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Topic: windows MCE compatable? (Read 3318 times) previous topic - next topic

windows MCE compatable?

hi,

since it looks like this forum is starting to get some answers. ill ask a question that i have been dieing to ask since i saw you were developing this.

Is this board either in its current form or possibble via new firmware.

I would love to see a replacement for microsofts MCE remote. I can buy the logitech harmony remotes to control the sending side of things but without the receiver theres not much point.

Now for the bad news. i have tried searching for some specifications for the MCE remote standard. but i havnt found anything. I do know that windows either has drivers built in or doesnt need drivers. so im guessing its a HID device.

Anyway food for thought.

Also one of the features that the genuine remote reveiver has is that it has 2 external IR led's for controlling external devices like settop boxes etc.

Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #1 –
That's a fantastic suggestion. I don't think it's compatible in the current form. With a new firmware it might work.

If it's an HID device, Microchip's USB drivers include an HID stack. I imagine there are HID sniffers out there for learning the protocol, but I've never tried myself.
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Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #3 –
Yes, a replacement for MCE remote would be great.....

(I thought I had a failure in my existing in-MCE-case IR reciever and was looking for replacements and found your old IR hackaday project and thought that was nearly what i needed, but got things working again anyway)

Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #4 –
I don't have an MCE remote, but I do want to make my IR toy into an HID-type IR receiver when I get it.

Hopefully the microchip HID stack is fairly easy to use. I'd imagine making it work with the MCE remote (or any other random remote) is just a matter of knowing the codes and what keystroke you want them to map to.

Hopefully I'm not the only one that wants to drive winamp from an IR remote, so maybe someone else will figure out the HID side before I get around to it ;)

Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #5 –
@andrew - for simple IR control I use PC Remote Control. It's not free, but it was only a few dollars to register.
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Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #6 –
[quote author="ian"]
@andrew - for simple IR control I use PC Remote Control. It's not free, but it was only a few dollars to register.
[/quote]

Sounds like a fair alternative [s:]just in case[/s:] when I decide I'm too lazy to make it a HID.
Having it all work without installing any software (in Win & Linux) does appeal to me though.

Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #7 –
Eventghost. It's a great free automation and remote host software on windows. Pretty lightweight and hosts python plug-ins. It speaks LIRC and HID and some other more wacky serial remote/device dialects. I use EG for more and more as time goes by.

I already have an IRtrans unit so prolly won't get a USB IR toy unless you do some really out there stuff with it. The IRtrans unit does way more than I ask of it as it is. It's a pretty polished lil IR unit.

Re: windows MCE compatable?

Reply #8 –
[quote author="vicx"]
Eventghost. It's a great free automation and remote host software on windows. Pretty lightweight and hosts python plug-ins. It speaks LIRC and HID and some other more wacky serial remote/device dialects. I use EG for more and more as time goes by.
[/quote]

Event Ghost looks like a great find for windows.  The source is available and it's GPL.    Thanks.

http://www.eventghost.org