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Full Version: [WINDOWS] HOW-TO use a Logitech Harmony Remote with XBMC
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Thanks for providing this guide. I'm new here but the screenshots are not available. Can you provide an alternate link to the screenshot images?
sufreak Wrote:Create a shortcut to XBMC. Assign F6 or another hotkey to that shortcut in the Shortcut properties, then map that key to a button on the harmony.

So if I ever need, I can exit out of XBMC (teach it a sequence), or start it up.

Also make sure that the shortcut is in the start menu or desktop.
I'm not sure what setting is causing this, but when I chose my XBMC activity with my PC already on, it shuts off my PC. Any idea whats going on?
oBMTo Wrote:I'm not sure what setting is causing this, but when I chose my XBMC activity with my PC already on, it shuts off my PC. Any idea whats going on?

In Harmony setup, Go to the Activities page (the first tab on the left) and click the Settings button for the XBMC activity, and then choose "Review the settings for this Activity". On the screen under 2 columns "Device Status / Actions" you will find the XBMC activity sequence. If you copy/paste this sequence and post here, we'll be able to see better what's going on.

Usually, this is caused by the PC power ON/OFF state is out of sync with the Harmony memory. So when you start the activity it will shut off the PC (because its memory indicates that the PC is OFF while it's already ON]). And it can be fixed by using the Harmony remote Help button. However, it's hard to tell if that's the only problem. Help feature will fix the out-of-sync problem once, but it might come back if the sequence of activity, or the PC Power setting is incorrect.
Great Thread Here guys - hopefully someone can help me - Im going on 3 nights here with no luck.

Harmony 880 (been a user for years)
Streamzap IR Reciever
XBMC on Win7 Box

Programmed Harmony with the MCE Keyboard options and customized the buttons.

I cannot get any Keyboard strokes to work via Harmony.

I read through this whole thread and on page 9 there is this info:

Quote:Page 9 brandonjcreek
jul 2010
It's weird... All of the MCE Remote commands are working just fine, but I can't get MCE Keyboard to do anything. I have a Harmony One, and would like to setup a subtitle toggle in the additional buttons menu, but in order for me to do that I have to have the MCE Keyboard working, the subtitle option for the MCE Remote doesn't do anything. Anyone else experiencing the same issue?

And then vanOert responds with:


Those special keys are not mapped in XBMC to the ones WMC uses. Have a look at the keyboard.xml to figure it out.

So is the guide on page one for WMC or for XBMC?

I run XBMC do I have to edit the keyboard.xml file to get this to work?

For example I want to map the Info button to the keystroke I


Many thanks in advance ...
dugan26 Wrote:Great Thread Here guys - hopefully someone can help me - Im going on 3 nights here with no luck.

Harmony 880 (been a user for years)
Streamzap IR Reciever
XBMC on Win7 Box

Programmed Harmony with the MCE Keyboard options and customized the buttons.

I cannot get any Keyboard strokes to work via Harmony.

I read through this whole thread and on page 9 there is this info:



So is the guide on page one for WMC or for XBMC?

I run XBMC do I have to edit the keyboard.xml file to get this to work?

For example I want to map the Info button to the keystroke I


Many thanks in advance ...

This guide is for XBMC. And no, to map Info button to I, there is no need to modify keyboard.xml. Just map it on the Harmony activity. Sometime people forgot to do that, be sure to map it on the device and the activity. The device mapping will come in handy sometime. However, the activity mapping is all that counts.

Also, is the Streamzap IR Receiver a RC6 receiver?
So I just found this regarding the streamzap in a remote control forum:

StreamZap is a nonstandard extension of the RC5 protocol. The MCE protocol is a nonstandard extension of the RC6 protocol.

They are not the same protocol.

An MCE does not natively understand the Streamzap protocol.

I understand that someone was able to control his MCE using the Streamzap protocol. I assume that required adding to the MCE hardware and/or software that was purchased with the StreamZap remote.

I guess im out of luck ... but if i did have a RC6 receiver, the following config should just work?
Can you recommend one to buy?

Image
dugan26 Wrote:So I just found this regarding the streamzap in a remote control forum:

StreamZap is a nonstandard extension of the RC5 protocol. The MCE protocol is a nonstandard extension of the RC6 protocol.

