I managed to break it further.

Deleted and removed slim-server, slimstreamer and the device slimserver-player.
MD2 still uses random sound outputs and now my hybrid lost audio.


Any clue what might be going on?

Hello again everyone!

I am still as I posted in my last visits as busy as ever.  I actually decided for 2013 to make my little tinkering projects my business and got serious about advertising myself as an IT Tech and custom builder.  Old timers to the forums who have been done wrong when someone gets $ for eyeballs should know I don't sell or even mention LMCE to my customers.  I didn't build it, I understand it enough to keep my own equipment running and it's bad business all around.

I haven't been around much so tossing this problem out and hoping someone had a few spare minutes to look it over.  I am troubleshooting it slowly but my only fix currently impacts other parts of my installation.

Hybrid/Core - ancient 2 Xeon server. Works great
MD1 - dell Desktop, (Inspiron?) it's the small white PCIe/SATA model and runs great and quiet
Squeezebox - installing this kills audio on my hybrid.  So I assume it must grab an available sound card anywhere on eth1 network and use that?

Reinstall
Hybrid up
MD1 added
MD2 brought up with 4 sound cards (intel onboard + 3 pci soundblasters)
Squeezebox up and works.

MD2 however randomly changes its audio output from the onboard intel analog to the 3rd SB digital.  This happens quite often and I have not found a way to lock its output down.
Further and this occurs regardless of the squeezebox being added, mythTV is choosing an output seperate from the rest of the system.  I can watch a movie or play audio/get security alerts but to hear anything from the tv I have to go to the MD and plug/unplug until I hear something.

- pull extra sound cards out means no squeezebox
- I can not add these SB to my hybrid and make it a silent headless as its pci ports are not notched the same (3.5V vs 5V or something)
- I could run a 3.5mm cable from a SB output to the squeezebox line-in but as far as I can tell that disables all control and makes it a amplified speaker only.

I am beyond my annoying insistence on hacking together old hardware to make it work.  In this case if a better method than multiple sound cards keeps the squeezebox playing in the kitchen I will do it!

I have all if those requirements.

On a fresh install, my HDhomeRun is not detected.  It normally gets detected much later in the install process, after I have completed the wizards and the mythTV setup.

I plan to reinstall again soon however as I am having issues not otherwise mentioned that could be due to update/upgrade.  When I reinstall I will let the wizard screen sit over-night (at "when you can see and hear me") and see if the HomeRun is listed when I get to that section.

Finally up and running again.  Not the fault of an installer but rather my need to finish some work on my core and problems getting the latest snapshot downloaded clean on my connection.

I have added quite a few gadgets since I was last active and as I get them working smooth with 10.04 I will post some how-to and/or problems encountered.

- I may be the biggest ibex fan around and though told explicitly to avoid cheap tablets the Flytouch so far survived everything me an my roommate can flash onto it.  Yes, tehbard is still breaking stuff but we are probably pretty close to even as I have "modded" some things of his into uselessness of smoking piles of electronics a few times.

- NAS, NAS, SAS,  about sums up my focus while my lmce gear was packed away.  Between the major players in NAS OS (I haven't toyed with Buffalo, Drobo, LinkStation, etc), I have my own favorites but should be able to help anyone who hasn't researched or tried them yet to get set up.  OpenMediaVault and NAS4free I am proficient at and I have had my hands on one well built FREENAS system with ZFS raid to actually see the payoff for the investment.

Hope to catch up in IRC when able, I still have devices to reconfigure and of course... enjoy the media I haven't had access to.

/yawn
/stretch

"what'd I miss?"

 


Is l3mce still breaking anything with hdmi or ___Bridge in the description?  Is tschak909 still plugging away at game-plugin and occasional chiming in on forum threads with brutally accurate bluntness?  I hope so!

I have quite a few pages of unreads to go through, my list of projects to locate, etc but I should be back in full form here in a few days.  My install was from a late August snapshot and appears to work fine (other than no audio on hybrid, which doesn't matter too much as that machine should be headless anyways).  Is there or was there significant changes since August to warrant a reinstall?

This sounds like something I could assist with by testing but is not something I am going to be able to lead or give development help on. 

Honestly I don't plan to pick extremely vital and complex layers of LMCE when I type up a problem and offer to help if I am able.  While this is surely a huge pat on the back to those who have worked hard to make so many things work OTB, it is terribly frustrating for someone who is still very green and wants to get his feet wet with a few template creations and perhaps some MAC detection changes based on what works for my devices in the master PnP database.

