How to Setup IR Remote Control Access in Ubuntu Linux
by airbornesurfer in Circuits > Linux
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How to Setup IR Remote Control Access in Ubuntu Linux
Some years ago, I began my modern Maker journey by building a custom HTPC from an old VCR. I figured this would be a fun place to start my Instructables archive.
What HTPC setup would be complete without a remote control to command your rig from across the room? For the VCR, I chose the SIIG Vista MCE Remote for its compatibility and range of functions. It also happened to be reasonably-priced at Micro Center when I bought it.
Supplies
SIIG Vista MCE Remote (or any other compatible remote control
PC Running a Debian-based flavor of Linux
Plug in USB Dongle and Install Lirc
To get started, plug in your IR receiver USB dongle and install LIRC from the terminal:
sudo apt-get install lirc
During installation, you will be presented with a dialog asking you to select the specific remote control you have.
For the SIIG Vista MCE remote that I'm using, choose “Windows Media Center Transceivers/Remotes (all)”
Then, choose your brand of IR blaster (if applicable). In this example, I do not have one installed, so I chose “None”.
Sit back and allow the installation to finish.
Install Lircx Utilities
After the lirc installation finishes, install LIRC X Utilities from the terminal with the following command:
sudo apt-get install lirc-x
Test Your Remote's Communication
Once lirc-x is installed, you can test everything with the irw terminal command.
Upon invoking the command, you should get a blank line.
Point the remote commander at the receiver and press a few buttons, you should get
some coded output on the screen. If so, congratulations! Press C to quit irw.
If there is no output, verify that the dongle is working (there’s usually a red light that accompanies keypresses) and that the correct remote was selected in setup. You may need to reboot for the computer to recognize the new hardware.
Ubuntu will recognize most of the commands from the remote control as corresponding keystrokes (such as direction keys and return), but you may need to map the extended functions using lircmap.xml. This is beyond the scope of this simple Instructable, but if you would like to know, please let me know in the comments!
Meanwhile, you can check out the rest of this project on my website