using the usb-uirt to receive IR cmds

[mnsandler]

i am trying to use my usb-uirt to receive IR cmds from my home theater system. I have run an line (cat5) from HT system back to the uirt and have an ir flasher attached to the face of the usb-uirt.

i have programmed HS with a few of the IR cmds that i am interested in capturing.

if i transmit an ir signal from the remote control directly to the usb-uirt, hs sees the IR cmd.

However, if i transit the same ir signal from the same remote control to the ir receiver located in the HT system the usb-uirt flashes its LED but HS does not see the IR cmd.

anyone tried this, and have any suggestions.

[nightwalker]

Sounds awfully weird to me. Are you sure the signal is getting through to the uirt? Could you have it reversed so it stimulates the LEDs but not really sending the signal. I do something very similar, granted most of my IR signals are going the opposite direction from you but I have a couple of events that use the IR matching as the trigger.

[mnsandler]

Sounds awfully weird to me. Are you sure the signal is getting through to the uirt? Could you have it reversed so it stimulates the LEDs but not really sending the signal. I do something very similar, granted most of my IR signals are going the opposite direction from you but I have a couple of events that use the IR matching as the trigger.

marty,

i have the ir flasher stuck to the middle of the device where the receivers are located. the emitters are on the left and the led is on the right. so i think i have it in the right place.i have tried a few different locations and flashers.

i have verified the continuity of the line, it appears good.

do you use the usb-uirt as well? if so how do you send ir cmds to your ir receiver? directly with a remote

ps.i do use the uirt to send ir cmds via a long line which works great.

[nightwalker]

I do use the uirt but IR commands always come directly from HS/UIRT triggered by a button press or the matching of an IR command.

The USB-UIRT is not able to pass through a IR command from a remote and just have it sent to the equipment. It sounds like that's what you're trying to do.

[mnsandler]

I do use the uirt but IR commands always come directly from HS/UIRT triggered by a button press or the matching of an IR command.

The USB-UIRT is not able to pass through a IR command from a remote and just have it sent to the equipment. It sounds like that's what you're trying to do.

Marty, i think i have confused you about what i am trying to do. i am not trying to do a pass-through as you suggest. i am trying to get the usb-uirt to recognize ir signals that it receives via a stick-on emitter.

when you say "button press", are you referring to remote control button presses aimed directly at the usb-uirt?

[nightwalker]

OK, let me start at the beginning before we get further away from the real reason of the post.

My urit is used mostly to have HS send commands to audio/video equipment triggered from an event in HS. I trigger these events by either a UPB keypad or a left over X10 palm pad or from an event using the IR matching.

I use learning remotes here and I kept a remote or two of equipment I no longer use, just to use some of those commands as a match. On their own they control nothing, only when they are seen by the uirt do they do something. I've taught the learning remotes a few commands just to use for the match.

If you're command is not being received by the uirt then something is wrong with the setup of the ir link from the theater to the uirt.

[mnsandler]

the part i don't understand about your setup is how you use ir matching as a trigger.

how does the ir signal get into the usb-uirt

[johnnybwis]

I believe I am currently doing what you are trying to accomplish. I have an IR receiver mounted on my TV. I am using two wires from a cat 5 cable that connect from the IR receiver to a amplifier/regulator block(buffalo-100?). I have a dual emitter plugged into the block one going to my sat box and one going to the usbuirt. The emitter attached to the usbuirt is attached more to the right side of the usbuirt. If you shine a flashlight into the uirt you can see where the receiver is VS the IR blasters. This works fine for me but there is a problem with distance. If I get to close to the IR receiver mounted on the TV the signal will not get to either the uirt or the sat box. My remote is on the coffee table in front of my couch and that is the perfect distance. I've never looked into why the IR will not work at a closer range. Too strong of a signal, saturation, washout?

[mnsandler]

I believe I am currently doing what you are trying to accomplish. I have an IR receiver mounted on my TV. I am using two wires from a cat 5 cable that connect from the IR receiver to a amplifier/regulator block(buffalo-100?). I have a dual emitter plugged into the block one going to my sat box and one going to the usbuirt. The emitter attached to the usbuirt is attached more to the right side of the usbuirt. If you shine a flashlight into the uirt you can see where the receiver is VS the IR blasters. This works fine for me but there is a problem with distance. If I get to close to the IR receiver mounted on the TV the signal will not get to either the uirt or the sat box. My remote is on the coffee table in front of my couch and that is the perfect distance. I've never looked into why the IR will not work at a closer range. Too strong of a signal, saturation, washout?

thanks for the response.

so i guess i need a amp block from my ir receiver to push the ir signal down my cat5 back to the usb-uirt. i assume the amp block needs external power.

my ir receiver is actually my mitsu hdtv with an ir output on the back. i guess the tv ir output doesn't have enough juice to push the ir cmds 50ft

i will definitely move my ir flasher a little more to the right just in case

[nightwalker]

I do pretty much the same as John does, IR receiver/transmitter mounted in a plate that goes up the the equipment room and is attached to the UART on the HS computer, just a single line for that. I have another IR system that goes from the UART to the equipment so the UART can send commands out. I'm using mostly Xantach equipment for the IR but I don't think that makes a difference as far as operation.

If you can do what you want (match) with the remote pointed at the UART but can't with the IR extended to the room you wanted to use it in then somewhere in the line from one to the other is the problem. Something is preventing the signal from getting from one end to the other, Polarity reversed, needs an amp to boost signal, bad transmitter or bad receiver?

[mnsandler]

thanks guys, i figured out my problem. i was trying to use a 3.5mm stereo plug patch cord between two points instead of a 3.5mm mono plug patch cord.

all is well

[nightwalker]

Glad you got it working, sorry I should have asked that, I did the same damn thing once.

[mnsandler]

well now that i got my test ir cmd working via ir matching i tried to move onto the real ir cmds that i need to capture via ir match.

i have programmed the usb-uirt plugin with some real codes. i have verified that they work because i can send them back out (via the uirt) to my devices and the devices respond accordingly.

However when i am in from of my ir receiver in my home theater and send one of the real ir cmds, the usb-uirt does not seem recognize it, but my test signal still continues to work.

any thoughts

[johnnybwis]

Not sure what commands your trying to do but I do not think you can use it as a repeater. You cannot send out the same IR you are receiving. And the other caveat and I would have to look back through some old post to make sure but I think it is that you cannot use a command for matching if it is already used to do something else.

[nightwalker]

I said it poorly above but that's what I was trying to say. It's why I use a remote left over from equipment I no longer have to use for the matching IR triggers.