Re: Re: Putting it all together and XAp in a box ??????

[Kevin Hawkins <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark Walker wrote:
> Hi
> Thanks for that.
> I like the idea of the serial port control and after doing a quick
> search it looks like most of my stuff can be done, Yamaha Amp, DVD
> and CD jukeboxes, Sky box etc.
>
Good start...   The Sky box although it has a serial port may not be
controllable via it though.  Sometimes you are forced to use IR I'm
afraid. Good IR placement and limiting the things that can control the
box (perhaps for example placing the box out of IR sight of the remote)
can help ensure that the boxes state is always known. If a complete set
of IR discrete codes are available then getting a box into a known state
is always possible. (no toggle functions)
> However how would you then interface to them, Say you used a solid
> state PC or any stable PC. You still have to get the commands into
> that, IR is out as thats what we want rid of, I wouldnt want to use
> a PC keyboard, I wouldnt really want a PC in each room that I would
> want to watch a DVD in. So are we talking hard wired Touch screens
> or is there something else.
>

Anything that can generate an electrical signal can be used as an input
device, C-Bus , X10, IR, Touch screens, wall pads, PC, PPC's (even
speech etc) - whatever you prefer for your setup

On the IR side you can still use IR remotes - what I was suggesting
previously was that the IR remotes that run macros (by sending sequences
of commands) are often problematic because they can easily be
interrupted during that sequence , perhaps by being placed back on the
sofa / table and also the macro has very little way of establishing the
current state of the devices it is controlling and may therefore get out
of synch.  There are a few remotes that have some inbuilt 'logic' they
can apply to run different macros based on estimated 'state' eg some
Harmony ones, but they require to be the only form of control for all
the devices. To work around this if you just receive one command from an
IR remote and use that as a trigger to sequence the hardwired control
then the system is far more reliable. You action the macro in the
controller (not the remote) and the controller has dependable state
information, can't get interrupted has guaranteed control and can apply
logic to what it's trying to do "IF this device is in this state
currently THEN send THIS command out the serial port THIS many times) .
Your controller needs to have IR input/recognition of course.

Kevin

> Regards
> Mark
>