Suggestion for a new product #2

I have just completed training on your IR range. What I would like to suggest is if it would be feasible to be able to control the modulator frequency. (A phase locked loop should be able to achieve this). This way your units should be able to control pieces of equipment such as the B&O equipment that do not use standard modulator frequencies. I have a vision of your 2-channel IR transmitter with each channel on a different modulator frequency.

What could be even better would be to designate the frequency on the fly this way it will be possible to use a dual emitter lead from one channel to control to dissimilar pieces of equipment.
Device ID - Channel ID - Mod Frequency - Output Code.

While I am stretching the limits how about talking to PC's allowing PC's and Palms to control the system via IR.

Colin Smith

 

Colin

The 5034NIRT can already control multiple devices using multiple frequencies of modulation. It is perfectly feasible to control a SONY TV on channel 1 with a 40KHz modulation, an Air Conditioner with 32kHz modulation, a Pioneer TV with 38KHz modulation and Receiver with carrier-less (i.e. pulsed modulation) all from the same plate. They can even be on the same channel if you choose. The 5034NIRT can handle modulation frequencies up to 455KHz.

Regarding selecting the modulation, that information is embedded in the Protocol that is attached to each set of IR codes. As such that information should not be modified as it is likely that doing so will cause the device not to work.

 

I do not recall that information coming across when I did the training.
We used your gear to learn IR codes and used them to manipulate a TV through C-Bus.
Is this info in any of your advertising brochures, I appreciate it is probably in your technical notes, but I would have looked for it in your advertising first and then move to your technical manuals for further detail!
Looking at the poll results one could assume that I am not the only one who was not aware of its abilities.
I will have to purchase one and have a good play with it.

Colin Smith

 

I have successfully used the 3rd party Omni Remote palm software to learn the IR codes of the standard Clipsal IR remotes. I can then use my Palm OS device to control Neo units, Scene Controllers etc..

 

One of the people on the training used his Palm to capture and use your codes. Where I was going with my thoughts on PC access was that I feel that most homes in the future will probably have some for of media centre connected to the Internet. This would probably download e-mail for the family members. While they may have wireless access being able to pass this through the IR system would mean they could pick it up via IR on non-wireless devices.

Colin Smith

 

If I understadn you correctly, you want to be able to do wirless netwroking via IR? I very much doubt this is a direction that anybody will take, given that WiFi is such a surperior technology and the devices are not that dear.

If I missunderstood please correct me.

 

There are currently two choices. If I have a laptop or tablet PC the only way to connect to C-Bus for control is with a physical connection. To go the wireless route I would need to purchase:
A wireless card for my laptop,
A wireless switch,
A PC to run HomeGate,
HomeGate Software,
PC to C-Bus interface

If a laptop / tablet IR was able to talk to C-Bus it offers the ability to control C-Bus via a simple web based browser but without the level of control offered by HomeGate (Scheduling etc). Effectively turning it into a fancy remote control.

This type of interface should be available via a Palm according to the follow-ups in this thread so far.

The product that I would see this aimed at is the Microsoft Home Media PC + variants. This is a tablet that is Wifi enabled, you can stream video, music, surf, etc to it from the household media server. The tablets have an IR port and this would provide a simpler method of control. Some Home Media servers that are coming onto the market are dedicated appliances that would not allow 3rd party software applications to run on them. So there would be little possibility of running HomeGate on them hence the need for a dedicated PC.
Plus not every one is going to need the functionality of HomeGate especially if that functionality is already provided by another piece of equipment.

Think in terms of the C-Bus colour touch screen where the touch screen part is removable from a cradle mounted on the wall and is still capable on controlling C-Bus.
Possibly another issue would be coverage! You may not want to radiate the signal passed the room that you are in.

I am not sure where I was going when I mentioned E-mails?
I was sat at my PC and thinking it would be nice if C-Bus could message me on my PC screen: "There is someone moving outside, there is a flood in the bathroom" etc. If I was not physically connected to C-Bus this would not happen. I think where I wandered off was wrapping the message and sending via E-mail which is another topic.

My own need for this stems from the demonstrations of C-Bus that I do. The equipment purchased with my training has gone to make a portable demonstration unit. I have my laptop that has appropriate videos from different companies and my C-Bus display. I found myself wanting to use my laptop to show the functionality of the HomeGate web interface without having to be physically connected to my display. Doing so by IR would be ideal.

Your IR interface from what has been passed on appears to already sing and dance, I am trying to see if I can get it to do the cooking as well.
Thank you for your support.

Colin Smith

 

Basically at this point in time for a browser to talk to C-Bus it needs a webserver that can talk to C-Bus. This is currently only available via HomeGate/Schedule Plus. Although it would be possible write your own webserver extension using the protocol information.

I'm a personal fan of Palm OS myself and couldn't live without my treo smart phone.

Other than using a the C-Bus IR commands to IR C-Bus devices and/or networking (WiFi, GPRS, Dialup) to a webserver that is C-Bus aware the only other way i can think of is to telnet (requiring networking present) to an installation of C-Gate and run scripts off the client device. However, all of these solutions require a PC.

I think WiFi is the most supported interface for all od this. If you have a CNI on a home WiFi network it's just a case of getting suitable client software. On a PC that is C-gate or HomeGate/Schedule Plus. On a palm device you would have to write your own protocol implementation and client to use it.

I think WiFi will be your only solution I'm afraid.

The Nirt unit is capable of transmitting just about any commercial IR signal, however it does not receive. The C-Bus units that do receive only repsond to our specific IR commands (which can be learnt by other devices ofcourse).

Clipsal currently doesn't have a generic IR receiver product (to the best of my knowledge).

 

The closest C-Bus product to a generic IR Receiver we have is the C-Touch, which can be programmed to respond to any command from IR Remote controls that are using the NEC protocol.

 

Well there you go ... you learn something new everyday. Thanks for the clarification Newman