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mmcmonster · 2020-04-08, 20:10

(This is more of an Ubuntu/Linux Mint question.)

Running Kodi on Linux Mint 19.3.

The remote is a Logitech Harmony 650, which works fine on the same computer when I boot into LibreElec.

When running Linux Mint, the remote is not configured correctly. The OK button doesn't do anything. Power puts the computer to sleep instead of shutting down (whether or not Kodi is running). Etc. Etc.

How can I configure the remote correctly?

I tried installing lirc, but the package configuration configuration for lirc doesn't come up. If I type 'sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc', nothing happens. (actually, it pauses a couple seconds and then exits without any messages to the terminal)

Where do I go from here?

mmcmonster · 2020-04-08, 20:53

Nevermind. Solved.

In Ubuntu 18.04/Linux Mint 19.3, lirc is broken.

If you need your remote working with lirc, use the how-to on https://twosortoftechguys.wordpress.com/...ntu-18-04/ , which basically just copies the lirc program from an older version of Ubuntu.

Hopefully Linux Mint/Ubuntu get this fixed before the older version of lirc is no longer available.

**black_eagle** · 2020-04-09, 10:08

(2020-04-08, 20:53)mmcmonster Wrote: In Ubuntu 18.04/Linux Mint 19.3, lirc is broken.

Well, yes & no. Whilst sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc no longer works, the rest of it does. But, the configuration files have changed and /etc/lirc/hardware.conf is no longer used. Instead, the required settings need to be in the new file /etc/lirc/lirc_options.conf.

Old hardware.conf file

xml:
REMOTE="onkyo"

REMOTE_MODULES=""

REMOTE_DRIVER=""

REMOTE_DEVICE="/dev/lirc1"

REMOTE_SOCKET=""

REMOTE_LIRCD_CONF="/etc/lirc/lircd.conf.d/onkyo.lircd.conf"

REMOTE_LIRCD_ARGS=""

New lircd_options.conf

xml:
nodaemon        = False

driver          = default

device          = /dev/lirc1

output          = /var/run/lirc/lircd

pidfile         = /var/run/lirc/lircd.pid

plugindir       = /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lirc/plugins

permission      = 666

Remote configurations are loaded via /etc/lirc/lircd.conf.

xml:
$ apt-cache policy lirc

lirc:

  Installed: 0.10.0-2

  Candidate: 0.10.0-2

  Version table:

 *** 0.10.0-2 500

        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 Packages

        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

     0.9.0-0ubuntu6 500

        500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages

mmcmonster · 2020-04-11, 21:40

(2020-04-09, 10:08)black_eagle Wrote:
(2020-04-08, 20:53)mmcmonster Wrote: In Ubuntu 18.04/Linux Mint 19.3, lirc is broken.

Well, yes & no. Whilst sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc no longer works, the rest of it does. But, the configuration files have changed and /etc/lirc/hardware.conf is no longer used. Instead, the required settings need to be in the new file /etc/lirc/lirc_options.conf.

Old hardware.conf file
xml:
REMOTE="onkyo"

REMOTE_MODULES=""

REMOTE_DRIVER=""

REMOTE_DEVICE="/dev/lirc1"

REMOTE_SOCKET=""

REMOTE_LIRCD_CONF="/etc/lirc/lircd.conf.d/onkyo.lircd.conf"

REMOTE_LIRCD_ARGS=""
New lircd_options.conf
xml:
nodaemon        = False

driver          = default

device          = /dev/lirc1

output          = /var/run/lirc/lircd

pidfile         = /var/run/lirc/lircd.pid

plugindir       = /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lirc/plugins

permission      = 666
Remote configurations are loaded via /etc/lirc/lircd.conf.
xml:
$ apt-cache policy lirc

lirc:

  Installed: 0.10.0-2

  Candidate: 0.10.0-2

  Version table:

 *** 0.10.0-2 500

        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 Packages

        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

     0.9.0-0ubuntu6 500

        500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages

Good point. But is there a simple way to pick my IR remote without running sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc? While I'm not a console newby, I find myself getting exhausted trying to figure out lirc configuration on my own and generally give up after an hour of hunting down various websites.

If I could make a set of directions I could save for myself for the future, I would do it.

But, basically, how am I supposed to set up a generic Windows Media Center Remote?

oldtvwatcher · 2020-12-14, 22:55

(2020-04-11, 21:40)mmcmonster Wrote: Good point. But is there a simple way to pick my IR remote without running sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc? While I'm not a console newby, I find myself getting exhausted trying to figure out lirc configuration on my own and generally give up after an hour of hunting down various websites.

If I could make a set of directions I could save for myself for the future, I would do it.

But, basically, how am I supposed to set up a generic Windows Media Center Remote?

It is a real shame that many months later no one has been able to come up with clear and understandable instructions for doing this in Linux Mint. I set up Linux Mint and Kodi on a system about a week ago, tried for a week to get the remote to work (especially to launch Kodi, which is performed in LIRC using instructions in the .lircrc file), and finally gave up and blew away Mint and installed Ubuntu 18.04 and Kodi (Ubuntu 20.04 would not work because of another unrelated bug having to do with nVidia graphics, which is what I was trying to avoid by running Mint). Of course I installed the older version of LIRC using the link in the second post in this thread, which is the only one that has ever worked for me since Ubuntu 18.04 came out. It is dead simple easy to set up, requires no knowledge at all of arcane linux-y stuff, and works really well. I fail to see anything at all that is better about the newer version of LIRC.

But the thing I found interesting was that in Mint 20, even without LIRC installed Kodi still responded to some commands from my remote, and I spent quite some time trying to figure out exactly how. Neither LIRC nor ir-keytables was installed at that point, yet Kodi was still somehow receiving most button presses from the remote. If I could have figured out how Kodi was receiving these then maybe I could have also figured out how to use a .lircrc file or some equivalent, but I never could, and after spending MANY hours batting my head against this particular brick wall I gave up.

So I would say that if you can be satisfied with most of the remote buttons working, but only in Kodi and nothing else, then maybe you will be happy with Linux Mint and Kodi, but better also keep a wireless mouse or some equivalent handy so you can start up Kodi from the desktop. Otherwise, I suggest you avoid Linux Mint for now, and stick with Ubuntu 20.04 unless you have nVidia graphics (if you have that you may want to go with Ubuntu 18.04 for now).

Preacher · 2020-12-17, 12:12

(2020-12-14, 22:55)oldtvwatcher Wrote: It is a real shame that many months later no one has been able to come up with clear and understandable instructions for doing this in Linux Mint.

Is this a LIRC problem, or a Kodi issue?

From what I've been reading, a change to the LIRC subsystem has thrown up some issues affecting a number of apps, not just Kodi - but some of the workarounds written to get Kodi working suggests bypassing how LIRC currently works, rather than fixing LIRC itself

But interesting that Kodi still picks up some remote keypresses - curious to know how the platform detects those. Are you sure there's no remanent of LIRC still running in RAM despite a removal? What does the debug log show when keypresses are recognised?