Noting your reference to possible problems with USB to Serial cables I may still attempt that route for the low cost and possible benefit of creating a working template for that specific TV model number for anyone wanting to use it with an additional connector.  I would label such a template *patch* to re-enforce that although possibly working, anyone who is able should at least look at the underlying problems with HAL and attempt to correct the issue at its base instead of continuing to use patched methods of connecting.

Now, to clarify:  Your response seemed to address only the TV as the detection problems (to me) seemed to only address serial connections.  Is the same issue going on with the RF to USB dongle that comes with my remote?  Was your response specific to the TV?  Of the two issues I posted about, if there is still hope that the problems with the remote are within my capabilities I would still like to try to fix something.

This is not a new topic and although I have not checked I am sure it has been bug reported previously. 

I am willing to do the work on these I just need a little help getting pointed in the right direction so that I understand what is causing the problem.  Once I know the cause (or methods to determine cause) I can experiment with fixes until I have something that works and is shareable.  These are two of my favorite LMCE devices and it's so frustrating of a problem I have them sitting in storage so I won't be tempted into plugging them in.

Both of these devices once connected to LMCE go into a re-detection loop where I am constantly prompted to reload the router.  I can deal with on occasion seeing the message in the top left corner while watching media about "finding" something that has long been there but not full screen messages that a reload is required every 5 minutes.  Yes literally every 5 minutes.

In the case of the remote I think it has to do with the detection properties which I believe is the responsibility of HAL and uses the device data different templates list for recognition.  In the event of my GYR3103US, it is detected and installed as a GC1005.  The remote works with this template, and the gyro functions are better than any other device I have tried.  I don't know if the media buttons work because as I said, it forces a reload router prompt before I can get a chance to press them.  What I think is going on is that after installing as a GC1005 (air-mouse?) it realizes that is has the wrong template, or suddenly detects it 'again' as a GYR3103 and attempts to correct the issue.  I could hardcode my detection .sh or change my PNP fields under device data but that would not help anyone else with this issue.  I may need to find the old Fiire Remote template or rebuild the "**Obsolete** GYR3103"  which is still available in devices.  Does any of this sound like a proper path to resolution?

The next device that has the exact same behavior in my setup is my Sharp Aquos 46" TV.  It is apparent to me that someone has done some updating to this template as I first got this TV a little over 4 years ago when I first tried 8.10.  At that time connecting the TV via RS232 resulted in Sara popping up and saying that she found a Sharp LCD.  When I went into the next step however my input was not listed.  Understanding LMCE now a lot better than I did then I realize that the template must have been created on a similar model but not my exact one.  Now 4 years later when I plug in the same TV to a 10.04 installation I do have all of my ports available during setup-wizard and the RS232 commands are able to control the TV.  However just like the remote above, the price for complete connectivity is once again disappointment as the TV 'redetects' itself every 5-10 minutes and instead of going to a reload prompt it takes me to the detection screen where I see " I found a new device "SHARP AQUOS LCD" I think it's in ____ shall I use it?"  This may actually be a serial port issue and I hate troubleshooting serial connections, if the port on my MB is failing, I could do a USB-to-RS232 version of the AQUOS template and add my specific model number?

Simple solutions I will try first before starting from scratch:
Add device data, do not prompt, use immediately, allowed to modify, required, do not use master device data
Add device data, configure without notification, required, do not use master device data

Drastic but should work for everyone with a similar issue:
Disable HAL/PnP engine command from terminal.  I know it kills the smart home idea of buying a device and having LMCE detect it the moment you walk through the door with it powered on, but for issues like this all I would need to do is toggle the HAL/PnP engine back on when I want to be in detect mode.

I have 4 that I want to implement right away with this setup, to get them off my "use or throw away" pile.  Also I am currently not using the 2 rear speakers from the Home Theater set due to an odd couch location.  Basically the Home Theater ends where the kitchen starts, so the back of the couch is against the countertop extension/table.  We have discussed raising that table up 18 inches to bar height which would give us a place to mount rear channel speakers and place the USB-UIRT.  Plans for that are very back-burnered as there are many other areas that need attention before we start re-doing things like that.


Once set up (and now that winter is approaching in the mid-west, once Spring comes around) I want to invest in an outdoor capable speaker set to surround our patio area in at least 4 speakers in stereo configuration.  My bathroom plans are simple in-wall speakers rated or recommended for damp locations.  It is easy to tie the vent with the media player using z-wave switches and that bathroom doesn't get overly damp typically.

The speakers I have now are a matching set of Sony surround speakers bought second-hand without the receiver.  They are approximately 3.5" by 3.5" cubes with the standard single post mounting configuration on the back and press-down-push-in tabs for speaker lines.  I would need to pop the cover or pull the manufacturer specs but I would guess the impedance at 8Ohms, RMS probably low because they were standard fair Sony surround speakers...  200W?

