# LIRC ir transmitter

## Scottix

Trying to get an ir transmitter to work with my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2200 cable box. I need this for my mythtv setup. 

I have the serial ir blaster from http://www.irblaster.info

(should have got the one with the light so I could see activity)

Here are the steps I have taken so far.

/etc/make.conf

```

USE="lirc transmitter"

LIRC_DEVICES="sir"

```

it emerges with the right options

I grab the remote codes of scientific atlanta 2000

read in a post to set the frequency to 57600

I put that into /etc/lircd.conf

Next I do a 

setserial /dev/ttyS0 uart none

modprobe lirc_sir

When I dmesg I get

the lirc_sir on irq=4 and it says it installed

I start lircd and then try a 

irsend SEND_ONCE SA2000 1

and nothing happens

Need help!!!

Wondering if someone else has used the device or did I waste my money.

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## pteppic

Well, I built mine by stealing an IR LED from an old remote, and connecting it to the serial port through a resistor, so I would expect  nice one like yours to work fine.

There are a couple of things to check with though. 

Firstly check that you can receive signals from the remote (I'm sure you have) with irw.

Another old trick I used to use when I was benchtesting this kind of stuff (remotes) was a longwave radio, if you have one, hold the remote next to it with it switched on, hold down a remote button and try to 'tune in' to the IR frequency, it sounds absurd but the frequencies can be matched enough to pick up the interference, once the radio is 'tuned' move it VERY close to the blaster, send a signal (irsend SEND_START foo) and see if the radio picks it up.

The last thing is that the blaster has a much weaker output than a standard remote, and has to be aligned accurately, use a loop (while true;do irsend SEND_ONCE SA2000 1;sleep 0.2;done) to send the signal over and over, start from about 1 meter away, moving the sender around, and try and get the box to respond, slowly close in as is starts to respond and find the optimum place for the blaster to be located, it's fairly tedious and right in front of the receiver isn't always the best place.

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## Scottix

I have found out it is not transmitting a signal. I took my video camera and with a remote you can see the flashes of infrared. Doing that loop and holding my transmitter it did nothing. So I need some help getting the transmitter to be recognized.

I am pretty sure it is on com1 and have tried setting it to irq3 and that didn't work.

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## pteppic

ARGGGGH, I just spotted it, lirc_sir is one of the irda lirc drivers (there are two irda types), you want lirc_serial.

```
LIRC_DEVICES="serial"
```

in make.conf, and

```
/bin/setserial /dev/ttyS0 uart none

modprobe lirc-serial

/etc/init.d/lircd restart
```

to start it.

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## Scottix

Ok the ir transmitter is working. It is blinking away when i do the loop.

Now I am trying to get it to change the channel on the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2200.

I can't get it to work I have tried both remote codes from lirc.

Anyone know of anything I can do.

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## pteppic

Program it yourself with irrecord, it's the best way, remember to stop lircd first.

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## Scottix

When I do irrecord it doesn't pick up anything. Isn't it a transmitter not a reciever. So I still don't have something i can grab the signals from.

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## pteppic

Sorry, I was under the impression it was both tx and rx.

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## Scottix

I got a IR receiver and put in the codes with the remote. They are the same as the Scientific Atlanta 8000. So I tested the transmitter again with the receiver to see if I'm getting the right code out. Using mode2 I get something out if I hold the transmitter right up to the receiver. Using irw the code is not picked up at all. 

So is this transmitter junk?

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## Scottix

Ok I have narrowed it down to the computer. I tried the transmitter on a different computer and it worked. The one I had it on is an older machine(PIII) is there something in the kernel that could mess it up?

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