IRScope v2.00 is now available!

Post by **mathdon** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:50 am

IRScope v2.00 is a major new release of the IRScope.exe program needed to support the IR Widget, an Infrared Signal Recorder available from Tommy Tyler at Tommy Tyler's Store for IR Widgets, USB Interfaces and more. Both the widget design and earlier versions of IRScope.exe are due to Kevin Timmerman.

This version of IRScope has been developed from Kevin’s version 1.51 by Graham Dixon (mathdon) in consultation with Tommy Tyler, Vicky (VickyG2003) and Liz (ElizabethD), whose suggestions, comments and testing have been invaluable.

Here is an illustration that shows the capture by IRScope of a macro that sends five separate signals. The macro is highly artificial but it gives a good impression of various features of the program.

The window in the background shows the signals together in graphical form, the numbers giving the durations of the pulses and gaps and the number of carrier cycles in the pulses. The foreground window shows each signal separately decoded. The bursts comprising each signal are identified by the start and end numbers (a burst is a pulse and the following gap). Every burst is accounted for. Any individual signal can be selected; the highlight doesn't show clearly in the picture as MS Vista uses a faint color for highlights when the window does not have the focus, but in this case it is the Sharp signal that is selected. On selection the waveform window marks the selected signal in red and scrolls to start it on the top line. An expanded description of the structure of that signal is shown in the "Signal structure" box below the Decode window.

Other enhancements to the program include:

* Autolocation of the port to which the widget is connected (note the port box is grayed out in the picture).

* The main window is now re-sizeable (the waveform windows already were so in earlier versions).

* Settings are preserved between invocations by being saved in the registry.

* Decoding occurs on opening a saved signal (a ".ict" file) as well as on capture of a new signal.

* ".ict" files can be opened by double-clicking, with the saved signal then being displayed in the current IRScope window (if there is one) rather than in a separate instance.

A more comprehensive list of enhancements is given in the "Features" document included in the package.

Many of the new features require DecodeIR.dll version 2.39. This is also included in the package, as is DecodeIR.html, a guide to interpreting decoded IR signals. This guide can be opened from the Help menu of IRScope provided that DecodeIR.html is present in the same folder as IRScope.exe.

The source code of IRScope v2.00 is available here.
__________________

Graham

Post by **vickyg2003** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 12:53 pm

Great job Graham.

pH7_jp1 · Post by **pH7_jp1** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:31 pm

Excellent new version. I have used it and it is so much easier to read what is going on with a macro. Thanks for the work.

Post by **ElizabethD** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 12:42 pm

Graham,
I can't thank you enough for enhancing this wonderful tool.
It was fun to use before, now it's even more fun with so many user-conveniences. Nice Christmas present for all

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:25 am

Great work Graham !
Kevin's original project has helped me build some interesting gadgets with 'Microchips' and the enhancements in this new version of IRScope will be greatly appreciated.

alanrichey · Post by **alanrichey** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 9:38 pm

Congrats as well, working wonderfully and being used a lot (mainly by me) in the Sling Community.

One minor gripe (although this applies to IRDecode I guess) is that it still reports 'Russound' (not mentioned in RM) as a protocol rather than reporting 'DirectTV'.

Post by **mathdon** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:24 am

Thanks for pointing out about Russound, Alan. I had missed the thread that discussed the name of this protocol. It is an issue for DecodeIR rather than IRScope, but since I am currently maintaining both programs, I will put it right in the next version of DecodeIR.
___________
Graham

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:49 pm

Graham,

If it's not too difficult, what do you think about adding the ability to generate pronto hex from IRScope, like makehex and IRTool do today?

Post by **mathdon** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:58 pm

Hi Dave

I'll put that suggestion on my mental wish list, but it is some way off. At present I know almost nothing about the format of pronto hex. But Rob has asked for something similar for IR.exe, so I may tackle it at some point.
________________
Graham

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:24 pm

I'm looking at the IRP::generate function in the IRP.cpp file of the Makehex zip to see how easy it would be to steal the code to use elsewhere for creation of Pronto Hex.

The first 11 lines of that function are very specific to MakeHex (sorry about the poor modularity that implies). After those 11 lines the rest of the function writes out a Pronto Hex string based on:

m_frequency = modulation frequency or zero for unmodulated.
Single = the number of bursts (duration pairs) that should be sent once.
m_hex.size() is the number of durations total, including those sent once, so the number of repeating pairs is m_hex.size()/2 - Single
m_hex[n] is the n'th duration in microseconds (so m_hex[0] is the first On, m_hex[1] is the first Gap, etc.)

I hope that explanation makes that function easy enough to steal that you could translate raw timing info to Pronto hex without even understanding Pronto Hex.

pcourtney · Post by **pcourtney** » Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:23 pm

>I hope that explanation makes that function easy enough to steal that you >could translate raw timing info to Pronto hex without even understanding >Pronto Hex

I really hope that Graham can do this, fingers crossed !

I have contacted him very recently about converting Pronto codes to a timing pulse list also

alanrichey · Post by **alanrichey** » Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:32 pm

It's DecodeIR again, but just out of interest I am having a bit of trouble producing BIN file when IRSCOPE reports the protocol as 'Panasonic_old'.

In RM I am assuming this is the Panasonic (old) protocol, but the notes accompanying it say this has long been discontinued. And the remotes don't seem to be working.

So is DecodeIR's 'Panasonic_old' actually a protocol not supported in RM ?

Post by **ElizabethD** » Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:17 pm

Panasonic old protocol is supported by both KM and RM.
I think the 'discontinued' may apply to whether the vendors still include it in their equipment.

alanrichey · Post by **alanrichey** » Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:31 pm

The exact words in RM are "This is an old Protocol that may still be used in some old Panasonic devices".

But I am seeing it in non-Panasonic devices, for example the Samsung SMT-H3260, and many of the Scientific Atlanta boxes (3250/4200/4250/9834)

I'm just concerned that the Panasonic_Old protocol I am getting from IRScope is not the same as that old protocol, but something new.

Post by **ElizabethD** » Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:44 pm

I've seen it in Scientific Atlanta boxes. I think in Atlas remotes setup 1877 uses Panasonic old. But I can't be sure of the number. I think you can trust IRscope on this one.