IR Learning mode
The Pinscape unit can learn remote control commands through
its IR sensor. To use this feature, you have to set up the
IR receiver, as described in the Build Guide.
After bringing up the IR learning dialog, get your remote
control ready by pointing it at the Pinscape IR sensor. Don't
press any buttons on the remote yet. Click the Learn button
when you're ready. When prompted, press and hold the
remote control key you want Pinscape to learn. The dialog
window will update automatically as soon as Pinscape learns
the code, which usually only takes a second or two.
If the learning process fails, you can click "Try Again"
to give it another go. IR transmissions occasionally
fail due to momentary problems, such as interference
from another light source. If Pinscape refuses to recognize
the code after a couple of tries, though, the remote probably
isn't compatible with the Pinscape hardware or software.
There are two main possibilities:
- If the pulse display at the bottom of the dialog
shows a series of lines, the sensor is properly detecting
the physical IR signal from your remote, but the Pinscape
software doesn't recognize the data format. There are
many IR data formats; the Pinscape software recognizes
about 30 of them, which cover most of the major consumer
electronics companies, but there are many other obscure
protocols that Pinscape doesn't recognize. In this case,
there's hope: the problem is purely a matter of software,
so we might be able to add support for the new protocol
in a future version if you contact the Pinscape developers
and let us know about it. Tell us the make and model of
the TV or other device, and include the contents of the
"Show Raw Data" window.
- If the pulse display at the bottom of the dialog is
completely blank, the sensor isn't receiving any signal
at all from the remote. This might mean that your remote
is using an IR wavelength or modulation frequency that
the Pinscape sensor can't receive. Unfortunately, this
type of incompatibility is difficult to solve, because
it would require replacing the sensor with one that can
work with your remote. But replacing the sensor could
create a whole separate problem, in that the Pinscape
software is only designed to work with the recommended
sensor type. Before giving up, you might want to
double-check that the sensor itself is working, by
trying a remote from different manufacturer.