InfraRed

[RwGast]

I was looking at some eVB code to access and use the infrared port and it looked pretty easy. I was thinking maybe i or some elese should attempt to make a better infrared remote than pdawin, since it doesn't seam to work with alot of devices, but is that acually a hardware problem or is it just the crappy prog?

[RwGast]

Dude where have you been there is a tutorial on www.pdawin.com to build an infrared extender, and they have a remote cntrl app that sucks it doesn't work with some devices. Also infrared goes about 6ft from the ipaq at least. The point is to build in some marcro's or scripting or scripting lang so you can set your ppc down and leave, and have it control stuff while your away.

[Digby]

I nuked my message after I started reading the thread in another forum tv remotes.  <br><br><br>I'm curious as to what you would have your PPC do while you were away?  What needs to be controlled while you're out of the house?<br><br>

[Paul]

hmm... something to interface with my vcr/sky/tv etc to tape stuff... and the obvious heating systems, lights and kettles

[NYIllustrator]

The current remote software is terrible i couldnt get it to turn on my sony tv and the "learn function" doesnt seem to work either, so that would be a welcome prog im sure.

[RwGast]

You can have it maybe turn your cable box on to record a movie, Maybe you want your stereo to play at a certain time everyday. <br><br>Davanci i agree the software is a pos, i tried to get it to work on my cable box using learn and a swiched the beam length to every possible setting and it still didnt work. My question is, is does anyone know if the software is sh*t or if its acually maybe like incomatible types of infrared or somthing.

[Digby]

Hrm, my cable box, tv, and vcr all have timers.  I think my universal remote has that feature too (I've never used it).  <br><br>I have difficulty understanding why my audio system would need to turn on if I weren't home.  Maybe to make a burglar think I was home?  Of course then he's going to know I have something worth stealing.<br><br>Maybe it's just me, but I usually take my iPaq with me when I leave the house.  It has info and other important stuff (i.e. games) that I need as I run around.  Andy now you're going to ask me leave it at home so it can turn on my TV when I'm not there?  I'm a bit baffled by that one.<br><br>

[RwGast]

Well, I dunno other people seam to find this useful and the software pdawin made sucks, you could just use your  ipaq as a unversial remote, if you dont want to do any of that other stuff. Another idea (for rich people at least) is to  use it to turn your lights on. My cad teacher's parents own a construction/drafting company that builds mansions and he told me that people had infrared switches installed so they can use them to have there palm piolets turn the switches on. Maybe thats not to practical but its cool .

[RwGast]

Does anyone know any docs about how remotes work? All my remotes just flash the sam char into the ipaq an a with an accent mark, so obviously theres some way to decode what a remote sends or it has a pattern to it. I would very much appreciate it if anyone can help me that knows alot about infrared and remote controls.

[Digby]

<br><br>and this...<br><br><br><br>What are you using to view the data on the Pocket PC device?<br><br>

[RwGast]

I was sending the data to the ppc device with a tv remote and having eVB msgbox the input from the infrared. The remote would send a bunch of the same ascii char then some blanks then the chars again, in what may have been patterns.

[RwGast]

Hmmm that second doc you linked me to says that the ipaq does not support CIR (Consumer InfraRed) with is what tv's and vcr's etc use. But it has to how else could pdawin make a remote.

[Digby]

It says that the iPaq documentation states that it doesn't officially support it.  Whether you can cajole it into working is another matter.<br><br>My Schwinn Stingray bike didn't support jumping 11 trash cans either. <br><br>

[RwGast]

Im still tryin to figure this stuff out, hopefully i will. But check this out maybe i can get some software written that would let you program your remote into the ipaq and then write some software to send the remote commands through the usb cable on the cradle to your computer and have the commands run run a specified script on the computer. So you could build thre IR extender and then control your computer by remote, uses would include VCD DVD and mp3's, well really you could write a script to do whatever but those seam most usefull.

[Digby]

Or you could pony up $49 and buy .<br><br>