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Sending IR with Serial Port

Hello,

i've got a question. In found in the software History, that we could send serial commands with an IR port ( only unidirectionnal commands).

For a new application, with an NI 3000 controler, i need about 12 IR ports. I need to control about 21 devices, but several are differents and several are the same. I mix ir files to use one port for two differents devices. That's why with that special Ir mix file need only 12 ports now.

But on an Ni 3000, there are only 8 Ir ports. So i need to bought a NXC IRS4 card with a netlinx box for about 700 euros. In this application i don't need the 7 serial ports. So my question is, as we could use ir port as serial port, is it possible to use serial ports as Ir ports?


sorry for my poor english.

Thank you !
math.

Comments

  • Buy an Axcent 3 on eBay for maybe 100 or 200 Euros. Works well. Search the forums for details.
  • in fact this controler is a part of a huge system, about 7 Ni 3000 connected on a network.
    So if i need to use a Accent controler only for IR ports, i need to use a Ni 900 or 700 to have a network acces. This application is for medical rooms, so i don't want to work with old parts of amx. Any other ideas?

    Thnak you for this first answer!

    math.
  • You don't want to use old AMX gear but you do want to control 12 devices using IR?

    (Sorry, cheap shot)
  • yuriyuri Posts: 861
    get an NXF:

    http://www.amx.com/products/NXF.asp

    and buy some IR cards with it. Not the cheapest of solutions, but works very well :)
  • You don't want to use old AMX gear but you do want to control 12 devices using IR?

    (Sorry, cheap shot)

    it's because i'm in a medical room. I can't have Rs 232 link because of electrical problems. I can only have "optical" link. I know Ir is a cheap solution, but i've not the choice!
  • yuri wrote:
    get an NXF:

    http://www.amx.com/products/NXF.asp

    and buy some IR cards with it. Not the cheapest of solutions, but works very well :)

    Too expensive, only for more 4 ir. (already 8 on the Ni 3000, and NXC-IRS4 + ni3000 is cheaper than one NXF without any cards + Master )

    In fact my initial question is not about other IR equipments, my question is only if we could use RS232 ports on a Ni controler, as IR port.. that's all ...
  • DHawthorneDHawthorne Posts: 4,584
    To answer the original question, probably not.

    If you use emitters, the IR port is modulated, and the serial port doesn't have that capacity. If you are using a wired jack that doesn't require a carrier (like the Pioneer control jacks), you might be able to do it by sending the hex of the IR code directly to the port.

    But emitters, definitely not.
  • JeffJeff Posts: 374
    AFAIK, there is no ability to do this. The Axcent3 could send one way RS232 over IR, but I'm not sure I ever read about being able to do the reverse, sending IR over RS232.

    Allow me to second the proposal that you use an Axcent3. An NI3000+Axcent3 is cheaper than an NI3000+NXC-IRS4.

    Also consider the AXB-IRS4, which is still available. 4 IR Outputs, but no need to buy a cardframe for them.

    I'm not sure what your aversion to using "old parts of amx" is, but if you want to do this cheap, you're gonna have to use the older stuff.

    J
  • Jeff wrote:
    AFAIK, there is no ability to do this. The Axcent3 could send one way RS232 over IR, but I'm not sure I ever read about being able to do the reverse, sending IR over RS232.

    Allow me to second the proposal that you use an Axcent3. An NI3000+Axcent3 is cheaper than an NI3000+NXC-IRS4.

    Also consider the AXB-IRS4, which is still available. 4 IR Outputs, but no need to buy a cardframe for them.

    I'm not sure what your aversion to using "old parts of amx" is, but if you want to do this cheap, you're gonna have to use the older stuff.

    J

    ok thank you all for your responses, in fact my client has already several accent systems. So I may use accent as slave with a ni3000 or an other netlinx controler.

    I never read about sending ir though rs port that's why i just ask about that..

    thank you !
    math
  • SensivaSensiva Posts: 211
    Global Cache

    I don't know ... is it Global Cache lucky day... every time I been asked about something I answer with Global Cache..

    Instead of extending your IR ports with AMX equipments (expensive), you may use GC-100 series (Network adapters) GC-100-12 has 2 RS232 ports, 3 relays, 6 IR ports

    around 250USD, but you have to ... kinda complicate your code, because you are pulsing IR signals using send_string via IP link.

    Cheers
  • Sensiva wrote:
    I don't know ... is it Global Cache lucky day... every time I been asked about something I answer with Global Cache..

    Instead of extending your IR ports with AMX equipments (expensive), you may use GC-100 series (Network adapters) GC-100-12 has 2 RS232 ports, 3 relays, 6 IR ports

    around 250USD, but you have to ... kinda complicate your code, because you are pulsing IR signals using send_string via IP link.

    Cheers


    and you might need a GC-IRL which is the global cache ir learner (around 100USD)
  • SensivaSensiva Posts: 211
    No!

    No you won't, Why it would be needed?
  • I thought you'd need to send a string looking like
    GC-IRL,38000,341,171,21,20BBBBBBB,22,62BBCBBCBCCBCBBBBBBCBCCCC,22,1730,341,85,22,1903
    
    to the GC, instead of the
    00BE 0044 FEBC 0022 and so on...
    
    string that is to be copied into IR Edit

    but I have never actually done it, but I was close.... we considered using GC because of the distances
  • pvspvs Posts: 6
    GC-100

    how can you convert a AMX IR file to the string you need for the GC-100 ??
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