Topics

1

Developers / Is there proper way to vet and submit new/improved device templates?

« on: November 03, 2010, 04:25:32 pm »

Is there proper way to vet and submit new/improved device templates for distribution as a stock template?

I have a device template for Denon Receivers that I have tweaked that is an improvement (at least on my system) over the stock one that came with snapshot 23359.  The shortcoming in the stock template is that it allows extraneous switch input commands to reach the receiver which causes audio to cut-out for several seconds when starting playback of media. 

The template I am referring to is AVC-A1SRA (RS232) #71.  Thom and Andrew mentioned recent work on that template here (but sadly it didn't fix this problem as was hoped): http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=7393.msg51364#msg51364. 

A detailed description of the problem and solution are detailed in my two posts here:
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=7393.msg51362#msg51362
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=7393.msg52184#msg52184

The problem and solution are well understood and I'd like to get this fix into the mainstream code so we don't have to tweak this template manually on each new installation.

Alex

2

Installation issues / eee box crashes to tty1 when starting OnScreen Orbiter

« on: November 03, 2010, 03:54:22 am »

I am running 0810 snapshot 23359 on my core/hybrid.  I am trying to get an eee box MD working.  The same core/hybrid and eee box were happily working under 0710. 

Here are my install steps under 0810:
1. Fresh Install.
2. Ran /usr/pluto/bin/Diskless_CreateTBZ.sh.  This script seemed to complete with no errors.
3. Connected eee box to internal network and turned on.  eee box pxe booted, and eventually got to AVWizard.
4.  Completed AVWizard which ended in another reboot.
5.  eee box seemed to boot fine including various 10-foot UI announcements about loading various devices until the last announcement where it says "Starting Device XX Onscreen Orbiter".

At this point, it crashes to tty1 which reads "moonXX login:" where XX is the moon # (in my case 80).

It seems maverick has seen this before but can't remember if/how he overcame it: http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=8564.msg60979#msg60979

Has anyone else seen this?  Can someone point me in the right direction to try to troubleshoot this?

Alex

3

Installation issues / Torrent or Checksum for 0810 Snapshots?

« on: October 30, 2010, 04:45:16 pm »

The snapshots located at http://linuxmce.iptp.org/snapshots/ are http downloads.  From what I understand (and have experienced with other large http downloads) there is a small but significant chance of data corruption when downloading large http files.  Torrent has built-in error checking to prevent such corruption.  If there were md5 checksums available for the snapshots, a user could confirm the integrity download themselves.  So, the question is:

Are there either torrents or checksums available for 0810 snapshots? 

4

Installation issues / Survey: What 0810 snapshot have you used? What were the results?

« on: October 30, 2010, 04:38:31 pm »

It seems the recommended source of 0810 is the snapshots located here: http://linuxmce.iptp.org/snapshots/

It is not obvious which snapshot an 0810 newbie should use.  Apparently some might not be working at all, while others are in pretty good shape.  Please help others make an informed decision about what snapshot to use and sharing your experience by answering these questions:

1. What 0810 snapshots have you used?

2. If you have used more than one, please explain why you switched from one snapshot to another.

3. Have you tried any snapshots that wouldn't install or had some other major problem?

4. Which snapshot do you recommend 0810 newbs to use?


Thanks for your feedback!

Alex

5

Installation issues / Can Someone Confirm their Degree of Success with ZWave or Insteon Thermostats?

« on: May 01, 2010, 04:12:58 pm »

I would like to find out the degree to which either ZWave or Insteon thermostats are working for you (pun intended).  There are signs of workingness on the wiki and in the forums for two thermostats, but no conclusive reporting about how well they work.

Wayne Dalton Z-Wave
The most activity is on this thread:
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=5844.60
Wiki is Here but not updated since before the above thread:
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Wayne-Dalton_Thermostat

Outstanding Questions:
With Hari's latest driver, does pressing a button on the thermostat update the orbiters?
Is fahrenheit working?  (I use celsius, but it seemed to be a big deal for my American neighbors.)

Venstar T1800 with Insteon Module
Ddamron lists using this T'stat
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/User:Ddamron

Outstanding Question:
Does full two-way communication between LinuxMCE and this Venstar t'stat work?


Reports of any real-world experiences are much appreciated.

Cheers,

Alex

6

Installation issues / Can IR codes (for remotes) for USB-UIRT be shared reliably?

« on: October 31, 2009, 05:17:28 am »

I have determined that different specimens of USB-UIRT devices produce different IR codes from the same remote.  Here is what I did to determine this:

(using 0710rc2 throughout)

MD #1:
- Windows MCE remote #1 (from PVR-150)
- USB-UIRT #1

MD #2:
- Windows MCE remote #2 (from PVR-150)
- USB-UIRT #2

I learned the IR codes for the MCE remote on MD#1 both using this method:
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Add_support_for_new_remote_controls
After doing so, both remote #1 and remote #2 worked reliably to control MD #1.  

