For the revision history of this document, see the original document on the web site.
Next a high-level view of the different use cases will be given.
Analyze ("Scrutinize") individual IR Signal/Ir Sequence An IrSignal or IrSequence can be captured from connected hardware, or imported from files in different formats, the clipboard, or from Internet databases. The IrSequence can be broken into a beginning-, repeat-, and ending sequence, and decoded, analyzed, and plotted. It can be exported in different formats, or sent to different transmitting hardware. Analyze/edit/compose/export collections of IR signals (""remotes") A collection of commands can be assembled either from individual IR signals (as above), captured several at a time, or imported from files in different formats, the clipboard, or from Internet databases. The collection and the individual commands can be edited as in a spreadsheet. It can be exported in a number of different formats. Generate IR Signals from known protocols IR Signals can be generated from the Internet's largest protocol data base, containing over 100 protocol. Necessary protocol parameter values are to be entered. Thus generated signals can be analyzed as single signals, incorporated into remotes, or exported to files — also from e.g. intervals of parameters.IrScrutinizer, and all but two of its third-party additions, are written in Java,
which means that it should run on every computer with a modern Java installed;
Windows, Linux, Macintosh, etc. Java 1.7 or later is required. The two
exception are DecodeIR and the native part of RXTX, which are written in C++
and C respectively, and invoked as shared library
(.dll in Windows, .so in Linux, .jnilib or .dylib in Mac OS X). If DecodeIR or
RXTX are
not available on for a particular platform it is not a major problem, as most parts of IrScrutinizer will
work fine without it; just the DecodeIR-related functions or the serial
hardware access will be unavailable.
In all versions, IrScrutinizer behave civilized, in that the installation directory can be read only after the installation.
As of version 1.1.2, there are five different way of installing the program, described next.
Fedora rpm packages are available for the previous version 1.1.2.
To install, the command sudo yum install harctoolbox harctoolbox-doc should be issued in a terminal window.
This will install IrScrutinizer as a desktop program, as well as the command line
commands irscrutinizer and irpmaster.
To uninstall, use the command sudo yum erase harctoolbox harctoolbox-doc.
Unfortunatelly, the packaging contains a few semi-serious problems. These are reported, but stay unfixed. Fedora users are recommended to use the generic binary package.
Download the Window setup
file and double click it. Select any installation
directory you like; suggested is C:\Program Files\IrScrutinizer,
unless you can not install with administrator rights. Unless
reason to do so, create the start menu folder, and the desktop
icon. Administrator rights are needed only it installing in a directory like Program Files is desired.
IrScrutinizer can now be started from Start -> IrScrutinizer ->
IrScrutinizer, or from the desktop icon.
This will also install the command line program IrpMaster,
which can be called as irpmaster from a so-called DOS box.
To uninstall, select the uninstall option from the Start menu. Very pedantic people may like to delete the properties file too, see properties.
Download the compressed app. Uncompress it by double clicking. Opening it will show an app, and a few documention files. The app can just be dragged to the desktop, to the tray, to "Applications" or any other location the user prefers. IrScrutinizer now behaves like any other app in Mac OS X.
(The previous version was instead distrubuted as a compressed disk image. This should be uncompressed it by double clicking, and mounted by double clicking the resulting file. A mounted disk image "IrScrutinizer" will appear on the desktop. Then proceed as above.)
To unistall, just move the app to the trash.
The command line program IrpMaster is not supported in this mode. (For this, the generic binary distribution has to be used.)
The generic binary version consists of all the java code packed in one executable jar file, together with supporting files, like all the compiled shared libraries for the different operating systems Linux, Windows, and Mac. It can be used on all those systems. (In other environments, the shared libraries may be compiled with moderate effort.)
The generic binary distribution be used whenever using the rpm/setup.exe/app installation is not possible, not up-to-date, or not desired.
To install, unpack in an empty directory of your choice, suggested is
/usr/local/irscrutinizer. Inspect the wrapper irscrutinizer.sh, and
make changes if necessary.
It is recommended to make links from a directory in the path to the wrapper script, e.g.
ln -s /usr/local/irscrutinizer/irscrutinizer.sh /usr/local/bin/irscrutinizer ln -s /usr/local/irscrutinizer/irscrutinizer.sh /usr/local/bin/irpmaster
If your system supports the RXTX, you should preferably use that. See
the comments in the wrapper irscrutinizer.sh.
The JNI libraries libDecodeIR.so/DecodeIR.dll/libDecodeIR.jnilib are contained in the
distribution and should be found by the program in the installed location.
The desktop file irscrutinizer.desktop should, if desired, be
installed in /usr/local/share/applications alternatively
~/.local/share/applications.
The program can now be started either as a desktop program, or by typing irscrutinizer on the command line.
