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Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2004 6:29 pm
by Mark Pierson
The Robman wrote:Actually, that's misleading.
Oops...

my bad!
That's what I get for rushing a reply just before dinner time! I'll go sit in the corner for a while (without my remotes)!

Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2004 6:42 pm
by The Robman
OK, you can come out now Marky and try and behave this time, OK?
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 10:19 pm
by stususs
The latest file is linked here.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jp1/files ... 071304.txt
After hours and hours and hours of trial and error I have finally replaced almost all of the learned keys with upgrade codes. Two tasks remain.
1. There is still a learned key for TV-Shift-Power. It is for a Zenith TV, code 0017, OBC 14, EFC 207, Hex B8. It is the only Zenith key that I need. I have tried to add it to the key moves section of IR, it has not worked. What do I need to do to remove it from the learned key section?
2. At your request I have learned the keys 0-9 from the Acer Keyboard to the DVD buttons. Jon Armstrong, you generously offered to create a protocol upgrade. When that project is completed, please explain what a protocol upgrade is and how I use it.
Thanks again,
Stu
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 7:56 am
by jon_armstrong
stususs wrote:The latest file is linked here.
1. There is still a learned key for TV-Shift-Power. It is for a Zenith TV, code 0017, OBC 14, EFC 207, Hex B8. It is the only Zenith key that I need. I have tried to add it to the key moves section of IR, it has not worked. What do I need to do to remove it from the learned key section?
I don't undersand why that didn't work. What device/key do you want it moved to?
2. At your request I have learned the keys 0-9 from the Acer Keyboard to the DVD buttons. Jon Armstrong, you generously offered to create a protocol upgrade. When that project is completed, please explain what a protocol upgrade is and how I use it.
Fortunately, we already have this as a device upgrade in KM files. I'll try to make a RM upgrade file for it, but it may be tomorrow until I can get to it.
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 12:15 pm
by jon_armstrong
Here is an RM upgrade file for the Acer Keyboard.
You need to add this entry to the protocols.ini file in RM:
[Acer Keyboard]
PID=01 11
DevParms=Device:4=15,Sub Device:3=0
DeviceTranslator=Translator(lsb,0,3,4) Translator(lsb,0,1,8,3) Translator(lsb,1,3,9)
FixedData=8E EC
CmdParms=OBC:7=0
CmdTranslator=Translator(lsb,0,7) XorCheck(1,7,0,7)
DefaultCmd=00
Notes=
Code.S3C80= 43 89 21 8B 0F 87 80 40 07 07 00 00 01 90 00 D2 00 BE E8 48 31 00 6C 06 78 05 47 77 06 E0 07 02 77 60 07 10 07 10 06 10 07 10 06 10 06 31 C0 E6 10 04 8D 01 46
BTW, I included a much longer file in the zip in the link above. It was mostly commented out but I wanted to document John Fine's original notes about the protocol he created for this device. But the file above is all you need to make it work.
As far as your key move, I can't do it either. For some reason it reverts to the short lead-in for Zenith if key moved in IR. If you use the manual method it does appear to work. I can't explain that. Maybe John or Rob has an idea.
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 1:27 pm
by stususs
To add text to protocols.ini, do I need to use a DOS editor and save the amended file as ASCII? Exactly how do I edit the file?
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 1:57 pm
by johnsfine
Any text editor will do. I normally use NotePad.
The file does need to be saved as ordinary text (not rich text nor any of the other special formats that the save-as dialog in many text editors will offer). Having opened a .ini file, which was ordinary text, most text editors will default to ordinary text if you Save rather than Save As.
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 5:06 pm
by jon_armstrong
jon_armstrong wrote:stususs wrote:The latest file is linked here.
1. There is still a learned key for TV-Shift-Power. It is for a Zenith TV, code 0017, OBC 14, EFC 207, Hex B8. It is the only Zenith key that I need. I have tried to add it to the key moves section of IR, it has not worked. What do I need to do to remove it from the learned key section?
I don't understand why that didn't work.
Now I do. The following explanation is pedantic and entirely unnecessary for you or any one else to understand or care about . You have my permission to skip to the last paragraph for the answer-- but if you REALLY want to know:
The Zenith protocol uses 5, 6, or 7 bits. The "device" in Zenith is the width of the command in bits. The sub-device is 0 is the lead-in sequence is a "single start" and 1 if it is a double start" Most Zenith TV's use 5.1 and Zenith cable boxes use 5.0
EFC's are always 8-bits. Those 8 bits are the encryption of what we call HEX (in the sense of the values you see in decodes in IR, key moves, and what RM calculates when you do a device upgrade). The OBC is a sub-set of HEX. In this case it's pretty easy to see what is going on.
