iRule - Page 229

I figured out how to control the JVC RS45 (X30).

At first you've to send \x50\x4A\x52\x45\x51 (PJREQ). After this, you'll have 5 seconds to send code, before the JVC is closing the network connection. If I use this code before every code, whitch I want to send, the JVC recognizes the code only every 5 Seconds. Second method is to put the code in entrance an repeat it every 4-4.5 seconds. But I don't understand why this is better than the macro.

I don't know, why there is written that you need ASCII code. Take the Hex Code from JVC's Guide (Gordon B) and modify it from 50 4A 52 45 51 to \x50\x4A\x52\x45\x51 to example and it will work.

Maybe someone is searching for this sometimes...

Thanks Stpaulboy. Ok, I think I'm up to speed. I have either lost or misplaced the connection blocks which is why I was confused, I just couldn't see how a wire was supposed to connect so I figured I was missing something. I was.

You mentioned 2 places that sell that kind of thing. I did some searches there and turned up a bunch of stuff that went way over my head and not very many pictures of the things that looked right. Any chance you could post a link to the piece I need?
Edited by SeldomSeen31 - 7/28/12 at 8:24am

You want these kind of connectors: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kobiconn/158-P04EC381VP-E/?qs=0gFKK9luiG6NDzyYnu5j0b8g5b%2fr2InISUKdy27x1hw%3d

I've been away from this forum for a bit but now and digging back into it. I have a new LG TV but neither of the existing device files works. Does anyone have recent IR or IP settings for one?

Thanks,

Hey guys how is everything, i have been away for a while and haven't had time to do much . I am considering using iRule. How well does it work with the Android devices. I am not really an apple fan and thin the ipad is just to big.
I am also a little confused about which iTach devises I would need and was hoping you guys could lead me in the right direction.
Currently I have the fallowing equipment.
XBOX 360
PS3
Wii
DUNE HD1
Pioneer 1120k
HR34 Direct TV receiver
Mitsubishi 82837

I would like to future proof my investment f possible. I will eventually like to add lighting, garage door and entry door control as well as shade control.

Thanks for the input.

@ Samuraijones
Is it possible to control all the devices with one IR Blaster? When one IR Blaster has eye contact, everything sould working fine, i think. With the Global Cache IP2IR or WF2IR you have 3 outputs. One for the extender and two for emitters. There are cable with one, two, three and even six emitters available. So if you would use the Blaster, you could have 12 additional emitters.
The PS3 is receiving Bluetooth. That makes you need an converter, the Logitech for example, which is receiving the IR signal and converts it to Bluetooth.
For lighting you could use an jbmedia light manager, for example, which is one more IR device to control, garage control maybe via contact closure...


@ all
Does anyone have the problem, that iRule is loosing connection to the gateway oder device? I have one Gateway (iTach WF2IR) and two Network devices (Marantz AV7005 and JVC RS45). After watching a movie iRule should switch off my mediaplayer, JVC and Marantz. The Mediaplayer was shutting down, but nothing else. The JVC has lost connection. iRule restart helped, but then the Marantz was also on. No reaction on buttons, the Marantz has lost the connection to. Restarting iRule a second time helped.
I don't want to restart iRule on iPad two times to power off three devices.

Looking at the LG manual at the appendix it contains all the IR Code hex commands. Can someone point me to the documentation to take these and put them in a device file for the LG TV?

Thanks, Rich

 

I assume you have all your devices on static IPs, correct?

 

I found that sometimes a complete shutdown, rather than a simple 'close' of an app, incl. iRules, improves its stability.

____

Axel

What would I need if I wanted to control my receiver and direct TV box with RS232

@ Samuraijones
Take a lok here:
http://www.globalcache.com/products/itach/models2/

When both devices are controlled via RS232, the WF2SL or IP2SL would be possible. The IP2SL needs an Ethernet cable and the WF2SL needs an WIFI-Router. Additional you'll need a iRule license.

When it is possible to control both devices via LAN, the only thing you need is the iRule license (and a computer to configure this and iPad, iPod or Android device for iRule http://www.iruleathome.com).

@ Axel
I know how to shutdown the iPad, but haven't tried it. Closing an app for me is not only to press the home button. Double click the home button after putting iRule with Home button in background, hold on an App and close iRule.
I'll test a reboot, but it would be annoying to do this to shut down all the devices...

Oh, and no i have not all devices on static IP's. I use DHCP, but the Router (FritzBox) reserved the IP's for the important devices, so the JVC and the Marantz are getting the same IP-Adress every time. When iRule disconnected from the Marantz, yesterday, the Web-Interface from Marantz (to reach via the IP) was available. In the Network the JVC and the Marantz answers on ping. IRule was the only one which had a problem with that.
Edited by Memphis999 - 7/29/12 at 6:22am

Thanks for the quick responses. I just have to to get permission from the boss and I will be set. Does anybody use an android tablet or phone with iRule. If so how well does it hold up.