Also the command line program IrpMaster can be started
by the command irpmaster. It is also possible to start the program by double clicking
on the jar file. In case this brings up the archive manager, the desktop needs to be taught
to open executable jar files with the "java" application. For this, select a jar file the file browser,
select the properties, and select "java" as the application to "open with". (The details might vary.)
To uninstall, just delete the files. Very pedantic people may like to delete the properties file too.
Compiling the sources is covered in the Appendix.
This allows to install the different components in a way compliant with e.g. the installation by the Gnu Autotools,
normally in subdirectories of /usr/local.
For anyone familiar with the problem domain, this program is believed to be intuitive and easy to use. Almost all user interface elements have tool-help texts. Different panes have their own pop-up help. In what follows, we will not attempt to explain every detail of the user interface, but rather concentrate on the concepts. Furthermore, it is possible that new elements and functionality has been implemented since the documentation was written.
This program does not disturb the user with a number of annoying, often modal, pop ups, but directs errors, warnings, and status outputs to the console window, taking up the lower third of the main window. This window is re-sizeable. There is a context menu for the console, accessible by pressing the right mouse button in it.
In the upper row, there are six pull-down menus, named File, Edit, Actions, Options, Tools, and Help. Their usage is believed to be mainly self explanatory, with some the exceptions.
Options to the program are in general found in the Options menu, or its subordinate menus. Some parameters for particular export formats are found in the sub-panes of the "Export" pane. Also the hardware configuring panes contain user parameters.
The main window is composed of seven sub panes denoted by "Scrutinize signal" (for processing single signal), "Scrutinize remote" (for collecting several signals to one "remote"), "Generate" (generates IR signal from protocol name and parameters), "Import", "Export", "Capturing Hardware", and "Sending Hardware" respectively. These panels will be discussed in Section GUI Elements walk through
The pane "Scrutinize Signal" is devoted to the analysis of one single IR sequence.
To capture IR Sequences from a hardware sensor, first set it up and open it, see Section Capturing Hardware. An IR Sequence is captured by pressing the "Capture" button, and sending an IR signal to the selected hardware. Note that the hardware captures an IR Sequence, not an IR Signal. It consists of an (sometimes empty) start sequence, an unknown number of repeat sequences, and sometimes an ending sequence.
Only some of the many export formats are defined in the Java code
of the program, the rest in the file exportformats.xml,
located in the root of the install directory. By modifying this file,
the user can simply add his/her own export formats according to own
needs. An exporformat consists of a number of properties, together
with a small "program" written in the transformation language XSLT,
for transforming a Girr-XML-tree to the desired text format.
The rest of this section documents the format of the file, and is supposed to be read only when needed. Fundamental knowledge of XML and XSLT transformations are assumed.
The file is an XML file read in without validation. The syntax and semantics
are beleived to be essentailly self explaining or clear from the
examples aleady in there. An export format is
packed in an element of type exportformat. It contains
the following attributes:
true of
false). If true, the export really describes an sequence rather than am signal (with intro-, repeat- , and
ending-sequences), therefore the user must explictly state a particular number
of repetitions for an export.
The element contains a single child element, namely the XSLT
transformation, which is an element of type
xsl:stylesheet, with attributes as in the examples. It
should transform a Girr XML DOM tree in the "fat" format, with
remotes as
root element, into the desired text format. It may be advisable to use
the already present formats as guide.
After editing the file, it can be reloaded either by re-starting the program, or by selecting Options -> Export formats database -> Reload.
Under Windows, the properties are stored in
%LOCALAPPDATA%\IrScrutinizer\IrScrutinizer.properties.xml using Windows
Vista and later (on my Windows 7 system, this is %HOME%\AppData\Local\IrScrutinizer\IrScrutinizer.properties.xml), otherwise in
%APPDATA%\IrScrutinizer\IrScrutinizer.properties.xml. Using other operating
systems, it is stored under $HOME/.config/IrScrutinizer/properties.xml. It is
not deleted by un-install. (If weird problems appear, for example after an update, try
deleting this file. For this, there is a command line option --nuke-properties that can be used to
conveniently delete the present property file, without knowing its exact name.)
This panel is devoted to the analysis of a single IR signal or IR sequence. A (single) signal is either read from hardware using the "Capture" button (requires that the capturing hardware has been set on the "Capturing Hardware" pane), imported from a file (using the context menu in the data window, or through File -> Import -> Import as single sequence), or pasted from the clipboard. Also, some other panes can transfer data to this pane. For text import, the signal can be in either Pronto CCF format, raw format (indicated by a leading "+"-sign), or in the UEI learned format. The signal is printed in the data window, in the preferred text format, which can be selected from the options menu. The text representation may be edited (assuming sufficient knowledge!), after which the edited signal is analyzed and plotted again by pressing the "Scrutinize" button. The signal may be sent to the sending hardware by pressing the "Transmit" button.
Using context menus, the result can be sent to the clipboard or saved to a file.
