I have upgraded the code for the ufs922 part of evremote2, adding two features present in the factory firmware. The driver now supports:
  • The front panel wheel, including list and volumes mode and long press;
  • All four possible remote control codes, including switch over.

The front panel wheel
The wheel now features two modes: list mode and volume mode. The mode is shown by lighting the matching text next to the wheel. In list mode, the wheel produces the key value KEY_UP for each four clicks of the wheel when rotating it counter clockwise and KEY_DOWN when rotating clockwise.
In menus, the choice of keys feels natural, but in Neutrino when watching TV the zapping direction seems the wrong way around, although I found one gets used to this quite quickly.

Pressing the wheel briefly, switches the mode to volume mode. In that mode, the wheel produces the key value KEY_VOLUMEDOWN for each two clicks of the wheel when rotating it counter clockwise and KEY_VOLUMEUP when rotating clockwise. Pressing the wheel briefly again switches back to list mode, and so forth.

Brief wheel presses do not generate any key codes. A long press generates the key code KEY_OK in the current version. To completely mimic the original implementation this should be KEY_POWER, but I found OK more useful in practice.

The remote control code
Kathrein offered the possibility of controlling up to four receivers separately by providing four codes to distinguish them. The mechanism works as follows, again mimicking the factory behaviour. Switching the code is done so:

1. Setting the code in the receiver
Press and hold the keys BACK and 9 and in addition one of the keys 1, 2, 3 or 4. This sends the sequence to change the remote control code to the receiver. The receiver will store the code received in the file .rccode, which is located in /etc on Enigma2 and /var/etc on Neutrino. Setting the code can also be done on the command line in a telnet session:

Code:
echo "2" > /etc/.rccode   # sets RC code 2
After this the remote control will no longer respond, as it still sends sequences with the old code.

2. Setting the code in the remote control
After switching the receiver to a new code, switch the remote control to the same code by pressing and holding BACK and simultaniously pressing either the 1, 2, 3 or 4 keys. The remote control should now work again, using the set code.

The starting situation
Upon a first start, evremote2 will try to read the file .rccode. If the file cannot be found, read or does not hold the ASCII digit 1, 2, 3, or 4, evremote2 will use remote control code 1. In case your remote does not work anymore, first try setting it to code 1 by pressing BACK + 1. Because the current code is stored in a file held in flash, hard disk or USB stick, the setting will survive deep standby, resets and most crashes

If the file .rccode is missing or read only, evremote2 will always use remote control code one.
Please note that the previous version on evremote2 ignored the remote control code, which resulted in the behaviour that the code set in the remote control did not matter: the keys were always recognized.

If the batteries in the remote control go flat or are replaced, the remote control reverts back to code one.

Final remark: although a delay has been built-in to prevent this, I was still capable of crashing the image by very fast rotating the front panel in list mode when watching TV (this cases zapping, a complex process in this ageing receiver, to occur to fast). With normal practical rotation speeds this should not occur however. Within a menu I found the image can keep up with very fast wheel rotations.

I plan to upgrade the other three Kathreins with the same capabilities in the near future, and to add a display text showing the remote control code received when it is changed. It this context I have a question for the technicians among you: I have not be able to figure out how the UFS910 processes its wheel rotations. On the front panel connector I have found three pins carrying rotation direction, rotation pulses and the press signal. Direction and press seem to be connected to PIO pins, but where the pulses go is a total mystery to me. The wheel setup also seems to be the same on 1W and 14W models; on 1W the front processor does not process the wheel as opposed to the front panel keys.

I hope you like it.

Regards,

Audioniek.