I then used the IR codes learned on MD#1 in the device template for the remote control on MD#2.  Both remote #1 and remote #2 very unreliably controlled MD#2.

I re-learned the IR codes on MD#2 and created another device template for the MCE remote and assigned it to MD#2.  Both remote #1 and remote #2 controlled MD#2 reliably.

Hypothesis
I suspect that some critical characteristics of USB-UIRT devices vary enough from specimen to specimen that IR codes from the same remote will be different for different USB-UIRT specimens.  

If this hypothesis is true, then IR codes cannot be reliably shared when using USB-UIRT as a receiver.

Has anyone else noticed this behavior?

7

Installation issues / SOLVED: CM11A Device gets Disabled Periodically

« on: May 27, 2009, 04:12:29 pm »

I am using a CM11A to control one X10 appliance module for testing right now.  The CM11A is connected via a usb to serial adapter.  I am using the same adapter model without issue to control a TV on another media director.

I am able to control the X10 appliance module from linuxmce, however, I have found that the CM11A device gets disabled about once or twice a day. 

Has anyone else encountered this problem?

To get it working again, all I have to do is re-assign the correct serial port and uncheck disabled on both the CM11A and lighting module. 

Regards,

Alex

Here is the log for the CM11A device:

Code: [Select]

10      05/26/09 21:51:09.743           Receive string: MESSAGE 74             <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:09.743           Received MESSAGE 74             0x806f740 device: 137 <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:09.743           Received Message type 1 ID 192 from 0 to 138 (device: 137) resp 0 <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:09.743           Child device 138 has channel A1. <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.416           We have data to send for CM11A. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.416           Sending address with HouseCode=6, DeviceCode=6. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.416           Sending packet with HighByte=4, LowByte=66. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.416           Sending header with Checksum: 6a. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.428           Got response: 6a from CM11A. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.428           Sending ACK. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.860           Got response: 55 from CM11A. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.860           Address sent successfully. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.860           Sending function with Code: 2. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.860           Sending packet with HighByte=6, LowByte=62. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.860           Sending header with Checksum: 68. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.871           Got response: 68 from CM11A. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:10.871           Sending ACK. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.364           Receive string: MESSAGE 67             <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.364           Received MESSAGE 67             0x806f740 device: 137 <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.364           Received Message type 7 ID 0 from 14 to 137 (device: 137) resp 0 <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.615           Command_Impl::OnQuit forwarding quit's to children <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.615           Socket m_Socket 6/0x806f740 Command_Impl1 Dev #137 m_bQuit=1 <0xb7145b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.615           Requesthandler 0x806f740 (device: 137) Closing request handler connection <0xb7145b90>
13      05/26/09 21:51:12.615           Exiting BeginHandleRequestThread thread... <0xb7145b90>
13      05/26/09 21:51:12.616           Exiting MessageQueueThread_DCECI thread... <0xb7946b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.617           Destroying CM11A <0xb79476c0>
10      05/26/09 21:51:12.617           Destroying Thread - before Wait <0xb79476c0>
01      05/26/09 21:51:25.871           No response from CM11A device. <0xb6944b90>
10      05/26/09 21:51:26.421           Destroying Thread - After Wait <0xb79476c0>
10      05/26/09 21:51:26.422           Waiting for message queue thread to quit <0xb79476c0>


8

Installation issues / How to Respond to Display On/Off Events

« on: May 13, 2009, 05:41:07 am »

Does anyone know how to create a "Respond to Events" entry that responds to a media director display turning on or off? 

I have other "Respond to Events" entries working (set volume when playing media for example).  I haven't figured out how to set the criteria for an event such that it fires when an MD display is turned on or off.

The obvious General=>on/off event doesn't seem to fire at all (I tried setting it up to respond to my TV's on/off).  I think I might be misunderstanding how events work.  If someone who's had some success with Advanced Events could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.


Why do I want to respond to an MD display on/off event?  I am using some powered speakers (actually studio monitors) with one of my media directors.  I would like to turn them on and off with the display (i.e. the TV).  I have the X10 gear to switch the power, but the tricky part seems to be hooking into the display on/off events.   

Perhaps someone else who is using PC speakers or a straight power amplifier has come across a good solution to powering them on and off.


Regards,

Alex

9

Installation issues / Survey: What network adapter and Audio chipsets are working for you?

« on: May 12, 2009, 07:41:55 am »

For those in a hurry, please just answer the questions in bold below.

Hello all,
Anyone who has a working LinuxMCE Media Director, please take the time to answer this survey.  I will compile the information into compatibility tables here:
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/How_to_Select_Mainboards_for_Your_LinuxMCE_System#Compatibility_Table

There is already a survey for GPUs.  If you can take the time to answer that too, you can find it here:
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=5313.0

Network Adapter
Main Survey Questions:

A1. What network adapter is working for you?