The plot can be zoomed by pressing the left mouse button and dragging. Printing and exported as graph is presently not implemented.
The menu entry Actions -> Enter test signal (or its accelerator, the F9 key) enters a test signal.
In rare cases, transforming the signal between different formats may introduce some rounding errors causing decoding to fail.
This panel is devoted to the capturing/import/editing of a collection of IR signals, called "a remote" in the sequel. The panel contains two sub-panels: for parametric signals and for non-parametric, "raw", signals.
A "parametric" signal is determined by its protocol name, and the values of the protocol's parameters. A "raw" signal is determined by its timing pattern, and its modulation frequency. It may have one or many decodes, or none. Nevertheless, by definition, a raw signal is determined by its timing, not the decodes.
In both cases, the sub panes consists of tables with a number of columns. Every signal takes up a row in the table. The content of the individual cells (with the exception of its number and date) can be individually edited, like in a spreadsheet program.
In both tables, the right mouse button opens a context menu containing a number of ways to manipulate the table, its view, or the data contained therein. By enabling the row selector, the rows can be sorted along any of the present columns.
To capture a number of IR signals, first configure the hardware using the capturing hardware pane. Next press the Capture button. The program will now run the capturing in a separate thread, so the user just have to press the buttons of the remote. The signals will be received, interpreted, decoded, and entered on subsequent lines in the selected table (raw or parameterized). The capture thread will continue until the captured button is pressed again. (Note that this is completely different from the capture button on the "Scrutinize signal" panel.) The user may mix captures with other activities, like entering information (name, comments,...) in the table.
The export button exports the content of the currently selected table (raw or parameterized) according to the currently selected export format.
The menu entry Actions -> Enter test signal (or its accelerator, the F9 key) enters a test signal, either as parametric signal, or as a raw signal.
In the upper part of this pane, an IR protocol is selected, identified by name, and the parameters D ("device", in almost all protocols), S ("sub-device", not in all protocols), F ("function", also called command number or OBC, present in almost all protocols), as well as T, "toggle" (in general 0 or 1, only in a few protocols). These number can be entered as decimal numbers, or, by prepending "0x", as hexadecimal numbers.
By pressing "Generate", the signal is computed, and the middle window is filled with a textual representation, in the form selected by Options -> Output Text Format.
The Export button initiates an export to a file format selected by the Export pane. The three lower buttons transfer the signal(s) to the scrutinize signal panel, the raw remote table, or the parameterized panel.
For the export and the transfer to the "scrutinize remote" tables, not only a single parameter value can be selected, but whole sets. The complete syntax and semantics is given in the IrpMaster documentation, we here just mention that e.g. 12:34 means all numbers between 12 and 34 (inclusive), and * denotes all possible values (as defined by the protocol's IRP notation).
The import pane allows for selective import of collection of IR commands. Both Internet data bases and file formats are supported. Import can take place from local files or even file hierarchies, from the clipboard, or from Internet URLs.
There are a number of elements common to most of the sub-panes, so these will be described next.
For file/URL based imports, there is a text field, named File or
File/URL. For the latter case, an URL (like
http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/yamaha/RX-V995 can be
entered, for subsequent import without downloading to a local disc. By pressing
the "..."-Button, a file selector allows the selection of a local file. For
files and URLs, the "Edit/Browse" button allows to examine the selected
file/URL with the operating system's standard command.
If the option "Open ZIP files" (accessible from Options
-> Import) is
selected, zip files can be selected, opened, and unzipped "on the fly",
without the need for the user to unzip to intermediate files.
When pressing one of the "Load", "Load File/URL", or "Load from clipboard" button, the selected information is downloaded, and presented in the format of an expandable tree. By placing the mouse cursor over a command, additional information, like decode, is presented. A single command can be selected by mouse click, a sequence of adjacent commands by shift-click, a subset of not necessarily adjacent commands be selected by Ctrl-click, as usual from most GUIs. A single selected command can be transferred to the "Scrutinize signal" pane by pressing "Import signal". The "Import all" ("Import selection") button transfers all commands (the selected commands) to the "Scrutinize remote" pane, sub-pane "Parametric remote" (without overwriting already present commands), while the buttons "Import all/raw" and "Import selected/raw" transfer to the sub-pane "Raw remote".
The key "Transmit selected" transmits the (single) selected signal to the selected sending hardware.
Global Caché maintains a data base of IR signals, made available free of charge. "Contains over 100,000 Infrared codes for over 2,000 different remotes from over 500 manufacturers". To use from IrScrutinizer, an API Key has be be retrieved. This can be done from a Facebook, Google, or Yahoo account. After pressing the "APIKey" button, the API key is entered in the pop-up window. It is subsequently saved to the program's properties. To use, select, in order, a manufacturer, a device type, and a setup code, the latter possibly by trial-and-error.
