Ah, thanks for clearing that up. Since I posted I put my USBIRToy back into my mythtv system and it working. I was a bit surprised. I am assuming that my URBIRToy now only has the APPLICATION running and no BOOT code at all. Just so this is clear to me, is this how the USBIRToy code can be used?:
1. You can burn the BOOT hex file into the PIC w/a PICkit3, then use the serial-port/usb-port programming method to load up the APPLICATION in a different part of the PIC's memory.
2. You can grab both the BOOT and APPLICATION in one HEX file from the developer/source down loadable package and burn that with a PICKit3 to the PIC in 1 operation.
3. You can skip using the BOOT loader and simply burn the APPLICATION's HEX file into the PIC with a PICKit3. But, then, there is no BOOT loader and no BOOT loader features available later on. In other words you will need the PICKit3 to do anything in the future with this USBIRToy.
(Just so I don't confuse anyone, I am assuming you can use any Microchip device to program the PIC processors. Not just the PICKit3.)
I would eventually like to make a custom USBIRToy firmware load. But in the meantime, I have managed to just about brick my USBIRToy. I'm not new to PIC's or MPLAB. I'm just not sure how the BOOT and APPLICATION code work together. For instance, I assumed when my USBIRToy was new it contained both BOOT and APPLICATION code. So, after some unsuccessful programming, I decided to return the PIC to it's original state. So I programmed it with the BOOT hex file (bootloader.hex) found in the USBIRToy.package.v22.zip. Then I programmed it with the APPLICATION hex file (USBIRToy.v22.hex) found in the same package.
Well, I noticed that MPLAB programmed both HEX images starting at address 0x0 (in the case of the BOOT hex 0x0 to 0x87f and in the case of the APPLICATION hex 0x0 to 0x3dff). It if fairly apparent that the BOOT was over written by the APPLICATION.
So, I'm thinking I still have a brick on my hands, right?
Is there a howto that describes how to write custom code for the USBIRToy?
And, is there a single HEX image of the USBIRToy as it leave the factory?
(i.e. Assuming the BOOT and APPLICATION should be both present leaving the factory, what can be done is to dump a HEX file out of a properly programmed 18F2550 from the beginning of the BOOT to the end of the APPLICATION. Then, such a HEX file can be very easily used to restore a bricked PIC to factory condition in a single operation.)
I have been trying to compile R1611.V22 using the new MPLABX SDK and have been seeing this error: ../usb_stack.h:19: error: can't open include file "picusb.h": No such file or directory If I move to the source for V23 will it fix this problem?
edit: added later...
I should add that I am also using the new xc8 compiler from microchip.com.
Ian, I grabbed the lirc code w/git and applied the year old patch for the DagerousPrototype USB IR Toy. Honestly, I was surprised it went in w/o a problem. So now I'm building lirc from scratch. But I don't understand the fancy menu setup menu which you see when running "./setup.sh". I know lirc is not part of the USB IR Toy project, but wondered if you might know what options to choose. Or, maybe, leave them "as is".
I'm guessing, but I think for driver I would pick USB for the IR Toy. But then the menus what to know who build the hardware (i.e. Apple, Asus, Creative, ect...). There is something that sound generic "USB-UIRT". I was thinking that might be a good choice. As for the software options I am a bit lost. So any help would be appreciated.
Is is possible to use irsend (part of the lirc software package) with the USB Infrared Toy running in a Linux system? I would rather use the USB Infrared Toy for everything rather than buying a HP USB MEC just for controlling my TV and Stereo.
Would some kind person please tell me what the state of using the USB Infrared Toy IR transmitter is in Linux?
I connected the dots to a year old post by Peter Kooiman to the lirc mail list. It looks like Peter's patch would allow lirc to control the USB Infrared Toy's IR transmitter from lirc. But when I inspected the lirc GIT repositories I could not find his code. So I assume that the IR transmitter in the USB Infrared Toy is not supported in Linux?
I have been using the USB Infrared Toy as an IR receiver for a Mythtv/Linux media player. It has worked very well! I would now like to control my other components (TV, Stereo, ect) from the USB Infrared Toy's IR transmitter. But I have been unable to find how to do this.
