User

28.01.2009 18:42:08

Hello there, Hello Felix,

after reading for a while and thinking about a solution for my task I now have a few questions before starting with RB.

I am using the MM as a MediaCenter only (FrontRow, EyeTV and so on). What really annoys me is that I cannot use the Teletext function of the EyeTV SW. (Of cource I can use it with the keyboard. But I don't like to grab the keyboard for that purpose. I only want the RemoteControl) 
That's the moment, RB comes into the game.

To add the 10 digit-keys and the activation key for Teletext (CMD-T) to the Harmony I want to follow this very good tutorial:

http://funwithcomputers.wordpress.com/2008/03/01/using-the-harmony-880-remote-with-your-macs-built-in-ir-port/

BUT ..... (and now the questions):

1) Until now the RC (Harmony) sends the correct commands to simulate the Apple Remote and everything works fine. I want to leave these keys untouched and only want to map the new learned keys with RB. Does RB transfers these original AR-signals untouched ? Or do I have to map them too ?

2) I have read several threads about not-waking-up or not-getting-to-sleep issues. How does RB handle this ? As far as I know, the AR changes the signal when a key is pressed for a longer time and then sends "last-key-is-pressed-longer". Can RB handle this ? Are there open issues ?

Thanks in advance 
Andree 

User

29.01.2009 16:00:36

I'm going to try this. Evidently, however, the harmony remote now supports multiple apple remotes without having to "teach" the harmony the IR commands manually from your Apple Remote. According to this tech note, you can just create multiple apple devices from the Logitech software. I haven't tested this, but plan on doing so!

Here's the tech note:

http://logitech-en-amr.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/logitech_en_amr.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=8480 

User

29.01.2009 17:04:31

Hello Archon,

can't follow your hint ... :-( 
As I understand the technical note, the Harmony now supports the pairing mechanismn for the purpose to control several DIFFERENT Apple devices. But what I (or better: we) want, is to control ONE MACMini - but extend the range of 6 keys. So we have to implement several "layers" of Apple Remote(s) with different IDs into the Harmony and let RemoteBuddy do the work to differentiate the IDs and map the keys to special actions. As I see it, the MacMini shall NOT be paired. Because if paired, it will "understand" only one "layer". (The one, it is paired with.) And I guess, Apple will reject all other signals with IDs other than the paired one.

Regards 
Andree 

User

31.01.2009 16:41:16

 
 
I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are trying to do.

Generally, when using Remote Buddy's virtual remote (or any actions 
thereof) and the button press triggering any action thereof comes from 
an Apple Remote via an Apple IR Receiver, the Apple Remote events 
Remote Buddy creates will include the same ID as the remote control 
that sent the button press.

 
Sleep and wake are handled by OS X, not Remote Buddy. When triggering 
the "Sleep computer" action in Remote Buddy, it calls this AppleScript:

tell application "Finder" to sleep

... which has the same effect as if you select "Sleep" from the Apple 
pull-down menu. It's completely handled by Apple software.

Please note that many messages on the Remote Buddy forum are 
completely outdated (and automatically marked as such) and that I'm 
fixing any issues that are reported and that are actually fixable (I 
can't fix bugs that go back to bugs in OS X itself, for example).

If you don't have that information from threads in this forum, where 
did you read that?

 
This is not handled in hardware. The differentiation between short and 
long presses are handled purely in software. The Apple Remote just 
sends "press.. still pressed, still pressed ..... release". When using 
a Universal Remote, it is therefore essential that the Universal 
Remote does not just replay a recording over and over again, because 
instead of above, that'd result in the receiver receiving "press, 
release, press, release, press, release..".

When using a Universal Remote as an Apple Remote replacement, the 
Universal Remote must therefore actually understand the Apple Remote 
IR protocol and implements it to its full extent.

 
Remote Buddy's Apple Remote driver - like Apple's - also implements a 
timer to differentiate between short and long presses. That of course 
only can work, if the remote control used acts like an Apple Remote. 
What Remote Buddy can't do of course is to fix Universal Remotes that 
don't truely support the Apple Remote protocol (as described above).

Best regards, 
Felix Schwarz 

User

31.01.2009 17:03:36

Hello Felix,

thanks for your very detailed answer. 
I know, my question was a little bit confusing. Sorry for that.

I am no apple freak and my living-room-media-solution now (after one year) gained a certain WAF I did not want to peril .... :-( 
And therefore I tried to collect as many informations about RB as possible BEFORE installing it. But then I did it (on the backup disc to have a fallback) out of curiosity and everything works just fine.

I was a little bit anxious to disturb my configuration and was unsure what happens when I switch the apple remote id for multi-AR-support. OK, now I know better. And after installing I found out that RB already has entry points to map long pressed keys. 
The only long press I need is the get-to-sleep one and obviously this one is hardwired in the Harmony Remote when you choose the Apple device out of there database. (So I think the problem you described will come across if I try to map a long-press-PLUS or or long-press-MENU or so ...)

OK, hope I could describe it better now. 
But as said before - no need anymore for further explanations. It works !

Thanks 
Andree