IRDB is "one of the largest crowd-sourced, manufacturer-independent databases of infrared remote control codes on the web, and aspiring to become the most comprehensive and most accurate one."
To use, select, in order, a manufacturer, a device type, and a protocol/parameter combination, the latter possibly by trial-and-error.
Pressing the "Load all" button transfers all present protocol/parameters combinations to the tree.
The Girr format is the native format of IrScrutinizer.
The LIRC import feature is based upon Jirc, which is basically LIRC translated into Java. The LIRC importer can even import a file system hierarchy by selecting the top directory as File/URL. (Importing the entire lirc.org database with over 100000 commands takes around 1 minute and 1GB of memory.)
The CML format is the format used by the RTI Integration Designer software. Many CML files are available in Internet, in particular on RemoteCentral. Particularly noteworthy is the "megalist" by Glackowitz. IrScrutinizer can import these files to its import tree, making every remote a nodes in the tree. Note that there is no need to unzip such a file; IrScrutinizer will unzip it on the fly.
The native format that Command Fusion uses, file extension .cfir, can be imported here.
The JP1 community has a large data base of parametric IR commands. IrScrutinizer has support for importing RMDU files for RemoteMaster. Unfortunately, the signals are stored as parameters for so-called executors, with sometimes different parameterization ("hex", "efc") than the IRP protocols. Translating these files to one of the known protocol/parameter format is nothing but straightforward. It uses protocol information contained in protocols.ini. IrScrutinizer reads this file, and can do some computations, for example on NEC1 protocols, but not on all protocols.
For signals without recognized protocol name, importing as raw signals, or to "Scrutinize signal", is not possible. However, they can always be imported as parametric signals, possibly for manual edit.
Many Pronto CCF files are available in Internet, in particular by Remote Central. IrScrutinizer can read in these files to its import tree, even preserving the Pronto "devices" as nodes in the tree.
Unfortunately, the Tonto library used
produces the warning message Error loading JComm JNI library. This message
should be ignored.
Pronto Professional XCF files are found for example at Remote Central. IrScrutinizer can read in these files to its import tree, even preserving the Pronto "devices" as nodes in the tree.
The ICT format, introduced by Kevin Timmerman's IrScope, contains the timing pattern, the modulation frequency, and optionally a name ("note") of one or many IR signals.
In the Internet, there are a lot of information in table-like formats, like Excel, describing the IR commands of certain devices. IrScrutinizer has some possibilities of importing these — after exporting them to a text format, like tab separated values (tsv) or comma separated values.
The sub-pane allows for the parsing of text files separated by a certain characters, like commas, semicolons, or tabs. The separating characters is selected in the "Field separator" combo box. The column to be used as name is entered in the "Name col." combo box, while the data to be interpreted either as raw data or CCF format, is entered in the "Raw signal col.". If the "... and subsequent columns" is selected, all subsequent columns are added to the data.
This pane tries to interpret a line-based file as a number of named IR commands, using heuristics.
The sub-pane allows for the parsing of text files separated by a certain characters, like commas, semicolons, or tabs. The separating characters is selected in the "Field separator" combo box. The column to be used as name is entered in the "Name col." combo box, while protocol name and the parameters D, S, and F are entered in their respective combo boxes. They are parsed in the number base selected.
This pane imports and analyzes wave files, considered to represent IR signals. The outcome of the analysis (sample frequency, sample size, the number of channels, and in the case of two channels, the number of sample times the left and right channels are in phase or anti-phase) is printed to the console.
Using the export pane, export files can be generated, allowing other programs to use the computed results. Single signals (from the "Scrutinize signal" pane), collections of signals (from the "Scrutinize remote" pane), or generated signals can be exported. Exports can be generated in a number of different formats. Some (Girr (=XML) and text) can contain both the Pronto format and the "raw" format (timings in microseconds, positive for pulses, negative for gaps), as well as other formats. These formats, together with Wave, LIRC, and Pronto Classic, are built-in in the program. However, it is possible to define new export formats by extending a configuration file, see Adding new export formats. The formats are, at the time of this writing:
Girr The program's native format, based on XML. Very flexible and extensible. Can contain information like the raw format, CCF format, UEI learned format, and the Global Caché sendir format. Documentation. Text The text format is essentially the Girr format stripped of the XML markup information. Wave IR sequences encoded as wave audio files. LIRC The LIRC-exports are in lirc.conf-format using the raw LIRC format. They can be concatenated together and used as the LIRC server data base. Can also be used with WinLirc. Pronto Classic This format generates a CCF configuration file to be downloaded in a Pronto, or opened by a ProntoEdit program. IrTrans This export format generates .rem files for the IrTrans system, using its CCF format. Lintronic Simple text protocol for describing a single IrSequence. Spreadsheet Simple tab separated value export format for importing in a spreadsheet program. RM Functions Variant of the Spreadsheet format, this format is intended to be pasted directly into the "Functions" table of RemoteMaster. C Intended mostly as an example of generating C code, cf. this article. TV-B-Gone Variant of the C format, this format generates C code for the TV-B-Gone.Export file names are either user selected from a file selector, or, if "Automatic file names" has been selected, automatically generated.
