[mythtv-users] IR-200L Help

[Cedric Tefft]

Cory Megitt wrote:

>Can anyone offer any advice as to how to get change_channel.csh to actually
>change the channel or elaborate on what I might be doing wrong?
>  
>
[snip]

> 
>Scientific Atlanta remote.
>  
>
I tried getting my IR-200L to change the channel on my SA 2100 for a 
week without any luck.  Eventually I ran across some posts which, if 
they're to be believed, explain why this won't work.  Keep in mind, I 
haven't verified any of this, I'm just passing along what I've read.

Apparently, the SA remotes and receivers use a non-standard frequency of 
about 57000 (compare to the "standard" IR frequency of about 38000).  
Although the Windows drivers can (supposedly) get the IR-200L to 
transmit at the SA's frequency, the LIRC driver cannot. Thus, the the 
combination of Linux, IR-200L, and Scientific Atlanta cable box seems to 
be a no-go.  There is a post from earlier this year in which somebody 
claims to have gotten this working on an older SA 2000, but there are no 
details on how it was done and I couldn't find any posts from anybody 
else saying that they had gotten it to work (despite many people 
asking).  As far as I am able to determine, there are no reports of 
anybody getting this to work on an SA box with a model number greater 
than 2000 (but wait five minutes, and I'll be proven wrong :-)

The alternative solutions I'm aware of are:

1) Build your own IR transmitter (http://www.lirc.org/transmitters.html) 
[this is the cheapest solution and probably the best if you're handy 
with a soldering iron]

2) Buy an off-the-shelf variation on the above 
(http://www.irtrans.de/english/index.htm) [expensive, but no assembly 
required]

3) Bypass the infrared issue completely and control the SA box through 
the USB port.  [Also expensive, but with no assembly required.  See my 
previous post for details.]

Good Luck,

- Cedric