New way to get MCE Remote signals in EG (for Vista/Win7)

[stottle]

I'm attaching a pic of my hacked together blaster

Excellent! That's pretty cool!

As for what to do next, that's kinda up to you. I tried to make sure the majority of the work was done in python, so changes would be easy. In the MceRemote_Vista directory there is a pronto.py file that has functions for going to and from pronto format. If you pass the last code to pronto.ConvertIrCodeToProntoRaw like this:

Code: Select all

newcode = pronto.ConvertIrCodeToProntoRaw(36000,<last code goes here>)

newcode will be in pronto format and should work.

Brett

[predatorftp]

Just wanted to thank Brett ans monster for making this happen !

I finally (with the last version published) managed to turn on and off my LCD TV !

thanks for the gr8 job!

Daniel

[jitterjames]

I am able to do a few things with my dvd player (sony), but I haven't had any luck with either of my TVs.

I don't know if it's just that my TVs sensors are not sensitive enough to pick up my handmade emitter's signal or what.

I did notice that the TV codes are showing up as unknown (MCE_Vista.Unknown.BEAFFEAFEABFAABF8), whereas the DVD codes show up like this: MCE_Vista.SIRC20.49D16

Here's the full log when I press (I added a line to the plugin to show the pronto codes in the log)

DVD (working)
0000 0073 0000 0015 0051 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0028 0016 0014 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0028 0016 0028 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0014 01C1
MCE_Vista.SIRC20.49D16
0000 0073 0000 0015 0051 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0029 0014 0014 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0029 0014 0028 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0014 01C1
0000 0073 0000 0015 0051 0016 0014 0016 0028 0014 0029 0014 0016 0014 0028 0016 0014 0014 0014 0016 0014 0014 0029 0014 0014 0016 0028 0016 0028 0016 0028 0014 0014 0016 0014 0016 0028 0014 0014 0016 0014 0016 0028 0014 0014 0E14

and TV (not working)
0000 0073 0000 0001 0131 2710
0000 0073 0000 0022 0099 0014 0012 0014 0012 0014 0014 0012 0014 0014 0038 0014 0012 0014 003A 0012 0014 0014 0038 0014 0038 0014 0038 0014 003A 0012 0014 0012 003A 0014 0012 0014 003A 0012 003A 0012 003A 0014 0038 0014 0012 0014 003A 0012 0014 0012 0014 0014 0014 0012 0014 0012 0014 0014 0014 0012 003A 0012 0014 0014 0038 0014 0038 0014 0038 0014 0566 2710
MCE_Vista.Unknown.BEAFFEAFEABFAABF8
0000 0073 0000 0001 0131 2710
0000 0073 0000 0002 004C 0014 0E14 2710
MCE_Vista.Unknown.8

can you offer any insight into this? Do the tv codes not fall into the realm of "raw, RC5, RC5X, RC6 and RC6A codes"?

Is it because the TV code is sending multiple messages? I have no idea...

if I copy the long pronto code from the TV log and send it back to the MCE receiver I get the correct action showing up (MCE_Vista.Unknown.BEAFFEAFEABFAABF8). It just doesn't work on the TV

[stottle]

@predatorftp -
Glad you got it working. Does this mean I don't need to add the XP code?

@jitterjames -
It looks like the tv code is two discrete messages, not one message. Try a macro with one code transmitted, then the other?

Brett

[stottle]

I am another one of those with a Vista Ultimate and a XP Receiver, and had the same symptoms when I tried MCE_Vista.

Does your remote work with the most recent version? There's not a lot of documentation, I'm wondering if MS uses the Vista device driver on Vista/Win7, whether the device is an XP or Vista remote, since predatorftp's receiver works with the Vista code.

Brett

[jitterjames]

@jitterjames -
It looks like the tv code is two discrete messages, not one message. Try a macro with one code transmitted, then the other?

Brett

that seemed too far fetched, but I'll try it...

thanks

edit - no luck. I think it's time to throw in the towel on this one, at least until I get a real blaster cable.

[stottle]

I think it's time to throw in the towel on this one, at least until I get a real blaster cable.

Before you give up, can you see if you can get a "clean" code from RemoteCentral. If they have a CCF, you can open it with this program and get the pronto code for the power button (and any others) from that file.

I'd like to see what remotecentral has for the remote code....

Brett

[jitterjames]

OK. For my old hitachi tube TV I don't know which file to use, I don't think it's there.

For my Westinghouse 37" LCD the file I got looks like it has all the right commands that correspond to my remote.

It is quite a long code.

