JP1 Remotes

Edit: Build 14 now available:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/controlremote/files/RemoteMaster/v2.04build14/
Build 14 adds support for several new features seen in recently investigated remotes. These include a new learned signal format, a new format for protocol upgrades and a new variant of the recently discovered 16-bit checksum algorithm. It also has improved error handling for setup codes that exceed the maximum supported by the remote. This latter feature is of growing importance now that UEI is using setup codes greater than the 4095 maximum supported by many existing remotes. A number of RDFs have been modified to take account of these new features and several new ones added.

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After a lengthy period of development, RM/RMIR v2.04 is now officially released.. This first release is build 9, the first eight builds being for development and testing. The supported platforms are 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. This version also adds support for a new platform, Raspberry Pi, but at present that support should be regarded as experimental. See this thread for more information on Raspberry Pi support.

This version supports all currently known types of UEI remotes, including XSight and Simpleset remotes for which UEI provides support via the EZ-RC.com and Simpleset.com websites. These remotes are supported directly via their USB interface, without the need for any cable other than the USB lead supplied with the remotes. Note that Simpleset remotes are now supported under Linux, which was not the case in RM/RMIR v2.03, and that the XSight Touch and Color and their equivalents, the Nevo C3 and C2, are not yet supported on the Raspberry Pi . Note also that support now includes a number of new interface types that have been identified in recent UEI remotes which were not supported by any build of RM/RMIR v2.03. These are JP1.4N, JP2N and JP3.1. They all use the standard JP1 6-pin connector and are supported by JP1.x interface cables that use an FTDI chip (but not a Prolific one). They do, however, need the new version v0.22 of jp12serial that is included in the RM/RMIR v2.04 distribution. The JP1.4N and JP2N interfaces are variants of JP1.4 and JP2, but JP3.1 uses a new processor, the Texas Instruments CC2541 first seen in the URC-7980.

This first release build of RM/RMIR v2.04 is available only as a full installation package but subsequent builds will be issued both as a full package containing everything required and as an update package that contains only those files changed since this initial release. To upgrade from v2.03 without losing your settings, delete everything in your installation folder other than the RemoteMaster.properties file that contains your settings. Then unzip the new installation package into that folder and you are done. If you want to re-create shortcuts in your installation folder then re-run Setup.vbs (for Windows) or Setup.sh (for Linux) as appropriate, but any shortcuts copied elsewhere, such as to the Windows desktop, will still work without needing to be recreated. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your v2.03 installation and port your settings to v2.04, follow the full installation instructions below and then copy the RemoteMaster.properties file from your v2.03 installation to this new one.

The RMIR menu item "Help > Check for updates" checks for new builds as well as new versions. If a new build or version is available then this menu item displays a message containing a hyperlink that will take you straight to the available downloads for the update. To upgrade to a new build, just unzip the upgrade package into the installation folder for any earlier build of the same version, overwriting any files of the same name. Upgrade packages are cumulative, so it is not necessary to install each upgrade in turn.

To install the full package afresh, for any OS first unzip it to a new folder and then do the appropriate one of the following:

• If your OS is Windows then run Setup.vbs by double-clicking or otherwise. This will create two shortcuts, one for RMIR and the other (named Remote Master) for RM. They will be created in your installation folder, but they are also copied to Start > All Programs > Remote Master if you are running a Windows version that has a Start menu. You may copy them to your desktop, or any other location, as you wish. Setup.vbs also creates file associations to open .rmir files in RMIR and .rmdu files in RM.
• If your OS is Linux then run Setup.sh from Terminal as a shell script. If the current directory in Terminal is the RemoteMaster installation directory then the command "sh Setup.sh" will run the script. It creates two .desktop shortcuts, one for RMIR and the other (named RemoteMaster) for RM. They will be created in your installation folder, but they are also copied to your $HOME/.local/share/applications folder to ensure that they appear on your Dash. Setup.sh will also add you to the dialout group of users, if you are not already in it. If you need to be added, then it will ask you for your sudo password as this step needs to be run with root privileges. This step is needed to enable RMIR to access USB serial ports without RMIR itself being run as root.
  