They are not the same protocol.

An MCE does not natively understand the Streamzap protocol.

I understand that someone was able to control his MCE using the Streamzap protocol. I assume that required adding to the MCE hardware and/or software that was purchased with the StreamZap remote.

I guess im out of luck ... but if i did have a RC6 receiver, the following config should just work?
Can you recommend one to buy?

Image

If you have RC6 receiver, it should work fine. I'm using the Philips OVU4003/00 OEM which is sold under various brands such as Dell. Ebay has this right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-Media-Cent...230ba3325a

Also look for HP RC6 receiver on Ebay. As long as it's RC6, you're safe.
The streamzap remote is indeed a modified rc5 one. But the receiver is generic, it has a little bit of a low sampling frequency but you can use most remote controls with it. You can with winlirc anyway :p
Quote:The streamzap remote is indeed a modified rc5 one. But the receiver is generic, it has a little bit of a low sampling frequency but you can use most remote controls with it.

any thoughts on IF my Harmony 890 should work?
Well,
I've had a little time to work on winlirc recently. Anyhow, the guys at streamzap donated me a remote and gave me a dll which I could used to interface their device. The dll basically allows you to see the raw signal, but it had some critical bugs in it which meant, even though in theory the hardware could be used with a bunch of other remotes, because of this bug it couldn't. It would still work with some, but things like signal repeats were broken. I found the bug and reported it to the streamzap guys, but they never got around to fixing it. Anyhow, I decided to skip their dll totally, since it is flawed and talk to the hardware directly. But since there is no example code of how to do this I had to do it entirely from scratch based on nothing. Anyway, after a few hours digging through the registery and looking at the assembly of the dll they provided, I've basically worked out how to talk to the device directly, better yet I've already finished a working prototype plugin for it lol.

Quote:any thoughts on IF my Harmony 890 should work?
yeah i should think so :p with my new dll anyway lol

Heres my streamzap receiver graphing my firefly mini remote
Image
Ok,

Been following this thread for some time and thanks to everyone that has been plugging away trying to solve both their problems and eevryone elses. Good job all. Thought it was time to sign-up and add for once.

This is a response to all the Harmony users that are having the issue with looping commands or repeated looping in XBMC. I had the same problem. Been digging around this thread and then did some experiments and I've come to the conclusion it's a case of too many IR receivers in the kitchen (sorta speak). I have both an iMON case and RC6 IR reciever and been hitting my head over this issue for close to two weeks. All the looping cases have one factor in common, it seems, and it's that we all have an iMON case. I've been trying to solve mine for some time and lately been trying hard to see how many times I can and can't duplicate it and it was interesting. I can duplicate it a lot!

It seems that if you set-up iMON manager with XBMC commands and have your remote set for MCE (within iMON) that is a sure win for looping in XBMC. Try setting the remote, under iMON manager -> Remote Controls to iMON PAD ( it was the only one that worked for me). I also tried un-installing iMON but the ir that's built into the case will still cause looping. I also tried disconnecting the LED/IR Receivers from the chasis and that worked well but lost my precious Power on/off remote feature I like so much.

So, here goes;

Right click on the floating iMON Desktop Utility
-> go to iMON Manager
-> go to Settings
-> go to Remote Control
-> change remote control to "iMON PAD" and hit "reset"

Should work right away. You may have to setup XBMC to be a program for use under Program Commander under Settings as well. And Paco has a great .IMO file with his key bindings all programmed in.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=bf18d...b9a8902bda

Really hope that works for you all, it did for me. Respond if it has or has not solved your issues and I will try and work out other solutions.

Mckron
Topic is kinda useless for me without those pictures?!?!? Sad
RavenNL Wrote:Topic is kinda useless for me without those pictures?!?!? Sad

The pics on the first page were hosted at VanOert's site. VanOert has been quiet lately. If those were uploaded somewhere, we can try to make them available again. For now, if you have questions then post them here.
Well the first 5 steps are clear, but i dont know what to choose from step 6 and below. I have the impression that you need to add both devices (remote / keyboard) into the activity but somehow i cannot do it. (might be me, am never like the logitech program to config everything)