Messages

1

Developers / Re: Need help writing a driver for a multizone amplifier for LinuxMCE

« on: April 01, 2009, 05:45:14 pm »

Looking into Ruby.  I'll keep you posted

2

Developers / Re: Need help writing a driver for a multizone amplifier for LinuxMCE

« on: March 30, 2009, 07:43:12 pm »

Thanks for all the input.  I looked at the Marantz code.  It looks like I am going to need to learn Ruby.  I am not averse to using Ruby if that is the LinuxMCE standard, but does anyone use perl for these types of drivers?

3

Developers / Need help writing a driver for a multizone amplifier for LinuxMCE

« on: March 27, 2009, 07:13:56 pm »

Folks,

I want to try and contribute back to the LinuxMCE project, but I need a little push in getting going.  I found a great multizone amplifier to push audio throughout my house from Home Theater Direct (http://www.htd.com/s.nl/it.A/id.632/.f)  They sent me the Serial SDK.  It looks like I should be able to write a perl wrapper for it, but I have never programmed any serial control devices.  I have done a lot with XML and EDI, so this doesn't look more difficult, just different.  My biggest issue is determining what the input and output should look like.  I am a little confused on the checksums and TX versus RX. Additionally, is there any caveats to opening and closing the serial port.  Can anyone give me some advice on how to get started? 

4

Installation issues / Re: Connecting LinuxMCE/MythTv to Fios QIP2500-3 STB (set top box)

« on: February 18, 2009, 04:00:06 pm »

emachala,

Sorry for the late reply.  My basement just got trashed after a winter thaw and just finished having it waterproofed.  My lab was down there, so I haven't been playing with LinuxMCE until now.

In answer to your question, I'm just using the Hauppage PVR150 that I used to use with basic Adelphia Cable.  I know it works with Fios through the composite in jacks, but its not HD.  Currently, I don't care, because we only have one HDTV.

I wouldn't use IR to control the box, you can use a serial cable and modify the changechannel.py script that comes with the MythTV bundle.  I'm going to look into how to submit the revision to LinuxMCE, but currently, I just want to get it working.

Question for you.  How are you handling the Remote Control issue?  I really don't want an ugly IR dongle on my media directors.  Having 7 media directors, I'll bet you found a cheap elegant director solution.

Matt

5

Installation issues / Re: Cannot compile a patched driver in LinuxMCE kernel 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP

« on: January 27, 2009, 04:02:59 pm »

Awesome!  The one step I missed was
cp /boot/config-2.6.22-14-generic .config.  I was executing a make all modules which made the kernel perform differently.
You are the man!

6

Users / Re: Looking for a Cheep Web pad for an Orbiter

« on: January 27, 2009, 12:04:22 am »

Has anyone considered a Power Over Ethernet (POE) wall mount orbiter?  I lose remotes like crazy and I'd love to replace my crappy NUTONE intercoms with orbiters.  I just can't seem to find anything reasonably priced to do the job. 

7

Installation issues / Re: Cannot compile a patched driver in LinuxMCE kernel 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP

« on: January 27, 2009, 12:01:54 am »

Here is all I get out of an lsusb

dcerouter_103356:~# lsusb
Bus 001 Device 007: ID 05ad:0fba Y.C. Cable U.S.A., Inc.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 005 Device 004: ID 058f:6362 Alcor Micro Corp.
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 

Here is the relevant dmesg
[448398.998077] usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 7
[448399.159848] usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice

I do not get any new tty*, /dev/ttyS0 is my X10 Controller attached to an actual serial port

dcerouter_103356:~# ls -lt /dev/tty* | more
crw-rw-rw- 1 root root    5,   0 2009-01-26 17:54 /dev/tty
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 4,  64 2009-01-26 17:20 /dev/ttyS0
crw-rw---- 1 root root    4,   8 2009-01-21 13:01 /dev/tty8
crw------- 1 root root    4,   1 2009-01-21 13:01 /dev/tty1
crw------- 1 root root    4,   2 2009-01-21 13:01 /dev/tty2

I also do not get any usb devs
dcerouter_103356:~# ls -lt /dev/ttyU*
ls: /dev/ttyU*: No such file or directory
dcerouter_103356:~#

Any thoughts?  This is driving me nuts.  It seems we have the same cable and LinuxMCE.  Mine is just stupider than yours

8

Installation issues / Re: Connecting LinuxMCE/MythTv to Fios QIP2500-3 STB (set top box)

« on: January 26, 2009, 11:54:06 pm »

Thom,

I want to become a contributing member to LinuxMCE.  The challenge however, is that the original changechannel.py craps out with an error message if you enter 4 digits.  I am not sure how to create a template to send 4 digits to a script that only accepts 3 digits.  I will do some research on how to create the device template. 