A2. What speed is it?

A3. With which version(s) of LinuxMCE is the adapter working?

A4. Do you PXE-boot with this adapter?


Optional Survey Questions:
A5. Is the network adapter on the motherboard or a network interface card?

A6. What model of motherboard or network interface card are you using?

A7. Did you have to perform any special installation steps to get your network adapter working for you?

A8. Is there anything else that you think others should know about your network adapter?

Audio Chipset
Main Survey Questions:

B1. What audio chipset is working for you?

B2. Do you have analog output working?  SPDIF output?

B3. With which version(s) of LinuxMCE is the adapter working?


Optional Survey Questions:
B4. Is the audio chipset on the motherboard or a sound card?

B5. What model of motherboard or sound card are you using?

B6. Did you have to perform any special installation steps to get your audio chipset working for you?

B7. Is there anything else that you think others should know about your audio chipset?


Thanks for your input.  I will compile any responses into the wiki topic.

Cheers,

Alex

10

Installation issues / New Wiki: How to Select Mainboards for Your LinuxMCE System

« on: May 12, 2009, 07:26:04 am »

I've written a wiki article that will hopefully make the task of learning how to select a mainboard for LinuxMCE a little less labor intensive.  You can find it here:
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/How_to_Select_Mainboards_for_Your_LinuxMCE_System

The content is based almost entirely on information gleaned from this forum.  It is really just a more organised and to-the-point compilation of all the invaluable mainboard-selection wisdom posted here over the past few years.

I wrote the article with the hope that it would help new users as much as possible.  It probably doesn't contain much new information for regular forum readers.

If you have a working system it would be great if you could answer the hardware survey thread that I will post in a moment -- I'll use the survey information to improve the wiki article.

Regards,

Alex
newbie advocate

11

Installation issues / How Much Processor Should I Budget for Commflagging?

« on: May 10, 2009, 11:04:32 pm »

Is there someone who could comment on how much processor time mythtv commflagging takes in their setup for an episode of whatever TV show they commonly record?

I am trying to figure out how much processor I should budget for a core that will be performing commflagging.

Regards,

Alex

12

Installation issues / N800/N810 Orbiter Slow in Some Cases

« on: April 17, 2009, 04:27:21 pm »

It emerged from this thread
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=7945.0

that some users are seeing much slower response times on their N800 and N810s than others. 

13

Users / ANN: Bittorrent Guide in the Wiki

« on: April 14, 2009, 07:18:02 am »

I have been tweaking my bittorrent setup running on my core for almost a year now.  It works very well.  I thought my setup might be useful to others so I wrote a guide in the wiki.  You can find it here:

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Bittorrent_Setup_Guide

Happy downloading,

Alex

14

Installation issues / Device Template Self-Destruction on Ruby Code Edit

« on: April 11, 2009, 01:38:50 am »

When editing ruby codes for RS232 device templates from the admin page, I have found that some commands result in the entire list of ruby codes being wiped out from the template.  Has anyone else seen this?

Which exact clicks do you perform to make changes to your ruby rectangles?

Here is what I am doing:
1. Admin Page => Advanced =>Configuration=>Device Templates
2. Select Device Template 71 (Denon AVC-A1SRA (RS232)).
3. Click 'Pick Device Template'.  'Edit Device template #71' window opens.
4. 'Edit Device template #71' window, click 'Edit Audio/Video Properties'.  'Edit IR Codes' window opens.
5. I am trying to edit ruby box #165 DVD in the inputs section.  There seems to be three possibilities to change the contents of that ruby box:
    a) click 'New Code'. This opens the 'Learn Code' window.  Fill in the new code in the rectangle and click 'Add Code'.
  OR
    b) click 'Delete Code'.  (Maybe I could just delete this one code it and re-create it.)
  OR
    c) change the code in the ruby rectangle in this window and click 'Update' at the bottom of the page.

All three options in step 5 result in the same thing: An 'Edit IR Codes' with no ruby rectangles at all except for #165 that I'm editing.  I have had similar experiences with other templates although I always eventually found a way to edit the ruby rectangle without template destruction.  For this one, I am stumped.

I have attached screenshots before and after destruction.

Thanks for your help,

Alex

15

Installation issues / eee box, photo screen saver, intel driver version

« on: April 08, 2009, 07:34:47 am »

Has anyone gotten an asus eee box running stable with the photo screen saver enabled?

My eee box locks up frequently unless I check the disable box for the PSS in web admin.  But there are these two posts that imply that PSS should/could work on the eee box (http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=7554.msg48345#msg48345, http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=6247.msg41315#msg41315).

Has anyone successfully upgraded their eee box or other i945 media director with a more recent/better intel driver than the one that shipped with 0710RC2?

Alex