Cell phone app for IR Remote control code capture?

I've found references to their use as remote controls but now that LIRC does not seem to be supported these days. Are phone cameras sensitive enough to R/C IR in their own right ? I've recently been playing with USB-RS232 converter and Termite (has 14400 Baud setting option ie 36KHz/10 x4 ) capturing of codes via IR receiver/ carrier stipper , works well enough for my purposes but if there was an off-the-shelf phone-app that outputted the pulse train codes as HEX test file or something, it might be more generally a simple and useful tool.

Reply to
N_Cook
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I remember at least one application for Windows CE Pocket and Palm-size PCs that could output IR codes (or learn new ones) via the IR hardware that most of those things had. I've not seen anything like that for a Smartphone.

Most phone and digital cameras have an IR filter built in to prevent IR from interfering with normal picture taking. In some digital cameras, you can remove this filter. I'm not sure if this is possible for the much smaller cameras used in phones. I also don't know if the camera's frame rate is sufficient to capture an IR bitstream.

William

Reply to
William R. Walsh

I'd guess that if the phone can send IR, it can also receive it. I don't have anything newer than a Trio 850 4G phone that can. So, if your device can't resend the codes, might as well capture them on a device that can send them.

As for the questions you did ask ;-) The typical IR remote is plenty strong to get thru the IR filter in a typical digital camera. All you gota do to verify that is to monitor the camera and poke a remote at it.

I expect that the camera frame rate is way to slow to capture the timing. But that isn't to say that there might be some clever way for a driver to synchronize it for the purpose. I think you'd have better luck accessing the IR port.

I saved a bunch of stuff from 2000, but all the links seem to be broken. Only thing left is a program that claims to turn a HP95lx into a learning remote.

I have some interpreted basic code that can capture signals from the IR port on a Palm. Used it to read the smart utility meter. Probably way to slow to work to decode a remote.

Reply to
mike

The sensor could -- but there would have to be hardware and software designed for reception.

I believe IR remotes operate in the 100kHz range.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

William R. Walsh wrote in message news:WFu8t.27898$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe20.iad...

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The 4 digital cameras I tried all showed a flickering response to ordinary IR remotes. When its dark tonight I'll try passing a transmitting IR over one and see if it leaves an interpetable image over the 2 seconds of open "shutter". As long as it/smart phones have the response time to pick up some semblance of the typical 36KHz/10 of the coded bit length of 0.278mS rather than the full 36 KHz pulses then there is a chance. At the other end , the Hex coding would need gating with 36KHz into a learner remote or something for normal use.

Reply to
N_Cook

The way I checked mine was to power up a Dell Axim X51v and send the phone a file by IR. It beeped and saved the file. I'd call that conclusive for the Trio 850. Actually making use of that in user space is unlikely. If you have the tools to write driver code, should be pretty easy.

Some, but much consumer stuff is/was around 38KHz. There are some "standards" that don't seem to be well followed.

More info on the end objective would be helpful.

Reply to
mike

Well sort of worked. I didn't think of using the timer, at the time, and restricted to about metre in front of lens and not being able to move the R/C fast enough. Tasteful purple streaks. The one I used I'd previously DSO'd and the first 6 .278mS bits of two 1s were clear , ie 100100 but the remaining 90 bits blurred into 1 over about 1/25 of the frame width , partially because out of bad focus and perhaps overloading of the sensor. Just for interest I will try again using timer mode and suspending the camera so it will rotate about 4 revs per sec and hold the R/C about 3m away and repeatedly pressing the button should catch enough part traces if not one across the whole frame, raising and lowering the R/c also. For timing and not just code sequence for anyone without a DSO perhaps feed

1KHz to another Tx LED mounted above the R/C in question. Whether a smartphone camera would have short enough response time for a static use and so a simple app is moot.
Reply to
N_Cook

Axim would seem to have "Wifi capability and Infrared port included"

My scenario is that you have a useless bit of old or rare kit with no source of OEM r/c , URCs don't work, so the kit is effectively dead. But you find that someone in another part of the world has a r/c , but how to send the codes using readily available kit and no technical ability.

Reply to
N_Cook

Nice thing about the axim is that it supports multiple IR protocols and can talk to windows mobile or palm. No experience with android.

This claims to work with a number of older PDA's. Not clear what the demo restrictions are.

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No technical ability is a problem...You're at the mercy of the technical capability on the other end.

There exist universal remote controls with learning ability. Mail one to him for programming.

You seem to be resistant to disclosing exactly what "kit" you are dealing with. Somebody may have a solution if they knew the problem.

Reply to
mike

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The manual at the link has a BUNCH of very good info on how the IR codes work. Page 102 lists some sources

You can find thousands of these CCF IR hex codes and layout files with included CCF IR hex codes at:

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Reply to
mike

Not a great idea to use IR directly. Smart phones with Bluetooth and/or WiFi can be used to send other kinds of remote signals, and servers and radio/IR bridges can fill in the gap with any kind of translation you can imagine.

IRDA type hardware was in some Palm phones, but those aren't terribly current. Palm was swallowed by HP and mainly sold off (to LG).

Reply to
whit3rd

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