If you go back on some of my posts over the couple of months I documented how I got my RS55 working over IP using the Entrance function (basically does a 3 sec keep alive using PJREQ which eliminates the need to code PJREQ to every command).

If it's not in GaryB's document then you can't "learn" new IP commands for JVC because they're not in the internal Hex table on our machines (and thus not recognized as a valid command).

Hey guys I got a quick question.
My tv and receiver both have rs232 connections. How many Itachs will I need.

You will need two. Each needs it's own connector. You should go with a GC-100-12 which will not only give you two rs232 but IR and contacts.

OK, that is what i was thinking.
Thanks.

I have read that the gc-100-12 can not be updated unless sent in. Is this true.

I'll search later for your posts. The thing I wonder is, that the PJREQ in Entrance is working, except of yesterday, and the PJREQ before every code makes me wait for 5 seconds to do the next command.

I don't want to "learn" new codes, I noticed that the hex codes from the guide are working when an \x is in front of each to letters (for example: Guide: 12 24 > then I use \x12\x24). In the forum was written that this code is ASCII. I personally don't know what it is, but this is working for me

I use iRule on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 without any issues. Works great. I don't get the same functionality as you would get with the iPad version, there are some differences/features not present, but for controlling my devices and allowing me for the custom layouts/graphics it's worth every penny of the investment. I'm only using a single iTach WF2IR unit with 1 emitter placed in front of the TV, 1 placed in front of the cable box and then the PS3 controller linked to it.

Planning to try and make templates for my Galaxy Nexus next. Not sure what I want for controls just yet as the screen real estate is a lot less than the tablet.

I use THIS for my PS3 control. After a LOT of research & actually speaking with the guys over at the Remote Shoppe, this made the most sense especially for future applications/updates. No problems at all with the device.

this is correct. the itach series can have firmware updates applied by the end user through the web interface. the gc-100 series must be sent to global cache. for what it's worth, i sent in two gc100s that i bought used and the thanks to friendly helpful people at global cache, the process was painless and turnaround time was quick.

you should also be aware that while the gc100-12 does offer two serial ports in one unit, the gc100 series only allow for one concurrent client connection (a client being a handheld device running irule), while the itach series allows for multiple concurrent client connections (i've read 8 concurrent for the xx2ir and 6 concurrent for the xx2sl, i've also read 8 concurrent for all itach). so, while the gc100 series has its upsides, it also has its downsides.

if you're going to be using multiple clients, and you want to control multiple devices via rs232, and you consider yourself fairly tech savvy, you might want to look into a digi portserver ts series networked serial port server. they can be had on ebay for under $100 and the various models have anywhere from 1 to 16 ports. they essentially (can be set up to) accomplish the same thing as multiple xx2sl itachs (including supporting multiple concurrent connections), they just take a little more effort and know-how to get them up and running.
Edited by absolootbs - 7/30/12 at 10:31am

I created the wood endcaps with brass fittings around the buttons that you are using, though it looks like someone else did some cutting and pasting from my background. I made the backgrounds to work on a 51x31 grid.

Hi Steve,

Yes you helped out a lot when I was setting up for the first time. I did modify your backgrounds to suit my different pages. For some reason mine were set to 51x30 which didn't seem to matter for the iPad2 but left me with the problems shown when I first resynched everything to my new ipad3.

I managed to sort it out for myself before anyone replied by setting the grid to 51x31 as you said.

Thanks

Graham

I am currently in the planning stages of a A/V whole house distribution system. The current plan is to use an octava 4x8 (or 4x4) matrix system over Cat 6 as the central control of that distribution. The specs for said control and pictures are located here:

http://www.octavainc.com/image/install_guide_pdf/4x8%20cat%20matrix/4x8_HDMI_over_cat_5-6_matrix_Switch_Install_guide-020812-web.pdf

The other option is the HDAnywhere which is a 4x4 (it’s a single wire, but it’s unclear to me if its sold to the US).

The HDMI components will be something to order of (yes I realize I only have a 4 input matrix, might use a simple splitter or a receiver on some):

1. Scientific American 8300 HD x 2 ;
2. PS3/360
3. Gaming PC
4. HTPC/Media Server

Assume for the purposes of this thread that they are all connected to the Octava in a central a/v closet, and there are 4 LED TV’s throughout the house that will be on at the same time. At each LED TV will be either a 3, 2, or 1 cat 6 cables. I am retro wiring my house and will be doing all this on my own (as I did on a smaller scale in my last house). In the future I hope to add multi-room sound and home automation, but costs will prevent this from now but the system needs to be designed with that in mind.

My current setup uses a harmony 900 remote, hiding all my equipment and only one location. That’s as far my remote experience extends. I started googling remote control systems like control 4, RTI, Creston etc… and I quickly realized that not only are those options extremely expensive, but they are closed systems requiring “professional” installation and "professional" programming (and to be frank, the people at remotecontrol.com view any attempt at DIY as a serious threat to their business). Thus, I stumbled upon iRule and this seems to fit my needs perfectly. My plan is to use some combination of Ipad/Iphone's to control. At this point in time I am not concerned with the software/programming aspect, but mainly on the “will this do what I need it to do” aspect.