The export is performed by pressing the "Export" button. The "..."-marked button allows for manually selecting the export directory. It is recommended to create a new, empty directory for the exports. The just-created export file can be immediately inspected by pressing the "Open last file"-button, which will open it in the "standard way" of the used operating system. (Also available on the actions menu.) The "Open" button similarly opens the operating systems standard directory browser (Windows Explorer, Konquistador, Nautilus,...) on the export directory.
Some export formats (presently Wave and Lintronic) export an IR sequence rather than an IR signal (consisting of an intro sequence, an repetition sequence (to be included 0 or more times), and an (most often empty) ending sequence). Using these formats, the number of repetition sequences to include can be selected.
Some export formats have some more parameters, configured in sub panes. These will be discussed next.
A style sheet can be selected to be linked in into the exported Girr file. The type of style file (presently xslt and css) can also be selected.
"Fat form raw" can be selected; this means that the raw signals are not given as a text string of alternating positive and negative numbers, but the individual flashes and gaps are enclosed into own XML elements. This can be advantageous if generating XML mainly for the purpose of transforming to other formats.
Parameters for the generated Wave export (except for the number of repeats) can be selected here.
The Global Caché sendir format requires a module number and a connector number. Also, there is a compressed format, that can be enabled by selecting the compressed check-box.
A Pronto Classic export consists of a CCF file with the exported signals associated to dummy buttons. The Pronto (Classic) model for which the export is designed is entered in the combo box. Screen size of the Pronto is normally inferred from the model, but can be changed here. The button size of the generated buttons is also entered here.
The sub-panes of this pane allow for the configuration of capturing hardware. Selecting a sub-pane also selects the associated hardware, if possible. The hardware can also be selected from the tool bar, Options -> Capturing hardware.
Unfortunately, by e.g. selecting non-existing hardware or such, there is a possibility to "hang" the program.
After configuring and opening the capturing hardware, the "Test" button can be used for testing the configuration without switching pane.
Selected ports are stored in the properties, thereby remembered between sessions. So, for future sessions, only opening the preferred device is necessary.
Plug the IrWidget it into the computer. Check that the operating system
has assigned a port to it, and note which one it is. On Windows: open the
device manager, and check that there is one "USB Serial Port" under Ports. Note
the port number (e.g. COM8). On a Linux system, it likely shows up as a device
like /dev/ttyUSB0. If the port does not show up, a suitable driver needs to be
installed. If the correct port is already visible in the combo box, just
press "Open". Otherwise, press "Refresh", which makes the program determine
the currently available serial ports. Select the correct one. Press "Open". which should
now remain "pressed". The port can be closed again by another press, but
there is not much reason to do so, unless another capturing hardware should be
used, or the IrWidget should be used from another program.
IrScrutinizer automatically detects alive Global Caché units in the local area network, using the AMX Beacon. However, this may take up to 60 seconds, and is not implemented in very old firmware. Using the "Add" button, the IP address/name of older units can be entered manually.
For this to work, port 9131/udp must be open in a used firewall
The "Browse" button points the browser to the selected unit.
The reported type and firmware version serves to verify that the communication is working.
mode2 is a program from the LIRC distribution, that prints timing
information in a simple text format to its standard-out. In theory, any program
that prints information in that format can be used. The command line for the
program with possible parameters is to be entered as command. With the Start
button, a sub-process is started, running the given command line. The "Stop" button
stops the sub-process — although sometimes this may not stop the started
program.
Has been tested only on Linux, should however work on all systems.
To use the Arduino with a non-demodulating receiver for IR capture, the
sketch GirsLite needs to be loaded.
After connecting the Arduino to a real or virtual serial port, select the port in the combo box, pressing "Refresh" if necessary. "Open" the port thereafter.
At least on Linux, the ACMX port may be finicky. Sometimes disconnecting and reconnecting the device may help.
After connecting the IrToy to a USB port, select the the actual (virtual) serial port in the combo box, pressing "Refresh" if necessary. "Open" the port thereafter.
The ending timeout is 1.4 seconds, and cannot be changed. This is not optimal for most IR signal capture use cases.
At least on Linux, the ACMX port may be finicky. Sometimes disconnecting and reconnecting the device may help.
After connecting the Command Fusion learner to a USB port, select the the actual (virtual) serial port in the combo box, pressing "Refresh" if necessary. "Open" the port thereafter.
The sub-panes of this pane allows for the selection and configuration of the deployed IR sending hardware.
