New Girder user. Not responding and need help, please.

[Ron]

I'm glad it worked out for you.

[Ron]

1st make sure the IRMan is working.

* Load the IRserver and check the history tab to see if it detects any of the incomming signals.

* Check what comport your irman is
* Disable the IRserver, make SURE that it is no longer running, check traybar.
* Run Girder and configure the UIR plugin to use the correct comport.

[Ron]

When you tried that test with the IRServer you did disable Girder, right ?

-Ron

[Ron]

What kind of computer is your HTPC, some computer ( like laptops ) have to low voltage on their comports causing the IRman not to work, what did Evation say about this ? ( they should really do something since you bought it from them. At least help you diagnose this problem )

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RonB on 2002-04-01 17:10 ]</font>

[Ron]

Ross, I'm afraid that you are out of luck :sad: You did not get any errors during init ? As in "cannot write first char" or "incorrect first char" ? If you are not getting these then the IRman at least reacted to the initialisation.

Are you handy with a voltmeter ? So we can check if the voltage on the comport is okay ?

-Ron

btw, very bad customer relations from Evation.

[Ron]

Great to hear that.

[RossVTaylor]

Once Evation responded, they were actually quite helpful and quick to repsond to my follow-up emails. They suggested that I try communicating with the IRman directly via Hyperterminal (sending an "IR" message and noting the reply).

Here's the update that I sent to Evation about my IRman:

> The IRman wont respond under hyperterminal either, and theres no
> indication of an IR signal in the History panel or through the com port
> in hyperterminal.
>
> I did try the IRman in my older Windows98 computer. When I open
> the IRserver on this computer, with the IRman connected, I get an
> endless string of numbers that scroll down the History panel. They look
> like hexadecimal numbers or something (Ive copied a portion here):
>
>49 06 C0 06 00 00 00 00
>49 06 92 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 92 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 F8 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 F0 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 F0 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 F0 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 F0 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 F0 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 0C 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 80 00 00 00 00 00
>49 06 DC 42 C0 00 00 00
>
>These numbers continue to scroll down the History panel until I manually
>unplug the IRman. I have no remotes or other IR sources in this room, but
>Ive tried covering up the IR window just in case. It appears that the IRman
>is falsely sensing something, or sending false signals, unless these are
>some kind of error codes? Do you have any ideas on this?
>
>Thanks again for your prompt and thorough reply! I appreciate your support,
>

The ultimate decision is that this IRman is defective and they have offered to replace it with a new one. I'm quite pleased with Evation's support. I'm also very appreciative of the time you (Ron) have given me.

Thanks much,

Ross

[RossVTaylor]

Hi all,

I've just installed Girder on my second-generation HTPC. It's Intel-based (no VIA) and has minimal stuff - pretty much just Win2K and TheaterTek.

I'm using an IRman with Girder 3.0

Girder shows that the IRman is enabled and I've got a green "light" on the Girder display panel. I loaded the Girder TheaterTek profile from the TK disc and it shows up in Girder. But, Girder (or should I say the IRman) doesn't respond to any IR commands. I've tried my Pronto with the TheaterTek ccf file added. I've tried other remotes, just in case. But the Girder light stays green and never indicated receipt of an IR signal.

After reading some other threads, I disabled and removed the Evation IRServer. Girder still shows the IRman as enabled, but no response to commands.

Any suggestions for me?

Thanks much,

Ross Taylor
Phoenix, AZ

[RossVTaylor]

Ron,

Thanks for the speedy reply!

If by "check the history" you mean load IRServer, point a couple of remotes at the IRMan, try some buttons and see if anything shows up in the History log... then, I just tried that and get nothing. I've tried the IRMan on both COM1 and 2. Both ports are enabled. I don't see any IRQ conflicts. Girder recognizes the IRMan when I go into Girder, click on the IRMan device and specify the port.

But, since the History log shows no activity I'm guessing I've got an IRMan problem and not a Girder problem.