  The distribution also contains a text file linux_xsight.rules. If you have an XSight or Nevo remote, you may need to copy this to the directory "/etc/udev/rules.d/". It may be re-named if desired, provided the extension .rules is kept. This file provides a user-friendly name for the XSight as a USB device. Some users have found that Linux systems cannot find the XSight/Nevo remote unless RM/RMIR is run as root, even after running Setup.sh, unless this file is present.
• If your OS is Mac OS X then there is as yet no special installation procedure.

With all three OS's, RMIR can be opened without using a shortcut by double-clicking or otherwise running the Java file RemoteMaster.jar. RM can be opened from RMIR with the menu item File > New > Device Upgrade. The instance of RM so opened is independent of the RMIR instance from which it is opened, so you can then close RMIR and leave RM open if you wish. RM can also be opened from a command line by running RemoteMaster.jar with an argument -rm. Please note that although it is optional to run Setup.vbs in Windows as RMIR and RM can always be opened in these ways, in Linux you need either to run Setup.sh or to use some other means to add your user id to the dialup group of users. This need only be done once ever, however, as it is a system setting that is not specific to the RemoteMaster program.

The inclusion of the RDFs, Maps and Images in the package means that the distribution zip file is now about 20MB. The RDFs are in a subfolder of the installation folder named RDF and the Maps and Images in one named Images. Both these folders have a further subfolder named .svn. These contain metadata describing the current contents of the folders. This is in preparation for a facility for push-button automatic updating in a forthcoming version. These subfolders are not used in the current version.

The full list of supported remote interfaces is now JP1, JP1.1, JP1.2, JP1.3, JP1.4, JP1.4N, JP2, JP2N, JP2.1, JP3, JP3.1, XSight (both types, mini-USB with S3F80 processor and micro-USB with MAXQ622 processor) and Simpleset (also referred to as JPS and also with MAXQ622 processor). The JP2, JP2N, JP2.1 and JP3 interfaces refer to remotes that use a Maxim processor, the MAXQ610 for JP2, JP2N and JP2.1 and the MAXQ612 for JP3. The difference between JP2 and JP2.1 is that JP2.1 uses a 5-pin in-line connector external to the remote rather than the familiar 6-pin connector in the battery compartment. The latest interface, JP3.1, uses the Texas Instruments CC2541 processor.

JP2.1 remotes need an adapter to convert the 5-pin connector to the standard 6-pin one. Detailed instructions for making such an adapter are given here. The interfaces JP2, JP2N, JP2.1 and JP3 can all be connected with a standard JP1.2/3 interface cable (JP2.1, of course, by means of the adapter) but only one that uses the FTDI chip. Cables with chips of other manufacturers such as Prolific have difficulty communicating with the Maxim processors. This is discussed in some detail in this thread. The JP1.4 and JP1.4N interfaces use the Samsung S3F80 processor and should work correctly with any JP1.2/3 interface cable. The JP3.1 interface, with the Texas Instruments processor, can certainly be connected by JP1.2/3 cables with the FTDI chip. The situation with other chips is not yet known.

When using XSight remotes (and similar ones such as Nevo) with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, Enhanced Power Management needs to be disabled for the USB port concerned. A registry fix to do this is available here. This fix is needed to enable use with EZ-RC.com as well as with RMIR. It is particularly important if EZ-RC.com attempts to do a firmware upgrade of the remote, as without it the process is likely to be terminated before completion, leaving the remote in an unusable "bricked" state. If this happens, try the two procedures suggested in this post which have rescued XSight remotes from this situation for other users.

This RMIR version is available only as a Java file. Support for the separate stand-alone Windows compilation produced from the Java code with Excelsior JET has now finished. This multi-platform Java version requires a Java 1.7 or later runtime environment, either 32-bit or 64-bit. Note that this is a change from v2.03, which required only Java 1.6 or later. The release package includes the following support files:

• DecodeIR v2.45 and jp12serial v0.22 as library files for Windows (32-bit and 64-bit), Linux and Mac OS X.
• digitmaps.bin with digit maps up to number 660.
• protocols.ini including support for remotes that use Maxim and Texas Instruments processors.
• The RDF File Specification, Version 4.
• The RDF File Specification, Version 5 as revision 8 of an Addendum to Version 4.