IrScrutinizer automatically detects alive Global Caché units in the local area network, using the AMX Beacon. However, this may take up to 60 seconds, and is not implemented in very old firmware. Using the "Add" button, the IP address/name of older units can be entered manually.
The "Browse" button points the browser to the selected unit.
The reported type and firmware version serves to verify that the communication is working.
"Stop IR"-Button allows the interruption of ongoing transmission, possibly initiated from another source.
The user can select one of the thus available Global Caché units, together with IR-module and IR-port (see the Global Caché API specification for the exact meaning of these terms).
To be fully usable for IrScrutinizer, the LIRC server has to be extended to be
able to cope with CCF signal not residing in the local data base, but sent from
a client like IrScrutinizer, thus mimicking the function of e.g. a
Global Caché. The needed modification ("patch") is in detail described here. However, even without
this patch, the configuration page can be used to send the predefined commands
(i.e. residing it its data base lirc.conf). It can be considered
as a GUI version of
the irsend
command.
The LIRC server needs to be started in network listening mode with
the -l or --listen option. Default TCP port is
8765.
After entering IP-Address or name, and port (stay with 8765 unless a reason to do otherwise), press the "Read" button. This will query the LIRC server for its version (to replace the grayed out "<unknown>" of the virgin IrScrutinizer), and its known remotes and their commands. Thus, the "Remote" and "Command" combo boxes should now be selectable. After selecting a remote and one of its command, it can be sent to the LIRC server by pressing the "Send" button. If (and only if) the LIRC server has the above described patch applied, transmitting signals to "LIRC" now works.
Due to LIRC's peculiar form of API stop command, the "Stop IR" command presently does not work. See this thread in the LIRC mailing list for a background.
The configuration of IRTrans is similar to LIRC, so it will be described more briefly.
Enter IP name or -address and select an IR port (default "intern"). If the Ethernet IRTrans contains an "IR Database" (which is a slightly misleading term for an internal flash memory, that can be filled by the user), its commands can be sent from this pane. By pressing the "Read" button, the known remotes and commands are loaded, and the version of the IRTrans displayed. The selected command can now be sent by the "Send" button. (However, this functionality is otherwise not used by IrScrutinizer.) Selecting "IRTrans" on the "Analyze" and "War dialer" pane should now work. The IRTrans module is then accessed using the UDP text mode.
Using this pane, the IrToy (version 2) can be used to transmit IR signals. To my knowledge, only the firmware version 2.2.2 works.
Using this pane, the CommandFusion learner can be used to transmit IR signals.
Using this pane, an Arduino equipped with a suitable IR Led can be used to
transmit IR signals. First however, the sketch
GirsLite from the arduino subdirectory has to be
downloaded to the Arduino.
As additional hardware device, IrScrutinizer can generate wave files, that can be used to control IR-LEDs. This technique has been described many times in the Internet the last few years, see for example this page within the LIRC project. The hardware consists of a pair of anti-parallel IR-LEDs, preferably in series with a resistor. Theoretically, this corresponds to a full wave rectification of a sine wave. Taking advantage of the fact that the LEDs are conducting only for a the time when the forward voltage exceeds a certain threshold, it is easy to see that this will generate an on/off signal with the double frequency of the original sine wave. (See the first picture in the LIRC article for a picture.) Thus, a IR carrier of 38kHz (which is fairly typical) can be generated through a 19kHz audio signal, which is (as opposed to 38kHz) within the realm of medium quality sound equipment, for example using mobile devices.
IrScrutinizer can generate these audio signals as wave files, which can be exported from the export pane, or sent to the local computers sound card. There are some settings available: Sample frequency (44100, 48000, 96000, 192000Hz), sample size (8 or 16 bits) can be selected. Also "stereo" files can be generated by selecting the number of channels to be 2. The use of this feature is somewhat limited: it just generates another channel in opposite phase to the first one, for hooking up the IR LEDs to the difference signal between the left and the right channel. This will buy you double amplitude (6 dB) at the cost of doubling the file sizes. If the possibility exists, it is better to turn up the volume instead.
Most of "our" IR sequences ends with a period of silence almost for the half of the total duration. By selecting the "Omit trailing gap"-option, this trailing gap is left out of the generated data – it is just silence anyhow. This is probably a good choice (almost) always.
Note that when listening to music, higher sample rates, wider sample sizes, and more channels sound better (in general). However, generating "audio" for IR-LEDs is a completely different use case. The recommended settings are: 48000kHz, 8bit, 1 channel, omit trailing gap.
Normal usage is just to double click on the jar-file, or possibly on some wrapper invoking that jar file. However, there are some command line arguments that can be useful either if invoking from the command line, or in writing wrappers, or when configuring custom commands in Windows.
The options --version and --help work as they are
expected to work in the GNU
coding standards for command line interfaces. Use
the --help-command to see the complete list of command line parameters. The -v/--verbose
option set the verbose flag, causing commands like sending to IR
hardware printing some messages in the console.
