Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

I'm using QSettings to keep track of user preferences already. But, for hundreds of keysets each of which contains dozens of strings and hundreds of integers? I didn't really think it would be up to that sort of task...

But yeah, let me take a look at it. :) Thanks!

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Thanks for checking out the pioneer amp. I'll try it again. On a separate note, assuming all remotes work for people, would it be possible to create a personal remote tab/page. I only use 2 or 3 buttons on each remote. It would be so cool to add individual buttons from keysets to your personal remote tab. TV input, on/off and volume, sat box channel up/down, amp input and volume. You get the idea. If this was possible, you could add an option to remove all other keys and keep the memory hogging to a minimum, not that I have a notion what I'm talking about.

Apologies if this has been mentioned before, I've been trying to keep a close eye on this thread.

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Ah, the ultimate user interface! This is a question to strike fear into my heart -- I'm not much of a GUI person, so creating a fairly decent static interface is hard enough for me, let alone a good dynamic one. :) I can't imagine how much work that would take...

But yeah, this really is what the QtIrreco guys were going after with their product. In fact, it may be the case that you can control multiple devices today with QtIrreco; I'm not sure, I never really used it that much.

My guiding principle for Pierogi has been to determine a (fairly) common set of commands used by the majority of remote controls, lay them out in a fairly usable interface, and allow the user to quickly map devices to that layout one after the other. (This is, more or less, what most "universal" remote controls do.) And I'll probably want to continue following this principle for at least the near future. But certainly, there's no reason why Pierogi's keyset backend couldn't be connected to a more dynamic GUI. In fact, I suspect you could marry QtIrreco's front-end to Pierogi's data, if you really wanted to. Might be something to look in to...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Originally Posted by peterleinchen

request for
Metz Axio Pro Tv
and
Bose 3-2-1 DVD Home Entertainment System

Hey Copernicus,

many thanks for the Bose remote. I am now able to control it via N900! :)
For the Metz TV I have added some more info about the remote model to wiki request: it is a RM14 (RM11, RM14, RM15). Hope you will find something...

One question: where did you find the info for the Bose? I have tested from lirc.sf.net/remotes and they did not work.

Again, thank you.

--edit
searched a bit, but could find only some sellers providing universal remotes, saying they will do all the programming. So the commands are out there (somewhere).
This one could be a candidate, if it helps at all:
ASIN: B00588ESA2
But maybe it is also just a programmed universal.

The Metz RM11 and RM14 and RM15 are compatible.

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Great! :)

Thank you! But yeah, all I can find right now is one somewhat iffy config file for a Metz RM51 (which is, I think, a VCR). This may take some work...

The hifi_remote website had a couple of config files for the Bose 3-2-1. They've got a vast archive of configuration data, meant for use with the "One For All" line of universal remotes. Compared to the LIRC's archive, their file system is a real mess (which I'm sure you know is saying something, if you've already looked through the LIRC's set of files), but they've got the most remote code information I've been able to find anywhere. Here's a link to their site:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload.php

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

I am wondering if you are up to implementing some weird keysets like this one http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/canon/RC-1_RC-5 for controlling DSLR cameras. They usually have a few buttons and I don't know how well they are going to fit in your layout. Of course there is pyCake but yet again it uses the LIRC daemon... If you don't think it would be appropriate to include them I'd give it a try and code a small app for it (probably ripping some of your code :D )

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

It is not that hard... what language do you use? i have some sourcecode in C that i could share with you.

Yes you can, and it is probably the only advantage qtirreco has over pierogi right now.
Personally i have dozens of boxes spread out that i only use a few buttons on each, and with qtireco i culd fit most of them in the same "remote" but when i got out of gui-space i also got into trouble and had to create new remotes for different places: like home1, home2 and so forth which got a bit messy when i had to change remote.

Yes please ;)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Wow -- that particular config file defines only two commands, one that sends a "0" and another that sends a "1". That is pretty odd. :)

Actually, looking at the other Canon keysets, a lot of them are using the usual media keys (play/ff/rewind/record/etc.), which would fit fairly well into my existing media page. I'll take a closer look if there are commands that just wouldn't make sense in the layout.

Which brings up a question I should have asked folks here earlier -- a while back, during the various changes made to the Pierogi UI, the record button got bumped off the Media tab and on to the Misc tab. Then, it was migrated to the "Media 2" tab. Then, it got bumped off the UI altogether. I'm planning on eventually adding an entire tab dedicated to recording and timing keys, but until then, I could add the record button back to the Media tab if there is interest in it.

Please do! It should be available for download in the garage. (If that doesn't work, I could make a garage-based "file release", although I don't really know how to do that yet...)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

I'm mostly a C++ kind of guy, but I can manage a number of other languages when needed. :) But right now, I am still mostly concentrating on getting the backend working right. (I'm finally starting on that effort to slim down the amount of memory usage...)

