JP1 Remotes

I need some thoughts and opinions on my current set of tools and the issues I am having.

Remotes: a couple of 8910 (new) and 8810 (new).

JP1 Cable: Old school jp1 usb (with the mid-cable beige box)

Computer/OS: Windows 8.1 x64, (I can also get access to a windows 7 x32 machine if needed but it is inconvenient)

What I want to control: HTPC, AppleTV, Sherwood 972 receiver, Tivo, Roku 2 and LG LCD TV.

Issue 1: I am able to use the modified Delcom USB driver to download and upload from the 8810 to my windows 8.1 using IR 8.04 and RM 2.02, however, it is not reliable. I have to do a MFG reset because I get download and upload errors otherwise.

Question 1: Would a modern jp1.2/jp1.3 cable with a jp1 adapter be more reliable than the old school?

Issue 2: My HTPC has Windows 8.1 x64. I have installed Eventghost and have the following IR receivers:

Diamond WMC Remote: http://www.diamondmm.com/grc100-diamond ... ntrol.html

Generic eBay remote: http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-PC-Laptop-R ... 2a1d9d7582

Eventghost does not seem to log all of the inputs from the Diamond or eBay IR receivers. I can get the 8910 to control the HTPC with either IR receiver connected to the computer so I know that there is an issue with how Eventghost is working and I will follow with their forums about that. The issue I have is that both the Diamond and Generic IR receivers use keystrokes to emulate MCE commands rather than being true MCE remotes.

Question 2: Does anyone have any experience with using eventghost with these emulated keystroke remote codes and a JP1 remote? Is my experience consistent with yours?

Issue 3: So I thought, I will buy an HP IR receiver and just be done with the pain of emulating a MCE remote. I thought wrong.

HP IR receiver from eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251299285128?ss ... 1497.l2649

Question 2: Which HTPC file is the best one for working with the HP IR receiver (I only purchased the receiver and not the remote so I can't test the receiver with the orginal HP remote)?

Question 3: I have tried a couple of different MCE files and Eventghost does show that it is receiving IR signals and those signals are consistent with the buttons I pressed but there is no reaction to those button presses on the computer. That is, I press the up button on the 8810 remote and Eventghost indicates and up press has been received but the cursor does not move up in WMC. So something is broken here and I wonder if anyone has any suggestions.

I hope someone has some good ideas that can help me improve my HTPC set-up to the point that everything works perfectly.

sethjvm wrote:I will buy an HP IR receiver and just be done with the pain of emulating a MCE remote.

I have what looks to be the identical IR receiver, and it is a bog-standard Microsoft-compatible RC6 IR receiver. If you have a One-For-All programmable remote control, code-set 1272 should work with the HP IR receiver, provided that your remote has this code-set built in (I am not familiar with the remotes that you have).

If you can program 1272 into your remote, you do not need to use EventGhost. Uninstall it!

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

Hard to say whether a new cable would fix your issues, but you'd at least be ready for a modern JP1 remote in the future.

Your remote has no MCE codes built in. But that doesn't matter since you can load any codes via JP1, of course. Any of our MCE upgrades will work fine. Like the previous poster said, you can ditch Event Ghost. You may need to load the protocol, so don't forget to do that. Post your file if you still have problems.

Thanks for the feedback.

I did some more searching and found that there are at least 3 different versions of the HP IR receiver. I was using the least user friendly version (PN 5187-4593).

Supposedly this is the best option: OVU400103/00 (p/n 5188-1667)

Other options include:
OVU400103/00 (p/n 5187-5049)
OVU422000/06 (p/n 5070-2584)

I found a 5188-1667 on ebay and am moving forward with it successfully.

I also turned down the transmission speed in IR 8.04 and that seems to have helped with the errors on the USB EEPROM JP1 cable. I have a box with 3 "backup" jp1 remotes for when my current one bites the dust so not having to buy a new cable is preferable.

sethjvm wrote:There are at least 3 different versions of the HP IR receiver. I was using the least user friendly version (PN 5187-4593).

That is the version that I have. I purchased it as a spare. I tested it when I received it, but I have not used it extensively (I am still using my original Dell-branded IR receiver).

What are the differences between these different versions of the HP receiver? (I didn't know that there were multiple versions!)

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

I did not realize the difference existed either. It is my understanding that the chipset is different thus the drivers are different.

I had difficulties getting the drivers for the 5187-4593 to load properly on my windows 8.1 x64 htpc. And when they did load, the receiver would occasionally disappear from the device manager after a reboot.

Additionally, Eventghost would not properly recognize IR events when everything was working. The MCE upgrade from the files section did work but Eventghost was not properly recognizing the IR events/inputs from the 8910.

My goal with Eventghost is to have certain browsers load certain sites or XBMC or WMC when I press the "blue", "green", "yellow" or "red" buttons.

sethjvm wrote:I had difficulties getting the drivers for the 5187-4593 to load properly on my windows 8.1 x64 htpc. And when they did load, the receiver would occasionally disappear from the device manager after a reboot.

Thanks for the info. I currently use 32-bit Vista, and the drivers for the HP IR receiver seemed to load without problem.

However, I too have problems with my Dell IR receiver disappearing from Windows "Device Manager" on wake from sleep or wake from hibernation (and once on a reboot!). Sigh

-- from CyberSimian in the UK