Thanks for your attempt. Unless you've got a suggestion, I should probably send a help request to Evation.

Thanks,

Ross

[RossVTaylor]

Ron,

I even tried uninstalling both Girder and the IRServer, then reinstalling just the latest IRServer. I get no response from the IRMan (no history entries and nothing in the Stats page) so I'm going to follow up with Evation. This is definitely not a Girder issue.

Sorry for the bother. I'll be back when I get the IRMan to work!

Thanks much,

Ross

[RossVTaylor]

Well, my IRman *is* functional - just not in the computer I need to use it in!

I pulled the IRman from my Win2K HTPC and connected it to my Win98 box. The IRserver software History showed good receipt of IR commands, so this isn't a defective IRman issue.

I put the IRman back on my HTPC and tried out WinComm to check the ports. Both COM1 and 2 check out fine, but they indicate no activity from the IRman through the port (except for an X bit when I plug the IRman in).

Do I need an additional driver or .dll to use the IRman in Win2K? I know this isn't a Girder problem, but I'm hoping someone's been down this road before me and can help.

Ross

(Note: I've also posted a request in AVS Forum and I'll cross-post my ultimate findings to help out other new users)

[RossVTaylor]

Hi Ron,

You are incredibly responsive and kind. Thanks for your help thus far - I know that this isn't a Girder issue, so I'm doubly appreciative.

The HTPC is based on an ASUS P4B i845 MB with a P4 1.7. Since it's a brand-new MB, I'd assume the serial port specs are up-to-date. I even tried, today, hooking up my old Motorola external modem to COM1 on this HTPC. It was detected and installed okay, and I was able to query the modem through this com port. So, the IRman works (on my Win98 machine) and the COM port works (on my Win2K HTPC) - I feel like I'm at least narrowing down my options!

Evation hasn't yet responded to my email inquiry, but that was sent near the end of last week and it was a holiday weekend.

I'll let you all know what I hear from them.

Thanks much,

Ross

[RossVTaylor]

Evation hasn't yet responded to either of two emails. I may not be getting any support from them...

I'm so frustrated. Following suggestions from the AVS forum, I've verified that my com ports are set at 9600 baud (although I've tried other settings just to check). I've removed all traces of the Evation software. When I did try the IRserver, I'd get a pop-up error "Unable to open HID device" whenever I'd start the IRserver. This seems to indicate a problem initializing the IRman.

Girder seems to work just fine, except that it's not getting the IR signal though the IRman. It recognizes that the IRman is on the com port and seems to initialize it fine. If I change com ports, to check for a possible IRQ conflict, it properly sees that the IRman is no longer there until I update the com port setting in Girder. All looks fine, except that it'll sit there all day "awaiting an IR command" during the learn event process. And, of course, the pre-made Pronto/TheaterTek commands don't work either.

Any ideas how Girder could see and initialize the IRman without getting its commands?

Thanks all,

Ross

[RossVTaylor]

Hi Ron,

I wanted to let you know the final outcome here. Evation got my IRman in the mail and responded:

"We've received your Irman today and I can confirm it is defective! We'll be shipping a new one to you today, so hopefully you will be able to enjoy your Irman soon."

Evation actually turned out to be quite responsive and helpful. Thanks again for your help. I'm looking forward to life with Girder soon now!

Ross

[RossVTaylor]

Ron,

I got my replacement IRman from Evation yesterday - it even had a handwritten note inside the box that Romke had personally tested it to make sure it worked. That was very kind of them, I thought.

Girder's working flawlessly now. Thanks for your product.

Ross

[rickscogland]

Ugh ... this sounds like what is happening to me. I get the green light, but Girder will sit there forever awaiting an IR signal. Is it a sure thing that my IRman is defective as well?

[rickscogland]

A few more hours of tweeking, and I've solved this problem (not sure how, but it now accepts commands, so I dont care). I now have a new problem, but more related to another thread.

[FriarTuck]

Rick

You are not having a good day!

Friar