iRule - Page 163

I was wondering what gateways you guys are using with rs232? Can that gateway work with multiple devices?

Also I am thinking about getting a new receiver and was wondering if someone had any luck controlling their receiver via the network with irule and which model it was?

Thanks!

Neil

I can't believe I hadn't updated my 1st gen to v2.0. I had updated my 3rd gen.

Thanks, this fixed the issue. I feel dum.

Controlling a Pioneer Elite SC-57 over IP, works great.

Anyway to stay connected to gateways? Just hate having to connect everytime I open the app. The delay isn't that bad it's just that they have to connect each time...

I am using a digi portserver I got off of ebay (Used) that has multiple ports. Each port can be used with one device. You REALLY don't want to split an RS-232 cable. This can introduce all sorts of spurious data that a device may or may not interpret as data and do strange things (Like send a command to your AVR to change inputs and the TV decides it looks like a command to change channels)

The Pioneer 1021 is awesome and can be had fairly inexpensively.

Hi Jim,

Does SC-57 support multiple simultaneous connections over IP or is it still just 1? Integra XX.3 series supports up to 5 now.


Alex

Hi Alex. I haven't tested it yet, but the manual says there are 5 ports for signals to be received: One port uses 8102 for communicating with the iPad app iControlAV2. I'm using port 23. It looks like when you connect via wireless LAN you can't use port 3. So if you are hard wired to your LAN I think you can have 5 connections. If you want to use the iPad app, then you have 4 others to choose from.

I'll do some testing and let you know. It doesn't say if they can be used simultaneously.

While you're testing, can you check if feedback is sent to all ports. With multiple simultaneous connections I think you would want that, so all handsets get informed of changes.

I have 2 questions:

1) The digiportsever is basically another gateway (that could replace the GC-100) that only have RS232. With the ethernet port connected to my router, irule can then see it and control it? Is this correct?

2) In my situation, I have a DUO that have a single RS232 input.
I want 2 devices (one is the gateway, and the other is my PC with CALMAN running calibration) to control it. Of course, I won't be controlling them at the same time...
I could not figure how a digi portserver can help me in this case.. I think I will need a RS232 splitter on my DUO.. with one feeding to the gateway, and the other one I need to connect it to my laptop (when I am doing calibration.. when not, it will be just left unconnected). Or, is there another way to hook this up?

I would but I'm haven't done any 2-way programming in my system. I see it as a "nice to have" not a "must have" for my applications. Once I've re-programmed my entire layout for all my new equipment, I'll circle back to the 2way question.

Or if you want to create a simple 2way test page and send it to me with a detailed setup explanation, I could definitely do that too.

[quote=Zellarman;20982468]POE allows you to supply the power through the network cable, yes it still needs a power supply but you'll be able to locate the iTach unit somewhere that there's not a power outlet

Thanks! I am still not quite understand what that means. If I can supply power over ethernet, why do I still need a power supply? From Wiki, it seems like PoE can supply like 15W of power through the ethernet cable alone... so I am just curious on why I still need that power cable....
Another question I have then is, do my router also need to support PoE for this to work?

The ethernet cable itself carries power, but only if the device at the other end of the cable also supports PoE and supplies the power. That could be a PoE router or switch, or a separate PoE adapter like this one.

If you have to use a separate adapter, then it's only worth it if for some reason you have no easy way to get power to your gateway. But that's unlikely in a home theatre setting since you have to provide power to all the other components anyway. So I doubt you need the PoE version of the iTach.

Thanks! Yeah.. I do have the power, but I just hate those power transformer that I assume itach will be having

Any particular models of the digiports? Where do you get console cables from? Probably just use network cables with rj45 to serial adapters?

That pioneer seems more my speed than the elite one posted above

Thanks for the info!

I and I think a lot of others have purchased the TS-16 model off of ebay for around $50.00.

They have 16 RJ45 ports and you simply use a network cable with either a DB9 adapter such as these http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2 or wire your own.

Does anyone here know of a blu-ray player/content streamer that will play 1080p .mkv files with lossless audio that is network controllable?

I know the Oppo 93 is, and have considered it, but this is a secondary player for my living room where I only have stereo speakers and a smallish TV so going reference level and cost is overkill.

I was hoping for network control to keep the install clean. I have a itach ip2sl device there and network cable for controlling my LG tv via rs232. I would rather not shell out another $100 for itach unit (though I suppose I could run another cat5 cable and extend connection from my gc-100-12 in the theater, but simultaneous connection becomes an issue then...).

Anyone know if any of the sub $200 players can be controlled via irule http gateway?

