howto:setup_usb-uirt_on_linux_with_lirc_and_harmony_remote [SQLS Wiki]

Introduction

I decided I wanted to get a remote for my computer and also one that could handle my other devices (TV,PS3,Receiver) so I picked up a Harmony 510 remote off newegg refurbished and only 39 bucks. Showed up in a simple brown box and was in -MINT- condition. I was expecting at least one scratch but.. Perfect looking, buttons work good, feel fine, fantastic. I was able to quickly set it up using the included software to manage my TV/Receiver. Next was getting my PC working. I've read that the USB-UIRT was an awesome IR receiver for the computer so I ordered one. But when it came to making it work I was lost in a sea of poor documentation and non-working user examples. I first tried and failed several times to make this work on my Ubuntu 10.10 HTPC box. So next I downloaded the windows driver and EventGhost to make sure the damn thing worked at all. Sure enough, EventGhost detected every button I pressed. Oh, for the “computer” device in the harmony software I configured a device as Media Center PC, then Microsoft, then typed in MCE Remote. That seemed to match the buttons on my remote very well and EventGhost detected every button I pressed correctly as play, pause, up, down, etc..

Software / Hardware Used

These steps might work with other versions, but this is what I had.. * Gentoo Linux / app-misc/lirc-0.8.7 * Ubuntu 10.10 / lirc-0.8.7 pre something something * USB-UIRT + 56k * Harmony 510 Remote (computer device configured as Media Center PC, Microsoft, MCE Remote)

Setup on Gentoo

Get the FTDI module in your kenel:

# grep FTDI /etc/kernels/kernel-config-x86-2.6.23-gentoo-r5 CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_FTDI_SIO=m

via genkernel menuconfig:

Location:                                                  
    -> Device Drivers                                      
      -> USB support (USB_SUPPORT [=y])                    
        -> USB Serial Converter support                    
          -> USB Serial Converter support (USB_SERIAL [=m])

recompile, install modules, etc..

plug in the USB-UIRT and type

dmeg | grep -i usb

look for it detecting it and it should load the FTDI module and assign the USB-UIRT to something like /dev/ttyUSB0

emerge lirc

edit /etc/conf.d/lirc and .. LIRCD_OPTS=”-H usb_uirt_raw -d /dev/ttyUSB0”

Did all that.. ran irw and it displayed nothing, saw this forum http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=61265 and tried the mode2 command and it shows the pulse's! Yay!.. Sorta.. So it is talking to it.

Then I used the two configuration files given by miked2024 and started lirc again from the command line like..

lircd -n -H usb_uirt_raw -d /dev/ttyUSB0

then I opened irw in a seperate window and suddenly it started detecting things! Fantastic. It even knew I was hitting the up, down, etc buttons.

So, now back to my Ubuntu HTPC.

Notes

Lircd gave me the below error. I thought it was a problem, it is not. Even with the below checksum error it's working.

lircd-0.8.7[1457]: uirt2_raw: checksum error

lircd-0.8.7[1457]: uirt2_raw: UIRT version 0905 ok

irrecord

I wasn't sure how to use irrecord at first. With lircd not running I typed

irrecord -H usb_uirt_raw -d /dev/ttyUSB0 remote.conf

and it worked with my usb-uirt. It detected button presses and said it thought I had a RC-6 remote and continued on to allow me to create a custom config file.