But yes, once the backend is cleaned up a bit more, I could see it put to use with lots of different front-ends, from widgets to custom-built screens to the classic universal button layout...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

u can do something to allow changing the main buttons, to allow people to put their 4-5 buttons they use?

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

I'm not entirely sure; I'm using Qt for my interface, but I'm no expert on the workings of Qt. I'm using their most basic button widgets laid out mostly in a series of grids on a tabbed window. I really don't know just how much can be done to change the contents of the GUI.

Now, on the other side, I have absolutely no problem remapping those buttons to new functions, as you can tell whenever you change keysets. That part is easy. I just don't know enough GUI workings to change labels or icons or button layouts on the fly...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

What's going to get bumped of the Media page to add record back in? There's not a lot of space.

Myself, I would like to see Media 2 and Input out of secondary and put in with the main tabs then put favourite up into the menu.
Favourites are now only needed to save them as selection is easy with the volume buttons.

As regards "odd" keysets like A/C and other equipment.
I have started a section in the wiki to try to explain these key mappings, using a snippet from an earlier post.

Although I don't use many Air-Con units over here in sunny England :rolleyes:, I find the key mappings are a bit odd.
Example would, "Red" for Hotter, "Blue" for Colder, "Mute" for Fan, Numbers "1-3" for Fan Speed and maybe "0" for Swing; not make more sense? (possibly mentioned in earlier post)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

"Eject" seems the most likely to boot off that tab, I think. But yeah, its a problem. :)

Hmm... That might just work. (I got into trouble before putting too many tabs at the top of the window, we'll have to check with a few themes to make sure they don't get pushed off the side.)

Thank you! I've been trying to figure out a good way to explain some of my stranger key mappings to users, this will help.

Yes, absolutely. I really just mapped them to number keys for testing purposes (not that I have an A/C to test against, I just wanted to make sure hitting the buttons didn't cause any errors). In fact, I've been mapping the more recent A/Cs (like Sharp's A/C) this way:

"power" -> Power key
"Fan Faster" -> Volume Up key
"Fan Slower" -> Volume Down key
"Temp/Timer+" -> Channel Up key
"Temp/Timer-" -> Channel Down key
"Energy Save" -> Green key
"Cool" -> Blue key
"Fan" -> Yellow key
"Timer" -> Sleep key
"Auto/Cool" -> Info key

But yeah, I've really been throwing these in without doing much thought or providing any explanation. :) The fact that the buttons in the various air conditioners don't match each other doesn't make things any easier, either. This really requires a bit more thought than I've given it...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Nice :) i am looking forward to it...

I have noticed that you import all the remotes yourself from many different sources: Have you thought about a conversionprogram or something similar, that would make it possible for any user to import their own ircodes, without being dependant of your work?

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Hi Copernicus, thank you!!

I am using the Philips TV Keyset 1 and the LG TV Keyset 1C and both work very well. Now if only I could give the N900 more range... oh well.. Thanks again!!

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

I've pretty much given up on creating any automation for converting the existing config files. Trying to pull codes out of the LIRC data is surprisingly painful, as I've probably explained earlier. :) With the amazing collection of settings, formats, and options available, no two LIRC config files are the same, even when they describe the same data. The JP1 data is somewhat better, but is split between two or three different competing formats (and has even less coordination than the LIRC does).

Moreover, I'm really not trying to do what either of these two groups do -- I don't want to bother trying to emulate individual remote controls. It is easy to see that many devices share the same IR "language", and I don't see why an intelligent remote control app couldn't take advantage of that fact. So I'm trying to create these "keysets", which are synthetic combinations of compatible remote control languages.

I guess, In short, you could say I'm playing around with the data as I enter it. :)

Once the backend code crystallizes a bit more, it should be easier to construct a method to enter in remote codes. But I don't think it will ever be as easy to do in Pierogi as it is with LIRC or JP1...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Cool, I'm glad to hear that they are working for you! (Especially the Philips, as I can't test that one myself...)

I'm getting fairly decent range with my N900; at least, it can reach from the couch to the TV as well as most of my remotes can. Are you getting only very short range with yours? (I've seen one person report that they are only getting 1 meter distance with their N900's IR.)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Speaking of automation. I have a keychain remote similar to this:

http://m2.sourcingmap.com/smapimg/en...hain-1172n.jpg

How it works is, you have to preset it to the tv set by holding down the mute button. You release it when the tv you are trying to preset mutes. Normally all the other keys will then work for the tv you are controlling.

The reason I bring this up is to ask whether or not you plan on such implementation for your program? I have gone through all the LG keysets and none of them seem to work. It would be nice if the program automatically went through all the keysets and stopped on a keyset that works (ie a samsung keyset might work on the LG tv I have if all the LG ones don't...)

