Home AMX User Forum AMX Control Products

Can I use the IRRX port of NX1200 like IRIS?

Is it possible to create an irl file by recognizing the IR value of the remote control as the IRRX port of NX1200 like IRIS?

If it is not possible, what is IRRX of NX 1200 used for?

Any samples or links to reference?

Comments

  • No, the NX1200 cannot be used as a capture device. The IR Receive port is used (not as often these days) with an AMX IR receiver and either an older AMX IR remote or a universal remote with the AMX IR codeset. It will not work/respond with a non AMX IR codeset.

    In residential, I used the IR receiver behind a television and the user would aim their AMX IR remote and the control system would react.

    For capture, I use a USB IR Capture device to generate raw hex that I then paste into IREdit. Admittedly, there are fewer and fewer IR controlled (only) devices. When RS232 or IP control are available, I prefer those for 2-way feedback.

    IR capture at the controller is an interesting idea. In an ideal world, how would that feature work in the field? Would you expect to navigate an onscreen display into some setup dialog > IR Capture > scroll through configured IR devices/files > scroll through slots that may or may not have existing function names and either > overwrite the existing slot or fill and empty slot?

    I presume within the same capture dialog, there would be a TEST function with similar SCROLL TO SELECT and then test on the assigned output based on the loaded program?

  • John NagyJohn Nagy Posts: 1,734

    Chris, it's probably most flexible and least effort to build an extension on STUDIO that had at least the bare bones of what the antique and crippled IREDIT does if the NX IRRX port could in fact be persuaded to be read.

  • Thanks for the quick reply.

    If IR capture is not a complicated task, I thought it would be possible to capture with the IREDIT combination of the NX 1200. It's all about simply reading the IR data and storing it per channel.

    The IR function is still available in Netlinx Studio and can be used. However, the supported product has been discontinued and the NX1200 with IRRX port only supports the dedicated remote control, so it seems contradictory.

    The IR database on AMX.com can only be accessed with a company ID, so it is difficult for those who want to learn AMX equipment like me to obtain data.

    As 'John Nagy' said, it would be good if Netlinx Studio provides the same functions as IREDIT including IR capture function of NX1200.

    http://www.usbuirt.com/

    I found this product as a replacement for IRIS, can I use the data normally in Netlinx Studio?

    Or, please recommend other products.

    thank you.

  • John NagyJohn Nagy Posts: 1,734
    edited October 2021

    Recording and decoding an IR waveform is far more complicated than just recognizing matches in an on-chip database (which is what happens in every device that uses a hand held IR remote). It's unlikely that the NetLinx IR section is capable of doing what the AMX IRIS accessory box did, supported by IREDIT. The IRRX was designed only to recognize the 256 IR codes that AMX blessed back in the 1990's.

    USBUIRT will indeed work to capture IR, using its own software. I own one. The result will be text in a hex-representation of the waveform that can be pasted into IREDIT to make AMX compatible IR files. I found the USBUIRT free software to only work poorly and stopped using it. There was (maybe is) a commercially offered tool not unlike IREDIT for the USB unit, but it was expensive and didn't look like it would directly do what I wanted, so I passed on buying it.

    IR capture can be done with a number of competing manufacturer's tools. For years before I sprung for an IRIS, I used a Philips Pronto which can reliably do the same learning, then their PRONTOEDIT software can render a HEX listing that is cut/paste compatible with IREDIT. Pronto devices and the software are quite out of date but can still be found used.

    You likely can't get around using the ancient IREDIT to make AMX compatible files to load into the NetLinx. The problem there is making IREDIT stay running long enough in WINDOWS 10 to complete the task. It's pretty fragile. Win11 will almost certainly not make it more stable. I load and work in a virtualized WinXP image when I need to do serious IREDIT work. IREDIT is fairly stable in Win7 too... but IREDIT is and always was clumsy, arcane, difficult, and non-windows-standard in operation.

    Studio cannot make the IRL format files, it can only import/export them. Note also that it cannot export the IRL files from most any AMX device other than a NetLinx, and only from that if the related "irfile[number]" stub files exist in the NetLinx file system for the IR port you want to extract. These stub files can be observed, downloaded, or deleted with FTP. but are useless by themselves. They are the meta information related to the IR files, and are created when the IR is uploaded to the NetLinx IR banks. They serve no other purpose but to provide the meta information if you use Studio or IREDIT to extract the related IR file from the IR banks. And without these meta files, the IR in the banks cannot be recovered. They will still operate without the stub files... just can't be extracted.

    The bare IR codes in Netlinx and other AMD device ports can, however, be triggered in Studio and re-captured off an attached IR emitter by whatever you figure out to use for capturing... you just might not know what each command is.

  • sling100sling100 Posts: 123

    Like John I use a USBUIRT and import the hex into IREDIT. Recently I purchased this https://analysir.com/ - which is much better and allows you to clean up the IR data before exporting as hex.

    Simon

  • John NagyJohn Nagy Posts: 1,734
    edited November 2021

    Simon, I note that USBUIRT is not listed as supported by the software. Will ANALYSIR just work with a PC and an USBUIRT and nothing else added? (The site talks about several extra hardware items to MAKE!)

    Note also that getting the HEX codes will still require import into AMX's IREDT to make .IRL files for our use... no way around that.

  • sling100sling100 Posts: 123

    I'm not sure if the USBUIRT is supported - I guess not, although I haven't tried. I bought their $30 USB device, which works perfectly. But yes, I still have to use IREDIT to actually create the IR file. @jjames made something years ago that performed the same function, but he pulled it.

    Simon

  • jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908

    @sling100 I’ll look into bringing it back

Sign In or Register to comment.