Infrared+remote Control Question

jacktheripperis · 05-02-2006, 05:49 AM

Hi,

I have a linux box wit suse10(2.6.13.15) and I bought MA-620 (usb) IrDA device thinking that it would be dead easy to configure it so that i can receive signals from a remote control to do stuff like controlling volume, play/pause/stop/skip songs on my player etc. Seemingly i activated all the necessary kernel modules:

Code:

modprobe uhci_hcd
modprobe pl2303
modprobe irda
modprobe irtty-sir
modprobe ma600-sir
modprobe ircomm-tty

then i attached the device using:

Code:

irattach /dev/ttyUSB0 -d ma600 -s

and finally i lauched irdadump to see if i receive anythig from the remote control. What i get is:

Code:

10:45:27.125716 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=0 (14)
10:45:27.213638 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=1 (14)
10:45:27.301642 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=2 (14)
10:45:27.389650 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=3 (14)
10:45:27.477657 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=4 (14)
10:45:27.565658 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=5 (14)
10:45:27.653666 xid:cmd 516f6eec > ffffffff S=6 s=* palomezzo3 hint=0400 [ Computer ] (26)

to infinity repeating always the same even if i get mad on the buttons of the remote...i.e. it seems that it doesn't receive anything.
With lsusb i get

Code:

Bus 004 Device 002: ID 0df7:0620 Mobile Action Technology, Inc. MA-620 Infrared Adapter

but with `cat /proc/bus/usb/devices` the device doesn't show up...
is that my problem?
I have also read that i cannot use lirc with usb devices - is it so?
I am convinced that i am not the first person who want to do this and that it can be done bot i'm stuck!PLZ HELP!Where do I go from here?

Thanks
Adam

maroonbaboon · 05-02-2006, 07:18 AM

You should unplug the device and plug it in again (with the system running) and then run command 'dmesg' in a console. Check the last dozen or so lines. This will show if the device is recognised and picked up by any driver.

LIRC works with some USB devices. I have such a thing.

cyb0rg777 · 05-02-2006, 07:29 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong ,but I don't think irda works with a t.v.remote .
It's a different protocol.unless you got an irda remote.

jacktheripperis · 05-02-2006, 08:55 AM

This is what i get when i plug in my thingy:

PL-2303 ttyUSB0: pl2303_send - failed submitting write urb, error -19
PL-2303 ttyUSB0: pl2303_send - failed submitting write urb, error -19
PL-2303 ttyUSB0: pl2303_send - failed submitting write urb, error -19

...
what does it mean?

To be honest I haven't got a clue about irda/lirc & friends - i thought i get a remote control I get a receiver and it's all done - evidently is not so straightforward. So how does one go about to control a pc with a remote control? I have set up a touchscreen pc that i use at home to listen to some mp3 and i want to be able to control it with a remote as well - how do i do it?

maroonbaboon · 05-02-2006, 09:45 AM

cyb0rg777:

I don't think the communication method used by the IR transmitter/receiver is relevant here, so long as they are compatible with each other. The problem for linux users is to interpret what comes out of the receiver.

jacktheripperis:

I've got no clue what that error message means. If you google "failed submitting write urb" you get lots of hits, but nothing that looks familiar to me.

Have you checked the LIRC documentation for supported hardware? My USB dongle uses the 'hiddev' driver, and is supported by LIRC.

Also did dmesg have any good news, or just error messages?

jacktheripperis · 05-04-2006, 05:31 AM

I removed all previously installed software from my computer and i compiled&installed
irda-utils-0.9.17 from source even though my gcc4 refused to compile smcinit included in the package - so i removed it from makefile and succesfully compiled with gcc version 4.0.2 20050901 (prerelease) (SUSE Linux).