The option --nuke-properties makes the program delete the property file, and exit immediately.
For automating tasks, or for integrating in build processes or Makefiles or the like, it is probably a better idea to use IrpMaster instead, which has a reasonably complete command line interface.
The program delivers well defined and sensible exit codes.
Almost. Using MakeHex as renderer (or more correctly, its Java version) instead of IrpMaster is not implemented. (The practical usage of this feature is probably very limited, and IrMaster is still available, should it ever be needed.) The "war dialer" is also not implemented, but see next question. For the wave export, some rarely used options (the possibility to select big-endian format (for 16-bit samples), the possibility not to half the carrier frequency, and the possibility to select sine (instead of square) for modulation) have been removed. Finally, there is some stuff that simply works differently, like the export function.
Use "Scrutinize remote" -> Parametric Remote. Fill in the table with signals to be tested, either using the pop-up button (right mouse in the table) Advanced -> Add missing F's, or from the Generate pane, using suitable parameter intervals (see TODO), and transfer them using the "To parametric remote" button. Then test the candidate signals one at a time by transmit-ting them, using suitable sending hardware. The comment field, or the "verified" check-box, can be used for note taking.
A "war dialer" like in IrMaster may be implemented in a later version.
No, the program is not meant for that. While you definitely can assemble a "remote" on the "scrutinize remote" panel, and transmit the different commands with mouse commands (appropriate hardware assumed), the program is intended for developing codes for other deployment solutions.
Yes. There are several use cases when the user would like to see several "panes" simultaneously. Also, it should be possible to have several windows of the same sort (like the "scrutinize signal") simultaneously. Replacing the top level panes with something "Eclipse-like" (sub-windows that can be rearranged, resized, moved, iconized) is on my wish list.
This is unfortunately a fundamental design flaw, one that sits deep in the design. A quick fix is therefore not likely. Sorry. (However, it is possible to use two different instances of the hardware, e.g. two IrToys; one for capturing and one for transmission.)
It is a Babel fish, as found in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, having the property, that "... if you stick one in your ear, you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language". This symbolizes the program's ability to "understand" a large number of different IR formats.
Sad, really, it is a really nice data base. The reason is that API retrieval of codes is not allowed for the free accounts. The data base can still be used with IrScrutinizer however: Log in with the web interface, and have the codes mailed in CSV format (press "Send Code Set"). The mail received can be imported by the import text pane, raw subpane, Name col. = 1, Raw signal col = 2 (or 3), Field separator: comma.
Try deleting the properties file.
(Note the command line option --nuke-properties which will do exactly that,
without having to manually find the file or its name.) If that does not help, try
starting the program from the command line, which may leave hopefully
understandable error message on the console.
The program that comes up has "stolen" the file association of
files with the extension .jar. Restore it. (Allegedly, WinRar can
gracefully "unsteal" file associations.)
When starting IrScrutinizer, or by pressing the "Refresh" button, error messages occur like
check_group_uucp(): error testing lock file creation Error
details:Permission deniedcheck_lock_status: No permission to create
lock file.
(and a number of them...)
The problem is that the library rxtx (like some other program
accessing a serial interface) wants to create a lock file in a
particular directory. This is/was traditionally
/var/lock, which is often a symbolic link to
/var/run/lock. This directory is normally writable by
members of the group lock. So your user-account should probably
be a member of that group. (How to perform this is different in
different Linux distributions.) The rxtx library delivered with
IrScrutinizer expects the lock directory to be
/var/lock. However, recently some Linux-distributions
(e.g. Fedora 20), instead are using /var/lock/lockdev as
its lock directory (while /var/lock still is a link to
/var/run/lock. To solve this, I recommend, if possible,
installing rxtx provided by the Linux distribution used, i.e. not
using the one with IrScrutinizer. For example, on Fedora, the command
is
sudo yum install rxtx
which installs the library in /usr/lib/rxtx or
/usr/lib64/rxtx, depending on the operating system. (Other distributions uses other
commands, for example apt-get on Debian-like systems.)
Finally, the correct installation directory of the library
(librxtxSerial-2.2pre1.so) has to be given to the JVM
running IrScrutinizer. For this, see the wrapper
irscrutinizer.sh and the comments therein, and make the
necessary adaptations.
From left to right, a Global Caché iTach Flex, an IrToy, and a low-cost clone of an Arduino Nano, the latter equipped with a non-demodulating IR detector (TSMP4138) for capturing and an IR diode (SFH415) for sending. These are all hardware which work well with IrScrutinizer, both for sending and capturing.
No.
"IrScrutinizer" is one subproject (corresponding to a Java package) within "harctoolbox.org". It depends on several other subprojects within harctoolbox. The project "harctoolboxbundle" consists of these subproject bundled together, with some dependent third-party components added.