I read through a lot of this thread – but not all so I apologize. I understand the basic premise that iRule needs to be able to communicate with the devices to control them. However, the details of the hardware are a little fuzzy to me. My current questions on the hardware side of this are:

1) In the “closet” I am confused as to what global cache hardware I will need (if any) to control all those components. I don’t quite understand if I can buy the large serial/ir 6 input model (Global Cache GC-100-18R) with no wireless transmission, and then connect via Ethernet that to my wireless router to create the wireless signal? or do I need Global Cache iTach WF2IR? Does there need to be a dedicated wireless signal?

2) At each remote tv location I will need the Global Cache iTach WF2IR to control the TV? Or is there something else I can use? I saw some mention of certain tv’s using the 232 connection, but that you couldn’t turn it off or on? What about lan support?

3) Why do the Wi-Fi versions support up to 8 simultaneous connections but the 18R only does 1? Does it make any practical differences? It would seem to me that only on very rare occasions would two remotes try to do something at the exact same moment?

4) Can the Octava and its fairly extensive IR ports be used to simplify the process?

If there is a guide to the hardware or something, I would appreciate a link. I realize some of these questions might demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of remote control mechanics but details/information on them seem to be more scarce than other electronics.

I just purchased the basic version today. I want to familiarize myself with it before going "pro" and using the additional abilities.

I only use Android based phones and own one Asus Transformer tablet. I have mustered through the basic concepts of building a panel and placing buttons and assigning the commands. (cant test it as I havent installed the GC100-12 yet)

BUT, I noticed a slight issue. The stock buttons for most things are freaking small on my phone (Droid X) and on the tablet. The tablet shows most buttons at about the size of a dime. Are there any large buttons available? I tried looking but it would seem that most buttons are designed for the iphone/ipad setups.

Also, how do I make the buttons on an "activity" panel, link to the appropriate panel. Like a HDTV button, taking me right to the panel for my cable DVR??

Make the button a Link.

The standard buttons are indeed designed for iPhone/iPad. For Retina devices, there are is a set of buttons that are double the standard size.

But, there is also a third size of button - "medium". If you browse image libraries and search for "medium", those will be all the buttons that will probably best fit your device. They're available in three different themes: default black, white, and brushed metal.

Also, if you don't want to start from scratch, you could try browsing and importing the default panels for the Galaxy S2 (search "android" in browse/import panels). I think those might fit your Droid X.

SC

Popcorn and Dune users:

I there anyway to integrate iRule with either networked player to be able to start movies with just hitting a picture of the movie wanting to be watching. I"m a Mac only user, no windows so my movies is out for me. Is there anything else out there or ideas to make it work. I pretty much don't want to have to look at the display to fire a movie up.

thanks a lot everyone!

jim

This is probably not the most Mac helpful answer but I would suggest a very cheap used PC. If you already have an iPad then run 10Muse on it. If not, then use MyMovies.

I think this would be a lot easier than trying to integrate it with iRule. There's just not any good Mac Dune/PCH apps out there. Even the MyMovies Mac app does not support the Dunes yet.

So is what u r saying that there isn't any real way to integrate either player with rule and to just use an app on the idevice for control?

I just looks at 10muse. it's looks pretty straight forwards. so i would pretty much use rule for controlling my tv's and players and then bounce into 10muse to fire up the movie. at that point also it doesn't really matter if u have a skin running on the network player cause the eye candy is on the iPad for selecting playback?



jimi
Edited by jimim - 7/31/12 at 1:10pm

I have a Pioneer SC-55 I am using with iRule to control via IP. This receiver has, oh, 50 or so listening modes. Other than creating a panel that shows many of them to allow direct selection of the listening mode (Stereo vs Surround Wide vs etc), is there another trick in iRule to allow something similar to a "drop down" menu so as to not take an entire screen to set the mode? Any other trick involved here?

sfatula,

No drop-down menus, but it isn't as big of a problem as you think. Try these:

1) Go through the list and knock out a bunch of modes you'll probably never use... No sense spending time programming your remote to do things you won't ever use.

2) You'll see a couple of commands called "Advanced Surround Cycle" and "THX Cycle". You can use those to cycle through those large sets of surrounds modes.

3) Use toggle commands to group similar processing modes together on one button; either the types of modes, or your favorites/most common. So, drag all of the Pro Logic IIx modes to one button, remove the delays, then set that button to "Toggle Command" = yes. Now, each time you press the button, iRule will step through those modes. Like I mentioned, you could also make a "favorites" button, and assign your favorite movie half-dozen or so favorite movie listening modes to that one button, and place it on page with your "watch movie" controls.

Using those techniques , you should be able to cut the number of buttons down to a manageable number for the context you'll need the modes in.

SC