Being a tinkerer, I thought it would be fun to try to write a few aps for the remote. I got the remote from my brother and went to work.
I quickly realized that this was not going to be a five minute deal.
The code samples below represent solutions to the problems I encountered during development of my programs. The .zip files contain source code, an .exe created from the source code, and in some cases sample schematics.
I have tried to give credit were credit is due but most of this stuff was compiled during frantic searches on the internet for code snippets and I have forgotten were I got some of it.
Please, send me an E-mail if you see anything that looks familiar and let me know who wrote it.
If the information here can help out just one person suffering through a project than it will all have been worth it.
Onani.
WinLIRC that's how !
This easy to use program is free and the website has a great deal of information concerning it's use.
The developers page of the WinLIRC website has this covered.
I borrowed some of the Visual Basic code provided by Martin Kubik and created two sample programs to allow you to connect to the WinLIRC server.
The first sample uses the Visual Basic Winsock 6.0 control to connect to the server and the second sample uses the Winsock 6.0 control and Assaf Rozenblatt's ActiveX control Infrared.ocx
I have not commented the source code of these samples yet. I will add them as soon as I have time.
This program simulates the look and functionality of the Packard Bell fast media remote and the WinLIRC server.
This dll written by Fred Bulback works with Windows 9x and Windows 2000/XP.
Fred's website has all the information needed to use the dll but as a novice VB programmer I wasn't sure how to use it until I found this excellent tutorial created by Jim Fuller. I am sorry to say that Jim is no longer with us, but his work lives on.
When running these programs you could use a HP mixed signal DSO to verify that the parallel port is doing what you want it to like I did, or, you could download Fred Bulback's Parallel Port Monitor and do about the same job for free.
The sample program let's you enter the data to send and select the data or control port of the parallel port to send it to.
The simplified schematic shows connections to the parallel port and buffering needed to prevent damage to the parallel port when driving external devices.
The simplified schematic shows connections to the parallel port, buffering, and chip select signal inversion required to control six SPI devices with the sample program.
The signal timing diagram shows the serial pulse transition timing generated by the sample program. Testing shows the pulse width to be stable and accurate down to about 25 uSec's.
The sample program is written to control a HD44780 based LCD module. It may need modification if you are using a LCD module with another type of controller. More HD44780 information is available here.
The schematic shows the wiring for a direct connection to the parallel port. This should work on all systems but since the parallel port provides power for the LCD module the contrast may be minimal.
The LCD module pinouts shown on the schematic are for a 2x16, non-backlit, LCD module I scrounged up.
The signal names shown should be the same for all LCD modules but the pin numbers may be different. Please refer to the datasheet for the LCD module you plan to use.
The GPIB commands and the address of the GPIB device are contained in a text configuration file.
Selecting a configuration file sets the GPIB address and populates command buttons with a functional description and the actual GPIB commands to send to the GPIB device.
The included sample configuration file demonstrates the format used to configure the GPIB device address and the command buttons. Line 1 - GPIB device address. Line 2 - Command button description. Line 3 - GPIB command to send to the GPIB device. Repeat the description and command line pairs (Lines 2 and 3) for as many GPIB commands as required. (22 command buttons total.)
The simplified schematic shows the parallel port to GPIB device connections required.
The zip file includes a PCB123 layout file and BOM for a parallel port to GPIB device adapter board.