Questions
1. To whom should I post the device template once complete?
2. Please advise on how to get around the digit restrictions in changechannel.py

As an FYI, there is a driver issue with pl2303 in the 2.6.22-14 kernel that I still need to address.  Please see http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=7242.0;topicseen

Thanks

9

Installation issues / Re: Cannot compile a patched driver in LinuxMCE kernel 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP

« on: January 26, 2009, 05:11:11 pm »

Hari,

Here is what I get in dmesg when I load the original driver
[423611.791169] usbcore: registered new interface driver pl2303
[423611.791174] /build/buildd/linux-source-2.6.22-2.6.22/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.c: Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor driver

So it does load.  Here is the problem though, when I plug the cable into my LinuxMCE box, I get the following output
Jan 26 11:03:33 dcerouter kernel: [423757.629304] usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 6
Jan 26 11:03:33 dcerouter kernel: [423757.787158] usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice

Once the cable is plugged in, I do not get a /dev/ttyUSB* device
dcerouter_103356:/var/log# ls -lt /dev/ttyUSB*
ls: /dev/ttyUSB*: No such file or directory

I then tried plugging the cable into my FC9 laptop, and I get
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: hub 1-0:1.0: unable to enumerate USB device on port 4
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 6
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: pl2303 3-2:1.0: pl2303 converter detected
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: New USB device found, idVendor=05ad, idProduct=0fba
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: Product: USB-Serial Controller
Jan 26 11:05:29 neo kernel: usb 3-2: Manufacturer: Prolific Technology Inc.

and the USB Serial device pops up
[root@neo ~]# ls /dev/ttyUSB0
/dev/ttyUSB0

After doing some research online, I found that there was a bug in the pl2303 driver as of 7/08.  The reference is at http://bugs.centos.org/view.php?id=2954

So since the cable works with the 2.6.25.4-30 kernel and not the 2.6.22-14, I can only believe that the patch was applied in the more recent kernel.
Also, the module size is different

linuxmce@dcerouter:~$ ls -l /lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.ko
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 30280 2009-01-26 11:01 /lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.ko

Versus

[domanows@neo Desktop]$ ls -l /lib/modules/2.6.25.4-30.fc9.i686/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.ko
-rwxr--r-- 1 root root 25152 2008-05-21 18:40 /lib/modules/2.6.25.4-30.fc9.i686/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.ko

Your thoughts would be appreciated. 
Matt

10

Installation issues / Cannot compile a patched driver in LinuxMCE kernel 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP

« on: January 22, 2009, 11:25:20 pm »

Can anyone give me a hint on how to compile a driver (the pl2303 usb/serial cable driver) from the kernel source for linuxmce?

Here is what I did
1. Get the kernel source apt-get linux-src and untar into /usr/src
2. Get the kernel patch linux-2.6-pl2303.patch and put it in /usr/src
3. Apply the patch patch -p1 < ../linux-2.6-pl2303.patch
4. Fast config the kernel  make allmodconfig
5. Prepare modules make modules_prepare
6. cd drivers/usb/serial/
7. Make the module make -C /usr/src/linux-source-2.6.22 M=$(pwd)
8 cp the new module to /lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/

while I try to modprobe the pl2303.ko module, I get the following error

dcerouter_103356:/lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/kernel/drivers/usb/serial# modprobe pl2303
FATAL: Error inserting pl2303 (/lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.ko): Invalid module format

Its been years since I have compiled a kernel (RPMS have made me lazy). 
Input would be greatly appreciated.  This is the last step to getting the MythTV portion of LinuxMCE working.

Matt

11

Installation issues / Re: Connecting LinuxMCE/MythTv to Fios QIP2500-3 STB (set top box)

« on: January 22, 2009, 11:18:17 pm »

colinjones,

There were two problems.  First, the Fios Box I had required 4 digits to change the channel not 3.  Thats why the changechannel.py needed to be modified.  The second is a bug in the pl2303 driver.  The serial/usb cable I am using doesn't connect up correctly, so I don't get a /dev/ttyUSB0.

I almost have all the issues resolved, but I cannot seem to compile that pl2303 driver with the patch.  That question probably isn't appropriate for this thread, so I am going to post a new one.