Otherwise, thanks for working on the program and the recent update. It looks good and the GUI is very user friendly. Just wished that finding the correct remote is made easier as I haven't had any luck yet.

Cheers,
Fred

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

@ copornicus
reqesting for sony tv remote RM-GA016. existing sets not working. thanks in advance

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Sharing a bad experience with Pierogi :

Yesterday I was visiting a friend. He is using LG M-2262D model TV/Monitor on his computer, to give some amusement I fired up Pierogi and shut down his monitor first, then up again. Nice I said, LG TV Keyset 1 works with this one :) . Then I tried to change the Input to switch the monitor to TV mode. I am not sure, I might have pressed another key more, but suddenly the TV/Mointor was in flashing mode :(

After that, no matter which keyset combination we tried, we were not able to take it out of flashing mode, even with the original remote and any instructions we tried from searches in internet. I had to leave with after 1 hour of trial & error, and still have no face to give him a call and ask if he solved it.

So the lesson: Don't play with other people's devices

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Copernicus it worked. I now have n900 remote controll for my Andersson tv. Thanks

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Ack! Yes, please be careful with this program, not only because it is still in development mode, but because you really can do bad things to other devices with it!

That said, one of the detriments of this program is that it lacks sufficient documentation. Looking at the LG command set, I can see that there are two different "input" commands right around the same value, and I've only got one of them mapped. What most likely happened is that I've got one of the "discrete" input commands mapped (so it only switches the TV to use a particular port, it doesn't "toggle" back). Hopefully, all you need to do is find the control on the original device that changes the input.

My own Samsung tv/monitor will start flashing the LED when switched to use a port that is providing no data. It even remembers the port setting when turned off and on again. So I'm hopeful that's all that is going on with the LG...

Again, please be careful with this program!

EDIT: I downloaded the LG manual for that monitor, and it includes something I've never seen before anywhere: it contains the actual IR commands for the device, even describing how IR works (with diagrams of the waveform)! I have new respect for the LG company!

Anyway, looking at their table, the code that Pierogi's "Input" button is mapped to in that keyset is the value "11" (or "0B" in hexadecimal), which turns out to indeed be a code that changes the TV's input port. You should be able to change the input back by using the console's input button (the one farthest to the left of the group on the bottom right side of the console), or by using the "input" button on the original remote control (if you have it).

You can download the manual from here:

http://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-M2262D-PM#

I will go ahead and enter the data from this manual and create a new keyset. :)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Yes, other folks have brought up this idea, and I myself was looking into it when I started this project. To be completely honest, though, it is quite possible that none of the keysets currently in Pierogi will work with your TV; this code is still in development, and still has huge gaps in its internal database. (Not to mention that it is still undergoing testing.)

My plans are still to concentrate on getting a more complete, functional, and efficient back-end system running before adding this sort of feature. (In particular, if your TV didn't mute, it'd be hard to tell if it was due to a bug in Pierogi or due to the fact that Pierogi just didn't have the right keyset yet...)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Yes, there seems to be a problem with Pierogi in general with the Sony TVs... I need to continue digging into the protocol, it must have a bug in it somewhere. Thanks!

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

LG TV Keyset 1 works fine for all the LG's I have used, friends and my own.
So should the wrong keyset cause problems on other TV's or would this be classed as a bug in Pierogi?

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Hmm. Ultimately, this has to be seen as a bug in Pierogi. The TV appears to be responding correctly to the command given to it; it's just that there wasn't enough information provided by Pierogi (or, for that matter, from the TV either) to let the user know what was going on.

If keysets can have mappings with subtle differences like this (such as one device interpreting a code as a "toggle" button and another as a "discrete" button), I'll need to make that possibility plain to the user. Probably this would mean taking the "Input" button off the Utility tab and making a more complete, informative page of input controls. Or something like that.

But yeah, I do want this to be a universal remote control, so buttons that do not do what you expect have to be considered a bug...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

That would be a shame, I use the Input button a lot; on that LG Keyset as well.
But, I agree if Pierogi is to become stable it can't be doing funny things to equipment on any Keyset.

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

This app is just MUST HAVE.
See it from My-maemo back in January.
Tested on Philips sat receiver DSR2210 & on A LCD samsung TV. it work just well.even at 10 meters.
I tested on my RCA RS2652 but it hardly work (at 5-10 cm). (remote RS 2652)
So easy to easy Compared to QtIrreco.
No Internet connection needed for new device. Unless...
It's just cool to see an app that work nice and comfortable for N900.
BIG THANKS.