Then i connect my infrared adapter MA-620 to the usb port i get :
usb 2-2: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 4
pl2303 2-2:1.0: PL-2303 converter detected
usb 2-2: PL-2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0

so I have the device /dev/ttyUSB0

on lsusb -s 002:002 -v i get:

Code:

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0df7:0620 Mobile Action Technology, Inc. MA-620 Infrared Adapter
Device Descriptor:
  bLength                18
  bDescriptorType         1
  bcdUSB               1.10
  bDeviceClass            0 (Defined at Interface level)
  bDeviceSubClass         0
  bDeviceProtocol         0
  bMaxPacketSize0        64
  idVendor           0x0df7 Mobile Action Technology, Inc.
  idProduct          0x0620 MA-620 Infrared Adapter
  bcdDevice            3.00
  iManufacturer           1 Prolific Technology Inc.
  iProduct                2 USB-Serial Controller
  iSerial                 0
  bNumConfigurations      1
  Configuration Descriptor:
    bLength                 9
    bDescriptorType         2
    wTotalLength           39
    bNumInterfaces          1
    bConfigurationValue     1
    iConfiguration          0
    bmAttributes         0x80
    MaxPower              100mA
    Interface Descriptor:
      bLength                 9
      bDescriptorType         4
      bInterfaceNumber        0
      bAlternateSetting       0
      bNumEndpoints           3
      bInterfaceClass       255 Vendor Specific Class
      bInterfaceSubClass      0
      bInterfaceProtocol      0
      iInterface              0
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x81  EP 1 IN
        bmAttributes            3
          Transfer Type            Interrupt
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x000a  1x 10 bytes
        bInterval               1
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x02  EP 2 OUT
        bmAttributes            2
          Transfer Type            Bulk
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0040  1x 64 bytes
        bInterval               0
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x83  EP 3 IN
        bmAttributes            2
          Transfer Type            Bulk
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0040  1x 64 bytes
        bInterval               0

then i load the kernel modules:

modprobe pl2303
modprobe irda
echo 9600 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_baud_rate
modprobe irtty-sir
modprobe ma600-sir
modprobe ircomm-tty

and i attach the device
irattach /dev/ttyUSB0 -d ma600 -s

From this point on in dmesg i get:

Code:

irda_init()
NET: Registered protocol family 23
irda_register_dongle : registering dongle "MA600" (11).
IrCOMM protocol (Dag Brattli)
sirdev_get_instance - ttyUSB0
irtty_open - ttyUSB0: irda line discipline opened
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive - too early: 00000000 / 0!
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive - too early: 00000000 / 0!
irlap_change_speed(), setting speed to 9600
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!
sirdev_receive; rx-drop: 0
Framing or parity error!

when i hit a button on the remote with xosview i see IRQ3 show up so the signal is received by my computer.
however if i "watch ifconfig irda0" i see all the packets dropped

Code:

irda0     Link encap:IrLAP  HWaddr 00:00:00:00
          UP RUNNING NOARP  MTU:2048  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:77 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:511 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:8
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:8030 (7.8 Kb)

here is where i am.

linx win · 08-24-2006, 04:24 PM

Adam

Did you get it to work? I am having the exact same problem.

linx win · 08-25-2006, 12:33 PM

I did get it to work but in kernel 2.6.15 not 2.6.17. I used the following script:

PHP Code:



#!/bin/sh
# This is /etc/hotplug/usb/start_irda file
modprobe uhci_hcd
modprobe pl2303
modprobe irda
echo 9600 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_baud_rate
modprobe ma600-sir
modprobe ircomm-tty
irattach /dev/ttyUSB0 -d ma600 -s
rm -rf /dev/modem
ln -s /dev/ircomm0 /dev/modem
exit 0

By the way, I have created the following file in /etc/udev/rules.d and called it 025_irda.rules :

PHP Code:



BUS!="usb", ACTION!="add", GOTO="kcontrol_rules_end"

SYSFS{idProduct}=="0620", SYSFS{idVendor}=="0df7", RUN+="/etc/hotplug/usb/start_irda"

LABEL="kcontrol_rules_end"

Once the dongle in pluged in the USB jack it will be configured for use with kppp.

I am still trying with kernel 2.6.17. the tty layer in kernel 2.6.16 and higher has changed. May be that is the reason for this problem.

linx win · 08-26-2006, 05:45 AM

I tried it again with kernel 2.6.17 connecting my dongle ma-660 (ma-620) to another USB jack and got it working but low speed also (9600). May be the problem is due to USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 issue.