Hooked up with my home theater's existing 5.1 set to play around with 7.1 they sounded pretty nice although a tad bassy. Not quite Bose bassy, they just seemed to echo lows more than anything else.  Hooked up in the 2 speaker per zone setup using an old analog stereo to push them, they will sound slightly better than an alarm clock radio I am sure. 

Quality in the bathroom is not much of a concern at this time.  It would be cool to have a symphony going on 7.1 digital for when I want to soak in the tub, but 99% of the time they will only be playing low volume "brush my teeth" playlist music which would start about 10 minutes after my morning alarm event goes off. 

The patio area isn't your standard all-facing-front entertainment area that takes advantage of surround sound effects like center speaker (capture your focus) and satellite rears (subtle effects that subconsciously attempt to help you forget you are watching a 3d image on a 2d screen) there are also environmental effects outdoors such as wind, road noise, the grill, etc that make high-quality reproduction of sound pointless IMO.  As long as they hold up to the weather and can pull playlists from my NAS and core then loud enough to hear is good enough for me.
 

[ArmorGnome notes:]

I also am working on the CM15A.  So far any issues I thought might have contributed to the problem have been resolved and the device is still giving me fits.  Here are my symptoms and a quick rundown of some other users complaints:

ArmorGnome notes:

Per the wiki I made sure that pluto-cm15a was the name of the detected device.
When connected the detection starts automatically and has no errors downloading software
Orbiters prompt that software installation is complete and the router needs a reload
During orbiter regeneration I do not see the failed to start some devices message
Under web-admin I see the log error that the device failed to start...
When I send a command to device (report status, list child devices) I do not get any log entry
I do not know if the device is working prior to needing a restart, as I haven't added children yet
The device gave me problems with my on-board USB ports, I added a 5 port USB 2.0 PCI card (unfortunately I can not see the settings for this PCI card so if I must will do all future testing on the MB USB ports
This is a brand new unit and has never been connected to ActiveHome software or Windows
I have not used batteries in the device as I want to keep possible causes to a minimum
My cm15a is connected to a power strip, I know this can cause issues with powerline detection but I only intend to use this device to pick up RF signals
My cm15a does not seem to fit snug into any outlet, it does not use a ground prong and the terminals are not polarized, unless laying on its back connected to a power strip it likes to 'sag' in the outlet, possibly disconnecting itself?

Common theme from other non-working units:

I see several users reporting failing USB interfaces, and due to their number I have to be skeptical.  While hardware does fail occasionally it seems unlikely to me that so many and with such an age variety are actually bad.
-A bit of a stretch- 
The users I see reporting no issues with the cm15a are pretty regular posters and have been for a while.  I am going to assume then that over time you have acquired a multitude of devices and have them connected or have had them connected at some point.  Is it possible that the CM15A would only function properly if packages downloaded for another interface are already present?  Narrowing the possible culprits blindly, are the users not having issues also connecting other X10 interfaces? cm11, or the transceiver thingy (575?)
Post Age - The connection to Windows/ActiveHomePro software has not been mentioned much or at all in recent cm15a threads but appeared a lot during this device template creation.  Are users not having problems using "windows reset" cm15a's and those users who are having issues using out-of-the-box units?
USB version:  I do not have enough data from users on this one but believe there could be a link between 1.1, 2.0, 3.0 or possibly having multiple USB version devices connected at the same time?
Model number: Again not enough data but is it possible that the users having issues are using slightly different hardware?  It would not be unheard of for a company to change something small and not announce or label the change.  "New look, same great taste" etc.


ArmorGnome's upcoming tests:
1
Take note of my system BIOS settings for that USB port, look up the settings for my PCI 2.0 add on card.
Remove the device from my core and reboot
Connect the device to a Media Director I leave on at all times (after noting USB settings in BIOS)
Check for problems
Repeat the above on 2 other machines I can load LinuxMCE onto.  I want to keep LMCE testing isolated to LMCE installs and will avoid testing under other OSs where dependancies may or may not be there already.
2
Install windows/manufacturer software on an old PC.  Clear settings as per 2009-2010 forum posts and build instructions.  Attempt reinstall first with batteries to keep the "AHP" settings and then again without batteries as it moves from Windows/AHP to LMCE.


I am squeezing these tests in and will not be able to hand off much to tehbard over the weekend so, if you are able to perform any of the above tests before I can get to them please post your results.  I would like to know if I am sniffing in the right direction.  

 

I am having some issues with my Squeezebox player since adding media to my core.