When I try to blast any of the codes from that ccf I get errors:

Error in Action: "Microsoft MCE Remote - Vista/Win7: Send Pronto Code: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0071 0026 0000 0031 01BD 0015 003E 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0016 0014 0015 0015 0015 0014 0016 0014 0015 0015 0015 0014 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 05B6 0156 0052 0016 0DC2 0067 0137 0014 01BD"
Traceback (most recent call last) (1187):
File "C:\Program Files (x86)\EventGhost\eg\Classes\ActionBase.py", line 168, in CallWrapper
File "C:\Program Files (x86)\EventGhost\plugins\MceRemote_Vista\__init__.py", line 74, in __call__
File "C:\Program Files (x86)\EventGhost\plugins\MceRemote_Vista\pronto.py", line 250, in Pronto2MceTimings
TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not iterable


Thanks for your efforts.

[jitterjames]

AHA, I found a model that was close enough for my Hitachi and it works! Of course, I have no interest in controlling the Hitachi, I'm only interested in the WestingHouse.

If you have an idea why python is generating those errors that would be nice!

Here's one of the pronto codes from the website. (Power for the westinghouse)

0000 0000 0000 0000 0071 0026 0000 0031 01BD 0015 003E 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0016 0014 0015 0015 0015 0014 0016 0014 0015 0015 0015 0014 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 05B6 0156 0052 0016 0DC2 0067 0137 0014 01BD

[stottle]

Try it with the first three sets of zeros removed:

Code: Select all

0000 0071 0026 0000 0031 01BD 0015 003E 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0016 0014 0015 0015 0015 0014 0016 0014 0015 0015 0015 0014 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0014 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 003E 0015 003E 0015 003F 0015 05B6 0156 0052 0016 0DC2 0067 0137 0014 01BD

I also have a USB-UIRT, and the original code won't work for that either. But if I remove the three sets of zeros, I think it might work. By the way, starting a code with four sets of zeros is not a valid code. I wonder if RemoteCentral is wrong?

Brett

[predatorftp]

Brett,

I have done nothing except for installing the latest service (by you) and upgrading to the last version of EG.

it now works gr8. can you ask monster if he did something ? it's strange that it work suddenly.

thank again Brett for all the efforts.

Daniel

[stottle]

The last version of the service fixed a definite bug, one the stopped Bitmonster's Vista receiver from working with the service. Bitmonster didn't change anything that would affect the service, so that bug must have fixed it for you.

The question I still have is this, does my service now work for all of the MCE receivers (XP and Vista) as long as the OS is Vista/Win7, or are there receivers that still don't work on Vista/Win7. That's why I posed the question to DavidY.

Brett

[jitterjames]

One thing I noticed yesterday, and I'm not sure if it's been mentioned already.

When I moved my receiver to another computer for testing and then moved it back to the original computer, it didn't work. It seemed like it was OK but it didn't register any button presses. Finally I realized that all I had to do was open the plugin settings and click "uninstall service", wait, then click "install service" and it was OK again.

I believe this would be the case if I tried to move the receiver to another usb port or any time it got disconnected for some reason.

Can you guys verify if this happens to you as well? If it does, then until it can be fixed it should probably be part of the install instructions, or even mentioned on the plugin settings page.

J

[jitterjames]

Try it with the first three sets of zeros removed:

Code: Select all

...

I also have a USB-UIRT, and the original code won't work for that either. But if I remove the three sets of zeros, I think it might work. By the way, starting a code with four sets of zeros is not a valid code. I wonder if RemoteCentral is wrong?

Brett

Thanks Brett, I can send that code without generating errors, but unfortunately it doesn't work on my TV. I should also mention that "transmit last received code" doesn't work with either TV.

I can't find any other reference online to pronto codes for the Westinghouse.

Is it possible that these "longer looking" codes are somehow getting truncated by your interpreter when I try to get MCE to "learn" them? You said before that it looked like multiple commands, but maybe it's one command that was getting broken up somehow by your interpreter?

The pronto code for the hitachi that I got online (which works) doesn't look anything like what I get when I try to "learn" it from my remote. To be fair, I am actually using a DVD player remote in a hitachi emulation mode for basic tv commands because the original remote for the hitachi is missing it's emitter (but it was broken anyway)

How many consumer devices (TVs stereos etc) have you tested on your end, using "transmit last received code", or by learning pronto codes?

J

[Bitmonster]

Just a quick note:
You will never be able to get each and every IR code working with the MCE blaster. The devices hardware simply isn't capable of reproducing every protocol. For example, it has no function for changing the modulation frequency.
So don't expect to much from the blaster capabilities. The USB-UIRT is much better in this aspect.

If you want to dive deeper in the theory of IR protocols, you can start here:
http://www.sbprojects.com/knowledge/ir/ir.htm