GSD setup help please

[maybeoneday]

Hi everybody,
  I'm wanting to get away from IR control of my Sky box, as eventually i'll be adding my second sky box into the system, and want to avoid  controlling  both boxes with one command, (and keep the blaster capability in hand for future expansion) . To do this  i'll be using a sky controller box which passes  signals to the RF2 port on the stb ,    http://www.dusky-control.com/        (the usb version). which is described as "a standard RS232 DCE unit,"
the unit shows up as , usb bus001 device004   6666:f100,  and info from website is
    * Baud rate: 57600
    * Bits: 8
    * Flow control: none
    * Stop bits: 1
 SO, I've  added a new gsd.......and then  I'm stumped (not hard I know )/uncertain in creating new device template,adding parameters  etc,  (eg.  how do i even tell  lmce that  the device is on usb 001 device 4 ?)

 Any pointers to a simple starting point,relevant info ,or outright handholding (i know better than anyone how thick i am ! ) would be greatly appreciated: or will it be a three year study course at mit ?
Many thanks in advance,
Ian

[hari]

if your device does not show up as /dev/ttyUSB<x> or /dev/ttyACM<x> you need to figure out which usb to serial chip it utilizes. If there is an existing driver but it does not detect the usb device you may have to patch it for the usb id's.
When you can access the device file you can utilize that from the GSD. You could look at the Marantz/Insteon/PLCBUS examples on the wiki how to configure the template to use a serial port.

best regards,
Hari

[maybeoneday]

Hi Hari ,
thanks for the pointers:you will of course  have spotted my very basic error...what I'm trying to do is install an interface device , which just happens to be a "generic serial device" i.e a very ordinary black box,which just happens to run on the (Universal) serial bus,   rather than a GSD.
My only excuse is total ignorance,(the more i learn, the more i realise i don't know),tiredness/speed reading, old age, a mis-spent youth, etc etc
Please accept my embarrassed apologies (to all) for  being a complete prat,- I must have confused the hell out of you all,
Many thanks,keep up the brilliant work,
Ian

[totallymaxed]

Hi everybody,
  I'm wanting to get away from IR control of my Sky box, as eventually i'll be adding my second sky box into the system, and want to avoid  controlling  both boxes with one command, (and keep the blaster capability in hand for future expansion) . To do this  i'll be using a sky controller box which passes  signals to the RF2 port on the stb ,    http://www.dusky-control.com/        (the usb version). which is described as "a standard RS232 DCE unit,"
the unit shows up as , usb bus001 device004   6666:f100,  and info from website is
    * Baud rate: 57600
    * Bits: 8
    * Flow control: none
    * Stop bits: 1
 SO, I've  added a new gsd.......and then  I'm stumped (not hard I know )/uncertain in creating new device template,adding parameters  etc,  (eg.  how do i even tell  lmce that  the device is on usb 001 device 4 ?)

 Any pointers to a simple starting point,relevant info ,or outright handholding (i know better than anyone how thick i am ! ) would be greatly appreciated: or will it be a three year study course at mit ?
Many thanks in advance,
Ian

Hi Ian,

We're just working with the 2 port Dusky unit... try using the Linux Command line software from the Dusky site. Call the sky-control-usb binary from your template...

Andrew

[maybeoneday]

Hi Andrew,
thanks for the reply,it's good to know you're looking into the dusky,as I know from reading your backposts -
          (not a creep -I did it for a lot of the "names" as part of my research before taking the plunge into Lmce- in fact it's 'your' fault I'm in this mess , ,)    ..the level and depth of commitment to the project blew me away , far more than the infamous video) 
                                                                                -  that the idea has some merit, ie I've not gone completely gaga !
At the moment ,having realised i'm well out of my depth, I'm looking for inspiration in the wiki/net, so any suggestions/hints as to  approach in  getting a working template would be greatly appreciated.

WARNING...I would then ask you how to  " Call the sky-control-usb binary from your template..."

My thinking at the moment is : IR transmitter template, implementsDCE ,command line ?Gen_ser_Dev?, -controlled via CORE,control category Pluto Generic serial device ,  State??   Status???  comm method USB,  config script    dev data N81  B57600, only 1 per pc ,output channels 2  ....am I on the right lines,or should I take more Prozac with the whiskey ?
Once  I'd filled in the gaps  (heh ..typewriters and monkeys come to mind  )  i was sort of hoping it would be a  matter of editing  ruby snippets in AV props .. obviously not !


Many thanks in advance,
Ian

[maybeoneday]

Hi all,
sorry for being a pain,I know you're all busy with the new release, but can anyone confirm my present thinking?:
 (the supplied cli app works a treat),
          1/ do i enter the executable/ or the  .o file in 'command line section ' of "edit dev.template" ?
         
          2/does it need the path, ie /usr/local/bin/sky-control-usb (.o?)?
         
          3/OR does the file need copying into/usr/pluto/bin       (from  wiki , on passing plaintext commands to dce router) -and just enter the file name in the command line section?
         
          4/ -am I right in thinking that the ruby code ,for commands in "av properties" , for the sky box (the child device ..?  ) then need editing,in the form of  eg    <$"--controller0 --box1 c030c050c06\r"$>....(then reload router before trying)?

          5/should 'packages in edit template = Pluto Generic Serial Device   ?

I'm sure I've tried every combination of the above , but am still getting no response except Orbiter error messages saying   "a device has not started [OK]"

any help /direction would be greatly appreciated,
Regards,
Ian