[mythtv-users] IRK! Infrared Remote controlled USB keyboard project

[Andrew Armstrong]

Hi,

For those handy with a soldering iron I've started a new SourceForge 
project called IRK!

http://sourceforge.net/projects/irk-usb/

IRK! is an alternative to LIRC (on Linux) for people who want to control 
their MythTV system using a LEARNING infrared remote control.
This is an open-hardware Infrared Remote Controlled USB keyboard 
implemented using a PIC microcontroller and written in MikroC C-language.
IRK! enables you to use your LEARNING remote control to control any 
system that you can plug a USB keyboard into. It is operating-system 
agnostic.

"Open-hardware" means that you will need to be handy with a soldering 
iron, have reasonably advanced electronic circuit board assembly skills 
and have the equipment to be able to program a PIC microcontroller. I 
didn't say it was going to be easy!

Once you build the hardware and program the microcontroller with the hex 
code from sourceforge you can then select which keystrokes are to be 
programmed into your LEARNING infrared remote. IRK! will teach your 
LEARNING remote a code for each keystroke combination that you select. 
Once your remote has learned the code onto a button, pressing that 
button will cause IRK! to send the keystroke via USB to your MYTHTV system.

The beauty of this system is that IRK! doesn't need to recognise a 
zillion remote controls, and it doesn't need to conform to any 
particular remote control protocol standard.

Note, if you don't have a LEARNING remote control then IT WON'T WORK. 
And I can't vouch for all learning remotes. It works with mine, a 
TheaterMaster MX500.

IRK1 is completely free (GPL v3 license) and can be built by anyone.

Enjoy!