Glad that yours works though..

Matt

12

Installation issues / SOLVED Re: Connecting LinuxMCE/MythTv to Fios QIP2500-3 STB (set top box)

« on: January 21, 2009, 06:50:30 pm »

Solved it. The LinuxMCE kernel 2.6.22-14 has a bug in the pl2303 driver. When I connected the cable to another box running kernel  2.6.25.4-30, ttyUSB0 appeared. 

The changechannel.py also needs to be changed to handle 4 digits.  Here is the snippit
else:
        CHANKEY=''
        CHANCODE=''
        if (len(cmdarg) > 4):
                print "too many chars!"
        else:
                lenc=len(cmdarg)
                if (lenc == 4):
                        chanset=cmdarg
                else:
                        if (lenc == 3):
                                chanset="0"+cmdarg
                        else:
                                if (lenc == 2):
                                        chanset="00"+cmdarg
                                else:
                                        if (lenc == 1):
                                                chanset="000"+cmdarg
        for num in [1,2,3,4]:

13

Installation issues / Re: Connecting LinuxMCE/MythTv to Fios QIP2500-3 STB (set top box)

« on: January 21, 2009, 03:44:44 pm »

tkmedia,

Thanks for the info.  How do you access the serial to USB cable?

When I plug it in syslog reports
Jan 21 09:42:32 dcerouter kernel: [40849.280676] usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 4
Jan 21 09:42:32 dcerouter kernel: [40849.442498] usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice

and lsusb returns

Bus 005 Device 003: ID 058f:6362 Alcor Micro Corp.
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 05ad:0fba Y.C. Cable U.S.A., Inc.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 

But how does this translate into a serial port to be used by a channel changer program such as changechannel.py?

Thanks,
Matt

14

Installation issues / Connecting LinuxMCE/MythTv to Fios QIP2500-3 STB (set top box)

« on: January 21, 2009, 05:26:46 am »

Folks,
Although I am pretty good at programming and configuring Linux, the serial ports and usb ports have always confused me.
I have a QIP2500-3 STB from Verizon for my fios.  It has no FireWire Port, but it does have a serial port. 

I read on one of the 1000 pages I have been searching that the changechannel.py program found in /usr/share/doc/mythtv-backend/contrib/channel_changers could change the channels via serial port.

I purchased a USB to Serial cable.  I also installed pyserial-2.4 to get changechannel.py to work.  Although the program doesn't error out, it is not changing the channel on the QIP2500-3 Set top box. I have tried running as root to avoid any permissions issues as /usr/local/bin/changechannel.py 042.  I have tried a bunch of number combinations and lengths with no luck

Here are my questions.
1. Will this even work, or do I need some other channel changer solution
2. I believe my the correct serial port is /dev/ttyS1 but how can I verify this

This is really humbling.  I have been using Linux all the way back to 7.3.  I used MythTV for 3 years with basic cable, but this really has me stumped.

Thanks much.
Matt

15

Users / Re: Audio Genres don't appear to be working in Linux Build 2 (LinuxMCE 0810 alpha1)

« on: January 21, 2009, 03:22:48 am »

colinjones,

Thanks so much.  I went into media sync and looked at a bunch file properties.  The following is a sample of the output.  I can see that there is a genre listed for the mp3's

 7 Seconds - 05 - My Gravity.mp3
Album: Unknown Genre: Punk Performer: 7 Seconds Title: My Gravity Track: 5
7 Seconds - 10 - First Ya Told Us.mp3
Album: Unknown Genre: Punk Performer: 7 Seconds Title: First Ya Told Us Track: 10
7 Seconds - 13 - Girl Song.mp3
Album: Unknown Genre: Punk Performer: 7 Seconds Title: Girl Song Track: 13
7 seconds - 99 red balloons.mp3
Album: Old School Genre: Punk Performer: 7 Seconds Release Date: 1988 Title: 99 Red Balloons Track: 1
7 seconds - clenched fists, black eyes.mp3
Album: The Crew Genre: Punk Performer: 7 Seconds Release Date: 1988 Title: Clenched Fists, Black Eyes
7 seconds - regress no way.mp3

Another item of interest.  Please bear with me....

1. If I Press Options/Genre/Go I get a list the List of all the Genres my mp3's use
2. When I then click on a Genre (Lets say Classic Rock) I would expect to see Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, etc, but I see nothing
3. BUT now if I go back to Options/Performers/Go  I now only see artists from the Classic Rock Genre

This appears to be a bug right??