Learning new IR Codes - can't

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Steve Horn
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Learning new IR Codes - can't

Post by Steve Horn »

Got a new TV. Have been able to copy/paste discrete codes from remotecentral into the HB server hardware ocelot interface. But can't learn codes via the tv's IR remote - for this TV's remote or ANY remote. Either the Ocelot no longer learns the IR or the HB interface to it no longer recognizes that it has learned. And the learn step that used to work flawlessly is now buggy - the dialog box that prompts you to point the remote.. never clears, or if you close it with 'x' the next dialog box will either say the code has been learned when it hasn't, or that the code has not been learned, which is obviously true. The Ocelot transmits IR that it has already stored just fine. And when teaching it, it is seeing the remote's IR because the IR LED on the ocelot lights up. I have tried to modify existing remote IR codes that have been previously stored in the Ocelot to use the new IR, thinking that I might have reached the Ocelot's IR limit. That didn't work either. Through all this I see the usual "insufficient data in read buffer...." and "purging comm port..." in the error log. Sometimes during the Learn process it I click 'Test' that dialog box and the HB server locks up; have to kill it and restart it. Have restarted the HB server, rebooted the Ocelot, rebooted the PC. No help. Was going to try to run a trace but have no clue what to trace. Dead end here.
Steve
ScottBot
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Re: Learning new IR Codes - can't

Post by ScottBot »

Steve,

Have you tried learning the IR with CMax? If that doesn't work, then it may be an Ocelot issue.

You can run a hardware interface trace of the ocelot to see if it shows anything. Info on running a hardware interface trace are here (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=855962).
Scott
Steve Horn
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Posts: 755
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:10 pm
Location: Pelham AL

Re: Learning new IR Codes - can't

Post by Steve Horn »

CMAX! Excellent suggestion! Tried it. The Ocelot won't learn through it either, so HB is off the hook. Now I'm faced with a decision: Replace the Ocelot with another, get it repaired (no - can't do without IR controls already stored/in place), or replace it with a different HB supported IR device (Global Cache, others?). The Oceleot is also being used to control relays via an attached SECU16. That will probably remain, assuming the Ocelot can coexist with its IR replacement.
Another, somewhat far-fetched option would be to come up with a means of learning IR codes via some other device (UIRT?), converting them to Pronto hex, then pasting them into HB.
Even further out: I have a ADI Leopard. Maybe network that with the ocelot to learn the IR, then somehow store the learned IR via the Leopard into the ocelot?? (I'd replace the ocelot with the Leopard, but the Leopard used to be the HB IR-I/O interface but became too unstable to tolerate. Now its a standalone controller for CC video cameras.)
Any other options or devices I haven't thought of? All inputs welcome.
Steve
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Re: Learning new IR Codes - can't

Post by ScottBot »

It's a tough decision. My Ocelot is still running my IR and some I/O. It's probably the oldest part of my system (I think the Ocelot plugin was the first). However, I think if it ever died, I would probably switch to something else. I like the GC device, but the USB UIRT is probably cheaper and sufficient for most things.
Scott
Steve Horn
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Posts: 755
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:10 pm
Location: Pelham AL

Re: Learning new IR Codes - can't

Post by Steve Horn »

I have a temp workaround underway: Learn the needed IR codes to a Pronto, then capture the Pronto Hex via ProntoEdit. Then paste the hex into the HB server. So far, the Pronto learns the codes and they work, and I can see the hex in ProntoEdit. But the pasted code in HB does not work. Dunno why.
I purchased a USB UIRT for another application of HB. I may pursue using it for IR instead of the Ocelot. Need to read up more on the GC and how it might function with HB.
And the Ocelot here is still doing X10 duty... sadly I still have some X10.
Steve
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