[quote author="fwb"]I am having a similar problem, except with restarts. When the computer restarts (which I can't avoid forever because of updates), IRToy will stop working ("WinLRC failed to initialize") and show an orange LED until I unplug it and plug it back in. Does the new beta firmware 23 fix it? I'm at a loss, this is a huge hindrance to functionality since it's integral to my automation system which is supposed to be hands-off.[/quote]
Perhaps check your BIOS settings for a means to disable USB power if not needed... I posted the same problem a while back. Here, I have since dealt with it, meaning, I use a USB extension cord to unplug and replug the cable leading to the IRT. I got some USB mini jacks and plugs, in order to construct an intermediate power switch, instead of hacking a USB cable, but...procrastination.
How can I power cycle this simply? Is it enough to put a SPST switch on the +5V line on a sacrificial USB cord? EDIT: Yes, it seems. Though I'd be lying if I said I'm not afraid to try it :)
UPDATE: My first irtoy died fairly quickly. My bad: I probably shorted it out, having placed it atop of a silver-painted plastic display bezel.
It was only a matter of time before I got frustrated with my second unit (I ordered two initially because China is always a gamble): despite power cycles as this thread implied was a workaround, the second unit eventually wouldn't respond anymore. I swapped USB ports occasionally so Windows would see it again, but eventually I ran out of ports and/or we all wouldn't cooperate, it becoming a hassle to use and thus defeating the point of automation.
By then it was mid-2013 and I decided to salvage the LEDs from my irtoys to use with an emitterless Iguanaworks IR Transceiver, and I've been happy since with its reliability and performance despite higher product cost.
The problem I'm having might be related to this thread.
I use AHCI to boot Win7 Pro 64bit. My mainboard is a GigaByte ga-z68xp-ud3.
Recently my PC's power button broke, so being lazy, I disabled ErP in the BIOS, because that's necessary to get the Power On By Keyboard feature to work. The side-effect of this is that the usbirtoy continues to receive power on USB even if the PC is powered off--I assume this is the case because I also realized that my plugged-in portable audio player continues to be charged after I shut down Windows.
Therefore, when I boot up again, WinLIRC gives me an invalid configuration error. If I then physically unplug and replug the usbirtoy, it works again.