I went through my various drives scattered around the house and put all my audio together.  I then opened the shared directory of my core from an Ubuntu 10.04 machine which is connected to the internal network but not as a non-pluto machine. (ip > :.:.80.129).  This audio was in various formats including .mp3, .mp4, and whatever crazy format the iphone uses and Rhapsody converts it to.

When using an orbiter to send audio to the Squeezebox I see my full audio list and I can load playlists, control volume, play all, etc.  The issue is that each track attempts to play for about 3 seconds then moves to the next.  At first I suspected I didn't completely transfer the media and ended up with a core full of dead links.  This is was disproven though as I can play all of these files through other media directors in my home.

I have not checked the Squeezebox Player compatable audio file types as I assumed that the core would handle any needed transcoding necessary to feed its devices.  I would like to ask those who understand LMCE better.  How does the Slim Server Streamer and its child devices access media on the core, where is the decoding performed?  I have just installed 3 PCI Sound Blaster cards in my main (always on) media director and if possible I could designate one of those cards as a dedicated decoder for my Squeeze devices if necessary.

-On a similar topic related to my extra sound cards.  Could someone provide simple instructions on either setting up new Entertain Areas or separate audio zones to take advantage of these cards?  The instructions on the wiki are quite long and I worry may be outdated.  The purpose of these cards is to send unique audio from that media director to a simple stereo and out to locations I don't want electronics other than speakers.

[[ Media Director    | SB Live! |  SB Live! |  SB Live! ]]
                                |              |               |
                          [  stereo ]   [ stereo ]    [ stereo ] - eventually a multichannel stereo
                                |              |               |
             [patio speakers]     [ ent. area ]    [ bathroom speakers ] 

Note that you shouldn't need to feed power into the GC-100's sensor inputs. Of the 3 pins, i think one is ground, one supplies 5v, and the other is the sensor input. If you short the sensor input to ground it should trigger the input. You shouldn't need any external supply.

Interesting, thank you.  From the GC-100 manual I interpreted the drawing to mean that the +5v power came in on the very bottom of the plug and was for IR only.  This would have explained why a mono 3.5" plug would not close the connection and trigger a tripped sensor.  When I went to a stereo plug where I supplied power to the middle band I was able to get a sensor tripped.  Having the +5v come from the gc-100 itself would be much much easier and open up even more options for me since that allows me to use ice-cube relays which will close a contact and register back at the gc-100.

I will do some experimenting, thank you.

I am afraid I have to admit to another frustration posting.  Just after posting this and going back over the details again I noticed that the diagrams from Global Cache indicate power coming into the sensor jacks, and they were stereo jacks so I was missing two important bits.

I did some digging around my parts bins and came up with a wall wart (AC to DC adapter), an couple old stereo headphone sets and 'sorry the name escapes me, non-twisted non-braided ethernet cable' and a computer case lead momentary contact switch.  I tossed together a couple foot long power-on-press cable that would deliver 3v @ 0.7A when the button was pressed and cut out when released.    I believe everyone in IRC chat new that I had succeeded before I could even type a coherent sentence.  My experiment worked and I could see the sensor light and ethernet port light up after a press.  I have some work ahead of me with getting LMCE to understand my device however as once hit once each sensor goes into "Tripped" state still and does not go back to 'Normal' without a quick-reload.  I don't see a setting for delay anywhere like X10 devices have so I will have to spend some time there.

Fortunately during my last few wiring runs I added extra cable from our server room (which we affectionately refer to as the data-center) so with a few exceptions for out of the way desired contact locations I am ready to get creative.  Below are a few of my ideas:

Replace some of my wiring cabinet cat5 patch panels with 10" telephone patch panels.  I will be sending power over some of these sensor lines and I don't want any mix-ups. 

Doorbell - Leave the battery powered unit at the gate and pull my active sensor line off of the chime indoors.  We have already converted it from C batteries to a wall wart so it shouldn't be hard to pull a signal from there.  Possibly add a second doorbell and chime so that visitors can ring Tehbard or me independently,

X10 motion and camera floodlight, currently working without a X10 network as a simple flood light whenever there is motion.  If I can get a line up to it's wire from sensor to socket I am sure Tehbard can parasite enough off that 110V to get us a signal.  Using gc100 to do X10 a new way!

Manometer/Pressure Differential sensor.  I have been looking at ways I can improve my core rack's cooling system and add some automation to its ducts with sensors, smart fans, actuators etc.  My system relies on a large variable speed squirrel-cage at the far end of the exhaust port to create a negative pressure space back through the ducts to the rack enclosure.  Ideally a pressure differential sensor will make sure the exhaust stays just ahead of what the rack devices are pushing and the entire enclosure will only draw the fresh air it needs slowly and through filtration.