My request:
A desktop widget

Please, can you add remote for Technics too (SC-HD310 / SC-HD350 models)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Well, this is just talking about my preference for the official Pierogi app. If I can get the back-end code into shape, there shouldn't be anything stopping folks from creating their own personal front-ends to the IR control system. :)

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

thanks.. its the only ir app that works...
I have a question...
is it just me or n900's ir doesn't work's more then 5 ft

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Unless you have no coding skills.

What keyset and equipment are you controlling?

Although I have to be fairly accurate I get at least 16 feet on the keysets I am using.

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

no I haven't tested it on any device yet since I am away home rite nw.. I just tested that this app is working via CAMERA.. but before. this app only ir widget worked for me and I used it on my 27" Sony.. it worked but never more then 5ft...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

And that is probably the main reason that pierogi is better than those other applications. Continue on that track. One thing that could be very useful is to document the process of converting remotes to pierogi's format in the wiki. So maybe other users can contribute keysets.

Finally, on the ui side, I believe QML would be ideal for pierogi. Changing labels, and even layouts is easier than ever.

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

The one thing I can say about contributing keysets is that I've been trying to make Pierogi conform to the original manufacturer's protocols. This means that the actual numeric values intended for each command are used, and Pierogi does any necessary conversions or manipulations necessary to construct the associated infrared pulses.

In most protocols, you'll have a combination of a "device code" and a "command code". For example, there's an excellent collection of the Sony codes at http://www.hifi-remote.com/sony/, the only downside of which is that they don't keep track of which commands are associated with which devices. (This isn't as big a problem for Sony as for other manufacturers, as Sony does an amazing job of maintaining backwards-compatibility.) If you take a look at their television codes, you'll see they are arranged in tables, with each table labeled with a device code, and each row labeled with a command code. These device/command integers are exactly the ones used in Pierogi.

Ah, as someone fluent in C++, I've gotta admit that I'm quite comfortable with the classic Widget system. :) But yeah, it should be quite possible to place other front-ends onto Pierogi...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Tried sony tv keysets but it didnt work. Remote control is Sony RM-GA002. I will try other keysets and see if it works. Btw, very intuitive UI

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Ahhahhahahaaaha hahahaha...haahhahahhahahahahahahahahahaahahahahah ahahaa. *cough cough* *splutter splutter* *drops dead*

That's the funniest things I've heard all morning. Thanks for the laugh. I can just imagine the conversation between you and your mate. It would be along the lines of...

You: Check out how awesome my n900 is *turns off monitor*
Mate: Cool, what else can it do?
You: *click click click*
TV: *flash flash flash*
Mate: Ermmm, is it supposed to do that???
You:*runs and hides*

Anyway, so you don't think I'm a ******. have you tried power cycling the monitor? In normal circumstances, that should restart everything back to normal.

Good luck.
Fred

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Yes, other people have mentioned that the Sony TV keysets are not working. I went through them with a fine-toothed comb today, and I just cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. From every source I've got, the data looks right. The commands being sent to the IR device driver look right. I have no trouble controlling my Sony DVD player, which uses the same protocol (although not the same keyset).

I'm stumped. There's something very strange going on here...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Actually, if I'm interpreting the series of events correctly, the TV/Monitor has been switched to an input port that isn't currently connected to anything. Most TVs and monitors I've seen will maintain the input setting through a power cycle. You have to manually change the input back to a port that is connected before you'll see anything. (Unplugging might work, though...)

I would love to get confirmation from someone whether the Input key is not letting you toggle back to the original input port on that TV. I'm not absolutely sure at this point whether the key means different things to different LG tvs or not...

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

I just tested the logitech keyset. The keys that exist work fine, but I am missing the function that switches between inputs. Is it present on the config file? If it is and you fancy adding it, please do.

Another device for your list is the epson TW-700 projector.

Thanks again

Re: [Announce] Pierogi - a universal infrared remote control app
 

Another Pierogi update is now making its way into the extras-devel repository. The big news this time is that it is now more memory efficient! Through the simple expedient of not initializing keyset data until absolutely necessary, much less space is used. I would now say Pierogi has moved from being "Extravagantly Wasteful" to "Merely Inefficient". :)

This still isn't a full-fledged keyset management scheme, but it's a decent first step. And at around 10% of memory, Pierogi is getting closer to being widgetizable.

However, this required a fairly massive amount of code modification, so be warned -- there are likely more bugs in this update than normal!

In other news, I believe I have fixed a bug in the Sky/Sky+ protocol, so those keysets may work better now. Also, made a first pass at keysets for HP and Motorola.

(On HP -- some of the config files for HP remotes were using plain vanilla Microsoft MCE codes, and some were using a slightly modified MCE keyset. The HP keyset in Pierogi is just the modified one, so you may need to try both Microsoft and HP to find one that works for you.)