JP1 Remotes

[kcmurphy88]

Tommy--

Is your 1.2/1.3 USB interface the same as the one sold by DIYGadget (TIAO)? If not, does it use the same USB IC? I know it isn't your product, but I'm at my wit's end tring to get ONE of my 3 Jp1/Jp1.1 serial/JP1.2.3 USB cables to work on Win7-64

In any event does your magic JP1 adapter dongle work with the DIY product?
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[The Robman]

I can answer for Tommy here. Tommy's flash cables use an FTDI chip whereas DIY's use a TIAO chip, so they are completely different.

Tommy's USB JP1.2/3 flash cables work with 64-bit Win7 and Vista (I'm using one myself with 64-bit Vista). I would expect that DIY's flash based JP1.2/3 cables would work too.

None of the old fashioned EEPROM based JP1 USB cables work with the 64-bit OS yet (but we're working on it). These cables use a Delcom chip (both made by Tommy and made by DIY).

I don't recall the status of serial cables with 64-bit OS.
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[kcmurphy88]

Thanks, Rob. I pretty much knew that the TIAO chips was used, which is too bad as their driver site is messed up (the files aren't right). FTDI seems to own the USB market right now, so that's a good choice.

Any news on the old LPT JP1 cables under Win7-64 (and, yes, there are motherboards with ISA LPT port headers; e.g. Gigabyte P55-UDP4)? I get the LPT port to appear in Device Mangler, but IR just won't un-grey the JP1 choice. Win7 has an issue with the SYS file and won't let it load. I suspect that the report that it will in some compatibility setting (and/or with some OS lobotomy) was on a Win7-32 machine, because none of that works here.

[The Robman]

I don't know what the status is regarding parallel (LPT) or serial cables with 64-bit systems.
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[kcmurphy88]

[Thomas]

This USB is turning out to be a can of worms!

I can plug in to USB host, enumerate, send and receive to UART at 38400 baud (for flash memory), but the windows driver, usbser.sys, is deficient in that it does not handle RTS handshaking. And I have not found any workaround. Writing or modifying the driver is possible, perhaps.

It is also possible that adding HID class code (and using HID driver) can fix this. Microchip has issued a revised package of application/demo software, written in visual C++, which requires .NET framework 2 or 3. There are some other possibilities, third-party developers who have projects that may pertain to this issue. I am still deep in the research stage.

For now, for JP1 users, Tommy's adapter looks to be the best solution.
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Tom Carlson

[Thomas]

Short version: not much progress, mostly frustration and annoyance .... :(

I am using PIC18F2455 to debug code (14K50 does not have debug function) and can read/write to EEPROMs or flash memory. The catch is, IR issues RTS handshake to cause the JP1.x remotes to 'reset' into serial communications mode, and nothing I have tried so far will pass that RTS through Microchip's USB port. I am using a momentary contact switch to emulate that for my testing. And seeking a high-tech solution.

The issue is the MS driver, usbser.sys, which has some anomalies and does not function identically to the FTDI chip.

Microchip is releasing their MCP2200 USB-UART interface, but I haven't received mine yet - hoping that they will also have a patch or a revised driver to resolve this, soon. Meanwhile, I am learning all the wrong ways to ennumerate USB CDC devices :)
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Tom Carlson

[Kevin Timmerman]

The MCP2200 handshake lines are used for flow control to the local buffer - they are not controlled by the host. It's a rather useless chip.

There are several solutions to the RTS problem. I have a JP1 interface and IR Widget combo working on 18F2550 and 18F13K50. Not ready for release yet - have some cleanup to do.

[tennessee titan]

[Thomas]

[Thomas]

I took a long break and tackled this issue again. Using a more sophisticated PIC18F2455 chip with debug capabilities, I have gotten the JP1.2/3 flash memory routine working, along with a USB bootloader. I have learned entirely too much about USB and descriptors.

Code length started at about 7800 instructions, which nearly fills a PIC18F14k50 chip. Converted to assembler and whittled down (so far) to about 3800 instructions, there's now enough room to include routines for EEPROM remotes.

Still to do: get the RST issue resolved, optimize code, merge the EEPROM routines, test, test, test. The plan is to use low-speed USB and minimal parts count, possibly with an activity light. Microchip does provide a 'USB bootload' manager program for the PC, supposedly it works with 64 bit Windows. We shall see......
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Tom Carlson

[The Robman]

It's been a while, so remind me Tom, when you talk to the flash based remotes, are you using the same standard serial comm that we use with our regular JP1.x cables? Or are you using something else?

The reason I ask is that we've started seeing new flash remotes, that still have a Samsung S3F8 chip, that won't communicate using the standard cables and standard comm routine.
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[Thomas]

Rob,
I am using the stock IR program and DLL, over USB as a virtual COM port. Had not been following any discussion regarding new S3F8 remotes. The advantage of rolling your own firmware is that you can adjust (hopefully) for such issues.

I am just currently using a push button to get the remote into program mode, but I expect that I can find a way to emulate the reset pulse.

Every step of this project has been a struggle, mainly because I have never tackled USB before - very hard to debug when it refuses to work. Now trying to implement the EEPROM part, then find a way to detect and select it when necessary.

The software end ought to be less problematic, 32 and 64 bit drivers, IR and Microchip's bootloader utility.
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Tom Carlson

[carsonlittle]

[carsonlittle]