The released versions are found on the download page. The development sources are maintained on my GitHub repository. Forking and pull requests are welcome!
As any program of substantial size, IrScrutinizer uses a number of third-party components.
All of these are also free software, carrying compatible licenses.
The dependent packages need to be installed also in
maven in order for the build to work. With the dependencies available, the script tools/install-deps.sh
can be used to install them in the local maven repository before building.
Presently, Fedora RPMs are available for all dependencies.
Installing the harctoolbox package will also install all dependencies, in which case
the information in this chapter is not needed.
A subset of the Crystal icons are included, and will be included in a built jar. Most Linux distributions contain these too, so a Linux packaging may like to use the system icons instead.
The serial communication packate RXTX is also included in the source package. This builds a shared library and a jar file.
If there is a system supported RXTX (librxtxSerial really), it should be preferred.
The distribution constains pre-compiled binaries for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X, both in 32- and 64-bit versions.
To compile the C sources, see the sub-directory rxtx-pre2h and the instructions therein.
Note that the system supplied RXTX jar on many system (e.g. Fedora 21) has some issues
(version number incompatible with the shared library, does not recognize
the /dev/ttyACM*-ports required by IrToy and many Arduinos, unflexible library loading),
so using our RXTX jar together with the system supplied shared library can be sensible.
If the system supports DecodeIR, use the system version. On recent Fedora, this can be installed with the command
sudo yum install DecodeIR. This will install both the shared
library libDecodeIR as well as the jar file DecodeIrCaller.jar.
To download and compile the sources, see (or execute) the script tools/build-decodeir.sh.
It the system supports ExchangeIR (java), use the system version. (On recent Fedora, use sudo yum install ExchangeIR.)
Otherwise, it can be downloaded and installed by the script tools/build-exchangeir.sh.
It the system supports minimal-json, use the system version. (On recent Fedora, use sudo yum install minimal-json.)
Otherwise, it can be downloaded and installed by the script tools/build-minimal-json.sh.
It the system supports jcommander, use the system version. (On recent Fedora, use sudo yum install beust-jcommander.)
Otherwise, it can be downloaded and installed by the script tools/build-jcommander.sh.
It the system support Tonto, use the system version. (On recent Fedora, use sudo yum install tonto.)
Otherwise, it can be downloaded and installed by the script tools/build-tonto.sh.
Note that the shared library libjnijcomm,
which is required by the program Tonto for communicating with a Pronto remote through a serial interface,
is not required for use with IrScrutinizer, and can therefore be left out.
As of version 1.1.2, the Maven "software
project management and comprehension tool" is used as building system.
Modern IDEs like Netbeans and Eclips integrate Maven, so build etc can be initiated from the IDE.
Of course, the shell command mvn install can also be used. It creates some artifacts which can
be used to run IrScrutinizer in the IrScrutinizer/target directory.
It also creates a package/dist directory containing jars
(without dependencies), docs, and configurations files. This is intened to support
packaging.
To prepare the Windows version, some shell tools are needed. These are:
unix2dos and dos2unix utilities, typically in the dos2unix package.icotool utility, typically in the icoutils packageFor building the Windows setup.exe, the Inno Installer version 5
is needed. To build the Windows setup.exe file, preferrably the work area should
be mounted on a Windows computer. Then, on the Windows computer, open
the generated file IrScrutinizer/target/IrScrutinizer_inno.iss with
the Inno installer, and start the compile. This will generate the desired file
IrScutinizer-version.exe.
Alternatively, the "compatibility layer capable of running
Windows applications" software application Wine (included in most Linux
distributions) can run the ISCC compiler of Inno. The Maven file
IrScrutinizer/pom.xml contains an experimental
invocation along these lines.
The Maven build creates a file
IrScrutinizer-version-app.zip.
This file can be directly distributed to the users, to be installed according to
these instructions.
The icon file IrScrutinizer.icns was produced from the Crystal-Clear
icon babelfish.png in 128x128 resolution, using the procedure
described
here.
For testing purposes, the programs can be invoked from their different target directories. IrScrutinizer can be invoked as
$ cd IrScrutinizer $ java -jar target/IrScrutinizer-jar-with-dependencies.jar
and IrpMaster as
$ cd IrpMaster
$ java -jar target/IrpMaster-jar-with-dependencies.jar [arguments...]
IrScrutinizer can also be started by double clicking the mentioned jar file, provided that the desktop has been configured to start executable jar with "java".
For reasons unclear to me, Maven does not support something like make install for installing a
recently build program on the local host. Instead, the supplied script tools/install-irscrutinizer.sh
installs the program to normal Linux/autotools locations.
(Actually, invoking Maven with the "deploy" target will invoke this script too.)
Alternativelly, the just created generic-binary package
(IrScrutinizer/target/IrScrutinizer-bin.zip) can be installed using these instuctions.