An update to any of these files will result in a new build being released, so there is no need for separate updating of any of them. Version 4 of the RDF File Specification covers RDF files for remotes with interfaces up to JP1.3. Version 5 is required to support remotes with interfaces from JP1.4 onward. Version 5 is under continuous review as UEI remotes with new features are discovered, with revisions of the Addendum being issued as required.

Please visit the JP1 Community Wiki for information about how to use RMIR. A link to the Tutorial in the Wiki is also included in the Help menu. Please note that as this project is supported solely by volunteers, the Wiki may not be up to date. This version of RM/RMIR contains many new features required to support the newer types of remote. At the time of its release, these are not covered by the help files contained in the Wiki. RM/RMIR itself, however, shows notes and tooltips (the text shown when you hover the mouse pointer over a button or table entry) designed to make its use as self-explanatory as possible.

The download package is available in the following folder. Just click on it to start the download. The corresponding folder for future builds will contain both the full and upgrade packages.

• http://sourceforge.net/projects/controlremote/files/RemoteMaster/v2.04build9 - (~20MB)

Please see above for installation instructions.

Links:
The RemoteMaster project home page.
JP1 Community Wiki
Tutorial (part of the Wiki)
RMIR XSight Support (development thread)
RMIR Simpleset Support (development thread)
RemoteMaster on Raspberry Pi with Raspian (development thread)
RMIR: Prototype IR function in RM (development thread)
RM/RMIR v2.03 available (announcement thread for last official version)
ChangeLog.txt (also included in the downloadable files)

Congratulations, and thanx for all the hard work!

Graham, let me suggest that you tag the sources on SF corresponding to the relese with an appropriate tag.

Hello, is it me or what, but I can't seem to go to the download page.
It keeps loading.
______________________________________________________

OK now.
Thanks.

In case anyone else has the same experience as chuliu, the issue is that there isn't a download page The link given in the announcement:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/controlremote/files/RemoteMaster/v2.04build9/

takes you to a table that lists more than one filename. When you click on any of the filenames, it starts downloading immediately. There is no intermediate "download page" in the way that there is in the File Section of this forum.

I never noticed anything unusual at sourceforge, just clicked and waited. Latest version of Firefox does not pop open the download window so you have to watch the menubar at the top...

I am 'experimenting' with linux, the Mint 64 bit version. Got most of my apps installed, then thought about RemoteMaster. Biggest problem with the distro is the permissions, user-not-root, su and sudo no fun to repeat the password. I did eventually load RMv2.04/9 to where the user could find and launch it -- but had issues with the USB hookup. Got the FTDI ftd2xx package, which I probably did not need. But RM was not finding my ttyUSB0 port, or any ports, for that matter. :(

What eventually fixed things was Barf's 1/18/15 (sticky) post in Software section, " RMIR/Remotemaster on Linux and Gnome" a strategy which worked very easily. Mint is ubuntu-based, so I only needed to modify a couple paths in his remotemaster.sh to get everything working. Hats off to linux-guru Barf.

Likewise I appreciate the great job mathdon has performed in updating and polishing this program. It is a lot of beautiful work.
TC

Really great you added support for the URC-7980, as I recently bought one of these. Now it's just waiting for my FTDI cable to arrive...

Hi just having a issue that when using remote master it doesn't find any remotes. I'm using a JP1 interface cable connected to a PCI parallel port with Windows 10 64 bit. However with the same interface it works just fine using IR8.04.

I've selected the JP1 switch and ensured the port was set according to my physical device and yet it doesn't find any remotes. Before I get too excited should this even work with my setup?

Thanks

Ricky, I'm sorry but JP1 parallel port interface is not supported in RMIR on 64-bit Windows systems.

Edit: I see that the parallel port is supported on 64-bit Linux systems. I will look into doing a 64-bit compilation of jp1parallel.dll, to provide 64-bit Windows support, but you will have to test it as I don't have a parallel port card in my PC. Is that OK?