"Follow-Me" buttons.  I found momentary contact switches in standard decorator style wall plate insert sizes.  They look just like the switches they are next to in multiple gang outlets but when pressed they instantly pop back out with an audible click.  I don't think I can tie the follow-me feature directly into a response to event but I can surely figure out a way to update current room and resume current media.  I am wiring one in my bedroom wall now so I can set up orbiter-less methods for activating mood lighting/music etc. 

Full House IR Blast?  I read a blog about a guy who with repeated splicing, was able to wire all of the IR devices in his home to a single USB-UIRT.  The principle was that if you blast a command at every device, only the device that understand that code would respond.  Perhaps he got lucky with no devices sharing codes but knowing there is enough energy to fire 20 emitters off an IR port is impressive.  I know that a USB-UIRT's built in emitter can control multiple devices in a single location, I do not see why a gc100 IR output can not be told to send commands for 5-10 devices as well...


Basically anything that does something (with electricity) I can leach and respond to with creative wiring.  This is why I was curious and still am curious about what other users have come up with for sensors.

     

Thanks to your work on the storage devices radar my videos (stored on a hdd connected to an MD) now shows up on all other MDs.  The only remaining problem is I can not assign metadata or coverart to this media as web-admin>media file sync, can not see that drive.

Eventually I still plan to take that drive out and put it in a NAS but when I do that will I experience the same problem with tags, metadata and accessing the files?  - I also tried other methods such as usb booting that MD and trying to rename all the video files and even destroying the file structure to just dump all media out in the open for lmce to find but nothing has worked.

I finally was able to configure my gc-100 without sending it back to Global Cache, by closely following the instructions on the wiki article about adding the MAC to my perl script.  Here is my basis for believing I have it working:

After I factory reset, I then navigate to its default browser and configure IR ports to be sensors or IR
When I do the command "get gc100" LMCE finds it and adds it with children matching what I selected prior (ie. its getting info from the gc100 before adding it and children)
No errors starting it in dcerouter log, no errors at all other than no event handlers set for devices not yet attached
Two serial ports have been added to my available comm port on pc

Now I have the frustration of a unit that appears to work fine but sits there on my network and doesn't actually do anything.  I have tried setting the sensors as normally open, n.closed, input, output, both input and output, child of gc100, child of the sensor port (4:1) and no matter what I try I see DEVICE STATUS: NORMAL.  Please follow my logic below and correct any bad logic on my part:

not either serial port
devices 3:1 - 3:3 are relays so I cant use those as a doorbell
devices 4:1 & 4:2 are Generic Input Output Sensors - 4:1 has a 3.5 jack going to a normally closed contact switch, 4:2 is a 3.5 jack with wires spread until I solder another button
devices 4:3 & 5:1 - 5:3 are IR so I cant use those as a doorbell

In device tree I select Generic Input Output Sensor (4:1) under gc100
I set "input,output,both" to both because I don't know from which angle it is asking the question.  Does it receive input? Does it report to the gc100 output?  This part is confusing
I see that there is an option to set the normal state from normally open to normally close but it specifically states "if the device supports input"
Web-Admin>Security>add device> add doorbell
LMCE automatically assumes this will be controlled by Zwave so I have to change controlled by field to say Generic Input Output Sensor (4:1)
I use the same settings for the doorbell which is now a child of 4:1 and reload router
Device Status reads NORMAL for all devices associated
Pressing my button does nothing, and when pressed I see no activity on the gc100
My switch however shows constant activity on that port so I have to assume something is being discussed between lmce and my device?


I noticed that Global Cache sells a "contact closure sensor" to use when you want a contact to communicate with the gc-100, is this what other users are getting to make sensors work?  Alternatively I used a 3.5mm mono jack (one black stripe) and separated the wires to connect my button, should I use a stereo plug?

Thus far after reading everything I can about the gc100 on our wiki, our forums and their website I can not answer the question "what good is it?" despite everyone praising it.  I do not control anything in my home via IR and can not think of any device I would want to buy emitters for just to say I am. (Though I do have a usb-uirt for learning my device codes so I can share template information)  I have unused serial ports on 3 media directors and my core already.  Basically I bought this gc100 so that I could have a doorbell...  it may seem silly but after a thread entitled "doorbell... please help" the gc-100 was offered as an easy solution.

Please, I ask everyone who has/is using a gc100, what are you using it for?  How is it set up in web-admin?  What can it do?

Also having the same issue, please see my newer thread here