[mythtv-users] Getting HVR-1600 IR receiver to work

[Jarod Wilson]

On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 5:48 PM, faginbagin <mythtv at hbuus.com> wrote:
>
>
> Jarod Wilson wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 1:54 AM, faginbagin <mythtv at hbuus.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>>> I was hoping that mythbuntu lucid (2.6.32) would work out of the box, but
>>> a
>>> short trial with the beta 2 live CD didn't seem to work. Maybe my problem
>>> was that I was trying to use lirc instead of keyboard emulation that I
>>> gather is making its way into the kernel?
>>
>> No, "making its way" does not equate to "present in a kernel that was
>> released more than four months ago". :) The work we're currently doing
>> is more likely destined for 2.6.35.
>
> This is where I get confused. Mark is suggesting using keyboard emulation
> and apparently has it working with 2.6.32. You seem to be suggesting
> keyboard emulation is not functional in 2.6.32.

I figured you were talking about the new ir-core bits in the v4l/dvb
tree, which handle most remotes as pure input layer devices (similar
to keyboards). Not sure what Mark you're referring to, but there *is*
an ir-kbd-i2c module that can bind to many i2c IR receivers, but its
nothing new, been around for ages. It does behave keyboard-ish too.

>>> Or perhaps there's some kernel
>>> modules and/or package I need to download/compile or some other bit of
>>> magic
>>> I need to do?
>>
>> I believe you need either lirc_i2c or lirc_zilog, not sure which.
>
> How would I nail this down? modprobing? Will modprobing the right module
> create a /dev/lirc0 or do I need to look for some other device? I recall
> some confusion about device names and what to reference in /etc/init.d/lirc
> when I tried to do this last fall.

Does your card have a receiver only? If so, you probably want
lirc_i2c. If its got a receiver and transmitter, lirc_zilog. (lirc_i2c
has no transmitter support, lirc_zilog is an updated lirc_pvr150,
which was originally a fork of lirc_i2c).

> I welcome thoughts on lirc vs keyboard emulation, like which might provide
> the best user experience in 2.6.32? Right now, I'm wondering which to try
> first. Has anyone played with both and formed an opinion?

Both can be used with lirc, so there's really not a big difference in
the end, if you want to control mythtv. The input layer ("keyboard
emulation") route Just Works for anything that knows how to talk
native linux input layer without requiring any end-user configuration
work, but mythtv is not in that class (yet).

> I'll check the kernel config files and /lib/modules to see what's there in
> both karmic & lucid. When the time comes, I'll also be installing to a
> separate partition on her system. I'll make sure there's some way to use the
> IR receiver before swapping video cards. Does that make sense?

Sure, sounds like a plan.

-- 
Jarod Wilson
jarod at wilsonet.com