UEIC frequently uses the unused bits to do things. Since they only need a maximum of 7-bits they decided to add a feature. In this case they use the top bit of hex for each command to pick the single or double start.
So if you had a Zenith TV and a Zenith cable box you could issue the commands from one device upgrade. Here are two commands Zenith:5.1:014 and Zenith:5.0:014
POWER EFC=211 8-bit HEX=38 Bin=0 01110 00 command=01110 OBC=14
POWER EFC=207 8-bit HEX=B8 Bin=1 01110 00 command=01110 OBC=14
I artificially separated the binary translation of the hex the top (left-most or most significant bit) is that spare bit that triggers something different. The two least significant (right-most) bits are ignored since this is a 5-bit command.
Using EFC 207 forces it to send the Cable power toggle command. EFC 211 will send the TV power toggle command that I assume you want.
Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:21 am
by stususs
Thank you Jon for telling me more than I can ever understand about Zenith remote codes.<gr> I do appreciate the last paragraph which explains that correct code for me to use.
You did teach me that for programming a wireless keyboard, I should push down the key once, briefly and not hold down the key as with normal device remotes. Now what is the proper method of programming a two key code like CTRL+ENTER? Which keys get pressed briefly and which gets held down?
Thank you again for your time.
Stu
Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:36 am
by stususs
To supplement my previous posting . . .
Here is my current file.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jp1/files ... 071504.txt
The button in question is for the DVD device, mapped to SHIFT+STOP. It is an eject command for the DVD. The keyboard strokes necessary for it are CTRL+ENTER. Have I programmed it correctly?
My other question is for the button in the DVD device mapped to SHIFT+SELECT. It is a command to bring up the on screen menu. The keyboard stroke necessary for it was a right mouse click. My keyboard has a button for a right mouse click which I have used to transmit the signal. Have I programmed it correctly?
Thanks, Stu
Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 2:17 pm
by jon_armstrong
First off, I apologize for putting a blank device upgrade in the Yahoo files. I just corrected that. If you learned those commands and they decoded then they should work. According to thinker4d's upgrade, it looks like CTRL is EFC 210 that you programmed on Shift-Stop, but I think you will also need an Enter command too.
I show Enter as EFC 176 assign that to a key (if you haven't done so already) and do a macro for the keys representing EFC 210|EFC 176. I believe that these keyboard commands are only the "make" commands so that should work.
I didn't see an EFC 012 in the file but if IR decoded something with AK-(and a bunch of 1's and 0's) then those EFC's should be correct.
Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:58 pm
by stususs
Hello,
The Acer Keyboard file you loaded contains two CTRL codes, one at EFC 197 and one at EFC 210. What is the difference?
There are two ALT codes, one at EFC 073 and one at EFC 078. What is the difference?
In your last post you asked me to look for EFC 012. That is not anywhere in the keyboard you loaded. What is 012?
Stu
Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:42 pm
by jon_armstrong
Stu,
I missed this post earlier. I don't know anything about the Acer Keyboard other than figuring out it's IR protocol with some help from John Fine. "thinker4d" had the keyboard and after John wrote the protocol for Acer KB "thinker4d" tested all 256 commands and posted the results.
You need to just test these commands to see what they do. It sounded like there were more than one key that did the same thing. I recall that John used some trickery to cram the command into 7-bits and EFC's are 8-bits so in theory there could be two valid EFC's for every command.
IIRC, you assigned EFC 012 to one of the DVD shifted keys.
Also you found these commands while my upgrade was blank earlier, so I'm guessing you decoded the learned commands in IR? Right?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:55 am
by jimdunn
stususs wrote:
The Acer Keyboard file you loaded contains two CTRL codes, one at EFC 197 and one at EFC 210. What is the difference?
There are two ALT codes, one at EFC 073 and one at EFC 078. What is the difference?
Stu
These could well be [Left CTRL key] and [Right CTRL key] (which are different physical keys)
which actually are differentiated between by some software, and send different scancodes
Same would go for [ALT] keys (and SHIFT)
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 10:37 am
by stususs
Jon, you instructed me as follows:
<<It looks like CTRL is EFC 210 that you programmed on Shift-Stop, but I think you will also need an Enter command too.
I show Enter as EFC 176 assign that to a key (if you haven't done so already) and do a macro for the keys representing EFC 210|EFC 176. I believe that these keyboard commands are only the "make" commands so that should work.>>
It does not work.
Again, this is intended to replace the CTRL+ENTER function on a keyboard. The instructions from above cause the CTRL and ENTER keys to be pressed in sequence. However, what I need is the equivalent of what is done on a keyboard when you are holding the CTRL key down while pressing ENTER once.
How do I replicate that?