I apologize for switching topic here. I'm currently working on dedicated HT and need some advice on connectivity. I have following components that will be controlled:

Onkyo TX-NR809
Oppo BDP93
Grafik Eye QS
Panasonic AE7000 projector
Direct TV HD receiver

Remote control Gateway for iRule:
GC-100-12

Question: GC-100-12 has (2) RS-232 ports and (6) IR ports with (2) relay ports. Which two equipment should I connect to RS232 ports and which one should I connect to IR ports. I would like to have bi-directional communications between gateway & all of the components except Panasonic AE projector.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

I would think that you should control the DTV box via http gateway freeing up one of the RS232 ports. I think the OPPO can be controlled by network as well. Not sure if your TX-NR809 can be controlled by HTTP through irule or just via proprietary app. If so, then you should be able to control the other 2 with rs232 so feedback is possible. Feedback is not possible with IR control.

The Oppo can't be controlled via network, it will need RS-232 to make use of feedback (elapsed time, audio type etc.).

1) yes. Make sure you get one that either has an internal power supply or includes the power brick. The external bricks are quite expensive (They supply three different voltages). I made that mistake and had to design and build my own.

2) Use a manual switch. These can be had cheap from http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2 or http://www.cablemax.com/150545.html

Any model that you'd like should work for you. See my comment above about power. Get one with as many ports as you would ever need (Then add a few just in case). I got one with 8 ports even though I only use two. Sometimes the 16 port models are the cheapest so go for one of those. Around $50 is the price you are looking for.

I would recommend the Popcorn Hour C-200 with an internal Blu-Ray drive but that's a bit out of your price range. I know that this combination works with iRule.

The funny thing is that I have the Blu-Ray drive internally but I never use it. I just rip my movies with the PC directly onto the RAID-5 array attached to the C-200 (It has Samba server built-in). Saves needing a NAS.

You may like to look at the A-200 or A-210. People have had success with external Blu-Ray drives and, as I understand it, can be made to work via HTTP. I have not tried this combination so YMMV.

Thanks. The blu ray player is not needed, as you are doing most of its work in my system will be streaming blu ray and dvd ripped mkvs. I have just seen some of these dirt cheap blu ray players coming now with streaming capabilities.

Seems you can do streaming for cheap in a lot of places but .mkv can be problematic for some devices. Network control is another hurdle and harder to find on budget players.

I'm leaning towards the Dune HD Smart D1. A bit above my price target but devices already in irule and seems to do all that I need. Will look more closely at the PCH options too.

Hi,

I am iRule Builder Pro user and I have been trying to get to work new feedback functionality. The device I try to get feedback from is a proprietary TCP/IP-based network device. I am able to send commands to the device via network gateway well but cannot get any feedback working.

I have documentation of my device protocol as well as I can fully trace communication protocol with my device using telnet. I see all messages I send to device as well as all messages received as a response (using telnet).

Unfortunatelly if I send the same command via iRule (button defined in Builder) and try to define corresponding feedback and put it on the page I never see anything.
Is there any way how to show on the page everything iRule receives from device as a textual string (what should be configuration of feedback, code, value properties)? This would allow me check whether iRule receives from device any data at all.

I`ve spent already week on trying to get it work however unsuccessfuly.

Your help appreciated

Petr

If you define a textual feedback item with a target value of * (meaning it matches anything) and leave the replacement blank, it should display whatever it receives (although it may depend on whether there are any non-printable characters in the feedback). The prefix and suffix and should be left blank, but I would put the proper values for starts with and ends with (not sure if blank will work for these). Also make the feedback field several cells wide so it can display everything.

And don't forget you have to associate the feedback with the correct device in Builder too.

More expensive but some may not want the adapters http://www.stonewallcable.com/produc...=SC%2D3036%2DM

Do you know if the pinout is compatable with the DigiPort servers, because there's no single standard for RS232 with RJ45 connectors.

In some cases the text string is too large, if the feedback is empty, try scrolling the text

Followup: Today I got around to trying this. I created three instances of MCE Controller running on three different ports and it works fine allowing multiple remote devices to simultaneously connect to MCE Controller.

1. Make a 2nd copy the MCE Controller directory inside C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Kindel Systems
2. Edit the MCEControl.settings file to change the port setting from 5150 for the new instance. I used 5151 and 5152 for my two new instances.
3. Create shortcuts for the new instances and move them to the startup directory.
4. Modify the Gateway settings of the various remote devices in use so that they use the various ports available.

For Yamaha Pianos.

This is a component box that is integrated with a Yamaha piano. It plays CDs through internal speakers in the Piano (and the piano portions via the Piano).

There is remote control.

Don't see it in iRule database.

Thanks!!