We all love color and movement - right! Let alone getting a head start on the light show for next Xmas.
This plugin is more of a try out of a few ideas. It currently allows you to control a strip of RGB LEDs using one of these controllers - for an example search in eBay for:
'44 Key IR Remote Control Controller'
They are incredibly in expensive. This plugin could easily be adapted to also control an RGB flood light. - search for this in eBay for examples:
'Remote Control RGB LED Flood Light'
The plugin uses an image of the controller and you click on the buttons on the image map. Vera then operates the IR controller via your favorite IR blaster. I scanned the controller to get the image and cleaned it up a bit and resized it - it’s a bit rough. You can still use Lua code to control the buttons directly. Even if you don’t have the LED controller you can still have a look to see the general idea.
In theory there is no reason why not, with a bit of hacking the code (ie some expertise required), that other remotes could be “virtualised” this way.
Adding your remote - you would:
- scan your remote or draw an image to suit your want eg a collection of on/off buttons for all you AV gear (they must all use the same IR blaster)
- map the button positions to the image in the table in the Lua code - if they are on a simple grid that’s not too hard
- set up the button IR codes in the Lua code and the tool tips that label them - you will need either the NEC codes or the more generic Pronto codes.
- you can set up a table for any number of remotes for the one IR blaster
The plugin is probably all a bit pointless really, as you can probably just as easily set up a few buttons to suit the Vera U15 way of doing things. Plus there are a few problems:
- the device tab has to be clicked twice to render itself first time round - apparently a Vera bug:
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,7725.msg49889.html#msg49889
- The tab doesn’t fit the image. May be a bit of messing around with the parent in the DOM may help - any clues out there? Currently you have to scroll the window up and down. One solution would be to rotate the image clockwise 90 degrees!
- the D_. json file documentation is ‘minimal’ and most of the D_.json files appear to be full of junk that needs to be cleaned out but no one knows what is actually required, let alone what it all does, so it’s not cleaned out - just one dusty cupboard.
- the RGB controller has a “limited” reptoire and the memory functions are pretty useless. Also it has no discrete on and off buttons. Pity they didn’d provide direct control over the RGB values, brightness and timing. Regardless this is just a function of the illustrative device in use. Any one any good at ATMEL 24C02N programming? - 2 cents per CPU sold and you will be rich beyond compare!
On the plus side, the plugin uses a flexiable NEC code 2 Pronto Code function. Either way, you have the choice of NEC codes or Pronto Codes. The NEC codes are far more concise and are widely used by other manufacturers. eg Yamaha
So given the plugin is utterly and totally experimental and at your own risk:
Ver 0.51
This plugin has been tested using the Vera U15, firmware 1.5.408 interface and Firefox 17.0.1 only.
Installation for U15:
Please note that the remote image jpg file has to be transferred manually (using WinSCP for example) into the directory /www/cmh/skins/default/icons
Go to U15–>APPS–>Develop Apps–>Luup files and upload the other six files.
Select the “Create device” button on the same page. Enter ‘D_ImageMapRemote1.xml’ into the ‘Upnp Device Filename’ entry box and select the ‘Create device’ button immediately below. Do a couple of “Reloads”. Open the device set up using the wrench/spanner - witness the bug that requires you do this twice. Do what you have just done again. Go to the settings Tab; select an IR TX device in the settings. Do a few more “Reloads” if necessary, retest and rinse.
Notes:
May not work when operated from outside you local LAN - I haven’t tried
Purely experimental but fully functional for the LED controller nominated. As for Xmas, about the best you can do is red, green…red, green from dusk to dawn, perhaps with the occasional fades and flashes thrown in from time to time!
Ver 0.52
The BaseTech RGB LED light has been added in.
This is untested - if someone can let me know if this works that would be good. If it does I might buy one!
Ver 0.53
A bit more tested!
Product info on the 3.7W LED bulb:
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/361131/Basetech-LED-RGB-mit-IR-Fernbedienung-E27-37W-Globeform
http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/BASETech_RGB_LED
Ver 0.54
[ul][li]Update to suit UI7[/li]
[li]Minor fixes and additions[/li][/ul]
This code is on GitHub here:
You can install the plugin from the ‘Alternate App Store’, which works together with ‘ALTUI’:
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,38102.0.html
Delete any existing ‘ImageMapRemote’ device before installing from the ‘Alternate App Store’.
Note that ‘ALTUI’ is highly recommended to all users.