use the Npuxa module in the Mh distro, but although there is said to be a way of using this with Windows, it looks difficult to configure. I set out to find a simpler method, and have been able to do so.
It took me quite a while to work this out, as the details are not in the official documentation. I found them in a posting on the appdig forum ( http://www.appdigsupport.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=3 ) . The following DOS command transmits the learned code 123:
echo +T000123 > COM4 (if the Ocelot is on COM4)
So all that is need in Perl is this:
system('echo +T000123 > COM4');
This is more cumbersome. I use the CMAX software to teach the IR codes to the Ocelot. Although you can teach it a few codes at a time, and you can save those codes in separate files, you can only download one file of IR codes to the Ocelot – each new downloaded file will overwrite the previous file. This makes it impossible to combine the codes in several files, using just the CMAX software. The solution was again to be found in the appdig forum. If you install Jay's tools ( http://www.2imagineit.net/ha/ ) , you can cut and paste individual IR codes and assemble a single combined file of IR codes. There are some points here which may also catch you out:
IRTools frequently gives the following error message: "Overflow in LIR data field". It was quite a while before I learned (from the forum) that this error message can be ignored.
There is a typo in the documentation. Build files are shown as requiring the following format:
"1=ir/sony/receiver1#sysoff".
In fact they should appear as follows:
"1 ir/sony/receiver1#sysoff" (ie no "=" after the line number).
Two more points here.
· The download takes a couple of minutes, and you can't transmit codes until it has finished.
· It seems that if you reboot the PC, you have to download the file of IR codes to the Ocelot once again. This is irritating, as (so far as I have been able to determine) you have to do that using the CMAX software. I have not so far found a way to automate this process (sendkeys is a little unreliable for this).
When you order the Ocelot, remember to order an IR emitter, as this is not included.
The Ocelot can also be used for X10, but if you are using Misterhouse on a PC you may not need this. If you want to use the Ocelot for X10 with the computer switched off, you will (I think) need to order the two-way interface.
Clive Freedman