[mythtv-users] Scientific Atlanta 4250 mce blaster

[Dale Pontius]

Al McIntosh wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 7:26 PM, Dale Pontius <DEPontius at edgehp.net> wrote:
> 
>> Al McIntosh wrote:
>>> On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 6:24 PM, Al McIntosh wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hey,
>>>>  Is any one controlling a Scientific Atlanta 4250 with an mce blaster?
>>>> There is no lirc.conf for it in the database.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I figured it out, the Scientific Atlanta Explorer_2000 in the lirc.conf
>>> database does work. The issue was, the IR emitter must be accurately
>> fixed
>>> on the STB IR receiver, it can not be off even by a mm.
>>>
>> Which model of SA 4250 are you working with?  I have the SA 4250C, but
>> there's also a SA 4250HDC, or something like that.  The latter sounds
>> much more sophisticated than the simple thing I have.  I had heard that
>> the IR control was fairly normal, but very physically ticklish to set up.
>>
>>
> 
> I have the HDC model. The little light emitters that come with the MCE and
> hauppage blasters have such a short range I cut one off and soldered an IR
> emitter, salvaged from an old remote, back in it's place. This works much
> better with increased range. I have uncovered another issue though my
> Samsung LCD is emitting IR interference. The blaster works flawlessly when
> the TV is off, when it's on the blaster is completely unreliable.
> 
> I feel my safest option is to buy 6pin to 6pin firewire and use that.
> 
I have the plain old 4250C, no firewire.  I have no idea how similar the
two boxes are, other than that the C is simply DTV for NTSC, and the HDC
obviously does HD, has firewire, etc.  Mind does have a USB connector on
the front.  I suspect I could plug a USB keyboard into it and likely
control things with the numeric keypad, arrow keys, and likely a few
more keys, making it act like a remote control.  But of course this is
all undocumented.  As for the Linux side, there is "USB gadgets" suport,
and one of their to-do items was a keyboard, but apparently that has
never been done.  Otherwise it might well be an alternative solution.

Listening to your blaster problems, I think I need to use a sheet of
paper and the Comcast remote, and find the exact location of the IR
receiver.  I also have an IR repeater which would likely be better for
testing this than trying to push codes through MythTV->lirc->hauppauge
card->blaster->SA4250C.

Dale Pontius