Girder 3.0.22 Pre 4 Questions

[Ron]

-RedRat2-, yes the redrat2 has a rather limited receiving range but Chris mailed that he was looking into fixing this...

-New plugins-, I love to do new plugins for those kind of devices, but this stuff is just to expensive to buy only for the purpose of writing a driver :-)

-Steve- I'll make you a deal, I write that inf file saving/loading and you help me with the help pages :-) What do you say ?

-Ron

[Ron]

Yes, thats where business starts, as soon as there is interest from users companies usually are more then happy to help out.

Just keep them emails friendly, don't demand support that won't work :-)

-Ron

[Ron]

Great! take a look at the online-help pages, they are almost all still empty, you can make any help page you like, i've predefined some categories. Coordinate the effor with me in a new thread or via email so we don't accidentally work on the same thing (unlikely) !! I'll start writing those features :-)

-Ron

[Ron]

Hi Steve,

Okay Settings for 100 it is,... now here comes the question: "Should the images be in PNG format ?".

But of course its okay to email me. :-)

-Ron

[SteveV]

Hi Ron,

I downloaded the last preview version and it looks like you've been VERY busy with additions to an already excellent piece of software!

The new Girder tab Reg. functions are awesome. I've been thinking about conditional branching functions with Girder and this is just the ticket!

May I suggest another feature? Would it be possible add the ability for Girder to write and read register values to an .ini file. This, along with the ability to output IR (more on that later) would allow home theater users some very powerful macro abilities that currently exist only in VERY expensive AV controllers. For example:

Many TV's lack the ability to switch video input modes using discrete codes. My TV for instance (Philips 64PH9905 HD RPTV) has 6 video input modes that are selectable only by toggling my Pronto's "Ext Input" button:

Aux 1
Aux 2
Aux 3
DVD
Ext HD
VGA

Since there is no way to get this set to a known video input starting point, it is not possible to automate video switching using the Pronto or any other remote control. If Girder could write "Register" values to an .ini file, it would be a simple matter to have Girder keep track of each video input mode change.

If, for example, my set is in the Aux 1 input mode and I want to switch to DVD input mode, I would need to "send" three "Ext Input" IR commands to the TV (I can't automate this using the Pronto, since it never knows what mode the set is currently in). Girder could:

1. Read the current value from the .ini file to determine the TV's current input mode
2. Branch to the appropriate MultiGroup command
3.Output the correct number "Ext Input" IR commands to the TV to switch to DVD mode.

The limiting factor of course is Girder's lack of IR output capability. While a bit of a kludge, this can be made to work using CIR--not an elegant solution but workable.

Similarly, Girder could be used to track the ON/OFF status of equipment, Open/Closed status of automated curtains or blinds, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Unfortunatley, coding any kind of plug-in is beyond my capabilities, but I'd be happy to help in other ways (help documentation??). I hope you'll consider this addition to Girder's already excellent functionality.

Thanks again -- Steve

[Edited by SteveV on 03-14-2001 at 09:37 AM GMT]

[SteveV]

Ron,

You're on! Where to you want to start?

Thanks -- Steve

[Edited by SteveV on 03-14-2001 at 12:32 PM GMT]

[SteveV]

RonB wrote:
-Steve- I'll make you a deal, I write that inf file saving/loading and you help me with the help pages :-) What do you say ?

-Ron

Ron,

You're on! Where do you want to start?

Regards -- Steve

[SteveV]

I'll take "Settings" for 100 Ron ;)

Since there's very little in the existing help file this is probably as good a place to start as any. I'll take a stab at "Actions" after that. Is it OK to email you directly if I have any questions?

Regards -- Steve

[Edited by SteveV on 03-14-2001 at 06:19 PM GMT]

[Darmok]

A note about IR output.

Girder does have IR output with the RedRat2. And in my experience it works quite well. The RedRat2 runs for about $120, and suposedly has a limited recieving range, but I haven't tested this. Evation will be releasing the Tirco soon which will have IR output and is USB, and I'm sure will be supported in Girder shortly after its release. It'll be less expensive than the RedRat2. I've seen a couple other products that interest me. The Slink-e for Nirvis http://www.nirvis.com/slink-e.htm is cool because it has Ir in and out as well as several cool S-link capabilities for working with sony equipment's S-link, and it can even send CDDB data over the S-link to some Sony CD players. The Slink-e is fairly expensive at about $250, and there are no Girder drivers out for it yet. But they have documentation on the hardware and some sample code for custom apps that could be helpful. Another product that I'd love to see someone plug into Girder is the $250 Smartlink http://www.smarthome.com/8010.html which has Ir emiting capabilities, but also has probes for detecting when a device is on or off. It uses different probes, TV Probe, Light probe, DC detector or AC detector. This is great when there are no discrete codes for on and off functions for your device. There are no plugins for Girder for this yet either, but it might be cool to have these capabilities too.

[Edited by Darmok on 03-14-2001 at 08:05 AM GMT]

[Edited by Darmok on 03-14-2001 at 08:05 AM GMT]

[Darmok]

I talked to the guys at Nirvis, hoping they would offer up a unit for writing a plugin but while they seemed very interested in having Girder support, they didn't offer a unit. Its too bad though, I'd like to see one. Maybe as Girder gets more popular they might find it in their best interests to have Girder support. Maybe if we get a few interested people to E-mail them about Girder, they will consider either sending out a unit for someone to write a plugin for, or developing a Girder plugin on their own.

[Mark F]

Where can I find information about the IR200L? Thanks.

EDIT: Is there a URL (Website) I can visit?

[Edited by Mark F on 03-31-2001 at 05:26 AM GMT]

[zootie]

I'm also interested on having IR output added to Girder (or to have more support). I'm starting to work with the ActiSYS IR200L (http://www.actisys.com/ac200-220.html) (when I decided to get it, I wasn't sure which would be better, the IR200L or the RedRat2).

Are there other users interested in having IR output with the IR200L? Would my time be better invested working with another IR emitter? Which? RedRat seems to be covered. I have considered Slink-e and HouseLinc for my personal use, but I'd like to work with cheaper HW that other people could get easier.

[zootie]

The Act-IR200L product page is at

http://www.actisys.com/ac200-220.html