Edit 2: I have looked into this and unfortunately making the source code for jp1parallel.dll compile to a 64-bit dll would take more hardware knowledge than I have. The source code references 32-bit facilities that have no 64-bit version and that are used for Windows but not Linux. Sorry, but I cannot help further.

No problem, at least I know now that it wont work.
Regards

mathdon wrote:Ricky, I'm sorry but JP1 parallel port interface is not supported in RMIR on 64-bit Windows systems.

Edit: I see that the parallel port is supported on 64-bit Linux systems. I will look into doing a 64-bit compilation of jp1parallel.dll, to provide 64-bit Windows support, but you will have to test it as I don't have a parallel port card in my PC. Is that OK?

Edit 2: I have looked into this and unfortunately making the source code for jp1parallel.dll compile to a 64-bit dll would take more hardware knowledge than I have. The source code references 32-bit facilities that have no 64-bit version and that are used for Windows but not Linux. Sorry, but I cannot help further.

I have now posted build 10 of RMIR v2.04. It is available both as a full installation package and as an upgrade from build 9.

Build 10 brings to RMIR a substantial feature that is present in IR.exe but has been lacking in RMIR. This is the ability to import Pronto signals as UEI Learned Signals. This facility is now supported for all remotes that support Learned Signals and for all Pronto signals other than those of type 8000. To use it, open the Learned Signals tab and press the New button. The window that opens now has radio buttons to select whether the signal being imported is UEI Learned or Pronto.

The same buttons are present if you select an existing learned signal and press Edit. Now if you switch between the two buttons, you switch the display format. If Pronto is selected, the signal is displayed in a Pronto raw format. These are type 0000 for modulated signals and 0100 for the much less common unmodulated signals.

Build 10 also provides a 64-bit version of JP1usb.dll which enables legacy JP1 USB cables with a Delcom chip to be supported on Windows systems with 64-bit Java. This needs the generic 64-bit WinUSB driver to be installed for the Delcom chip. Although this driver is available here in the File Section, Microsoft have since improved it and that version is not now recommended. WinUSB has been included as part of the Windows OS in all versions from Vista onwards, so it can be installed for the Delcom chip without the need for an installation package. See this post by 3FG for more details. 3FG's post pre-dates the availability of the 64-bit dll so the extra step he mentions as needed for RMIR is no longer necessary.

mathdon wrote:I have now posted build 10 of RMIR v2.04.

I would politely suggest a more standardized version identification system, for example the semantic versioning system.

I have now posted build 14 of RMIR v2.04. It is available both as a full installation package and as an upgrade from builds 9 or 10. This is the first public update since build 10, as builds 11 to 13 were test builds for development purposes.

Build 14 adds support for several new features seen in recently investigated remotes. These include a new learned signal format, a new format for protocol upgrades and a new variant of the recently discovered 16-bit checksum algorithm. It also has improved error handling for setup codes that exceed the maximum supported by the remote. This latter feature is of growing importance now that UEI is using setup codes greater than the 4095 maximum supported by many existing remotes. A number of RDFs have been modified to take account of these new features and several new ones added.

I was trying to use RMIR, (I know its about time).

RMIR was not allocating upgrade memory very well. But all looked pretty good but when I went to upload it crashed hard. So i saved it as an IR file and it got into memory and worked as expected. I then downloaded from the remote and it said I had -107 bytes free. So something is screwy. The IR file RMIR file and error files from upload and download are included in the link below.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=14630

vickyg2003 wrote:I was trying to use RMIR, (I know its about time).

RMIR was not allocating upgrade memory very well. But all looked pretty good but when I went to upload it crashed hard. So i saved it as an IR file and it got into memory and worked as expected. I then downloaded from the remote and it said I had -107 bytes free. So something is screwy. The IR file RMIR file and error files from upload and download are included in the link below.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=14630

Vicky, do you still have the problem you reported above?

Your earlier problem will have to wait till I return from the coming week's holiday, as the XSight/Nevo firmware update has taken precedence (and been all-consuming, above everything else I should have been doing at home ). I didn't want to have the firmware update preying on my mind when we were away.

The NEC1 entry in protocols.ini was updated by 3FG fairly recently. I presume that is the cause of any change of behaviour, but as far as I know, there is no problem with the functioning of the revised version.