Need help with building new custom remote

hcchheda · Post by **hcchheda** » Sun May 26, 2013 10:43 pm

Hi All,

I need your help in building a custom remote for my new STB for Cable provider DigiCable India. For this I have recently got IR Widget cable, and using the instructions here, when I try to capture the signal I get the protocol as UNKNOWN.

I have uploaded the IRScope cature image on this URL,
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=11920.

I hope you can guide me on what should I try further or anything wrong that I am doing.

Thanks

3FG · Post by **3FG** » Mon May 27, 2013 12:52 am

Those pictures don't help us at all. Instead, please capture the signals with the widget, and save an ICT file. We may be able to decode the signals manually. We need all of the signals.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Mon May 27, 2013 12:26 pm

The only thing those pictures show is that you didn't capture the first frame of the signal where all the data is. Instead you just captured the "dittos" that follow the initial data frame.

hcchheda · Post by **hcchheda** » Tue May 28, 2013 9:17 pm

Thanks vickyg2003, what do you suggest I should do to correct this.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Wed May 29, 2013 6:14 am

hcchheda wrote:Thanks vickyg2003, what do you suggest I should do to correct this.

Make sure you have the remote aimed at the widget BEFORE you press the button. It appears you missed the very first part of the frame and that would indicate it has a "ditto" type repeat, where it doesn't repeat the data frame.

data frame
ditto
ditto
ditto

This is one of my problems with the widget. I have trouble getting it aimed and pressed before IRScope times out, so consequently I'll press before properly aimed and get just the dittos.

Of course it would me much easier to examine the ICT file if we had the ICT file instead of just a picture. Would you expect a mechanic to diagnose your car problems from a picture of the vehicle? If we have the hands on, then we can get a clearer picture.

alanrichey · Post by **alanrichey** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:42 am

What is the STB Make and Model ?

hcchheda · Post by **hcchheda** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:00 am

Hi - i tried to capture the signal numerous times, however still getting the protocol as UNKNOWN.

I have uploaded the ICT files at below link.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=11920.

Thanks for your help with this.

3FG · Post by **3FG** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 12:36 am

Once again, the ICT file doesn't contain valid captures. I suspect you need to make the distance between remote and widget either closer or farther. Take a look at this ICT file; it has the kind of timing information expected. Notice that the signals tend to have a repeated pattern. It also shows that one can save all of the learned signals into one file, which makes it easier on those of us trying to look at the signals.

Try to get captures that have similarity to the linked file.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 4:14 am

Again, the captures are very poor quality.

Replace the batteries in your remote.

Set your capture Duration to 9000 ms,
Lower the lights in the room, flourscent lighting or sunlight can make capturing difficult. (I've never been to India, but I would imagine its as bright and sunny as Florida, and in Florida I have to shield my widget from the sunlight, or all my captures look crazy. So I only do my work at night or in an interior room, where the sunlight can't reach me.)
Start the caputure
and after you start the capture, carefully aim your remote at the widget, and press 1, 2, 3 and see if you get any data frames in the 9000ms.

If not, then perhaps the data frames look like dittos. I do notice some strange differences in the on times of your signals.

Post the 1,2,3 combo ict
---------------------------------

I noticed you posted some Nokia32 upgrades for the digi cable. What does that have to do with the current box. Is your current box a c371??

alanrichey · Post by **alanrichey** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:38 am

As I said in my previous post, if you would only tell us the manufacturer and model number of the device I could try as well.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:50 am

Alan, when I went to get his ICT file, it was labeled " ICT / IRScope cature image for DigiCable india". So the make is probably DigiCable. He then posted two STB upgrades for using the DigiCable C371N boxes, which use the Nokia32 protocol. The learns are really poor quality. Some of them being 3 dittos, some 8 dittos. The On times vary in some of the ditto like learns.

I didn't see digicable in the harmony database, but sometimes the model numbers turn something up anyway. So yeah, it would be nice to have model numbers, and or good learns.

Again, I have never been in the tropics, and have no idea how bright it is there at this time of year, but in FL in the winter even with the shades down, I have too much light to use my widget in the day time. So that could be a factor in the learns being such poor quality. But I still think the OP didn't get the data frame in the capture. I think he's pressing the button while not pointed at the widget, or he's so quick to press the button that the widget hasn't started capturing yet. That's why I asked him to push several buttons consecutively to see if there actually is a data frame.

alanrichey · Post by **alanrichey** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:03 am

Thanks. And I agree, if it is 'DigiCable' there isn't much I can do.

3FG · Post by **3FG** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:53 am

Vicky,
I lean toward overall bad learns rather than good learns of dittos, because the width and spacing of the "dittos" varies considerably. So the OP needs to try all of the suggested capturing techniques until the captures start to look like real data.

One way of handling IR interference is to temporarily cover the widget's IR sensor with cloth or masking tape. Sometimes the overall level of IR is just too high for the circuitry to detect the on pulse from the off times.

hcchheda · Post by **hcchheda** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:37 am

Hi All, after some tries I managed to get good capture. Now the protocol is showing as NEC and NEC1.

I have uploaded it here, https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=11920.

Now while building the remote which protocol should I choose in RemoteMaster.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 11:26 am

hcchheda wrote:Hi All, after some tries I managed to get good capture. Now the protocol is showing as NEC and NEC1.

I have uploaded it here, https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=11920.

Now while building the remote which protocol should I choose in RemoteMaster.

It would appear that English is your second language, and so communications are not getting through.

Without being able to see the actual ICT file, we can only GUESS what protocol to use.

The difference between Nec and NEC1 is that the NEC signal didn't capture a repeat, so it couldn't tell what kind of NEC it is.

Assume NEC1 Device 40, unless the device changes on other signals.
Leave the subdevice EMPTY.