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CM19A under linux

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phorce1:
Well, I thought LOLA sucked wind pretty bad. So, I had a couple of CM19A transceivers lying around.

But, after grabbing the driver from http://www.lemaymd.com/main.php?frag=software and finagling the nits to get it to compile on my Debian Linux system (had to install the "kernel headers" package, full kernel source didn't do the trick for some reason -- also requires gcc-4.0, not 3.x or 4.1 -- 4.0!) I now have X-10 coolness on my home Linux box.

echo +b1 > /dev/cm19a0 turns on the living room light.

+ = ON
- = OFF
s = DIM (soften)
b = BRIGHT

It should also control the Ninja mounts (which I don't have yet)

u
d
l
r

(not hard to figure out what those represent)

Support for the CM15A is getting there also. Niel Cherry has quite a list going at http://www.linuxha.com/. Support is only being delayed by X10's obstinate refusal to share interface details with open source authors.

They just don't realize how much more HARDWARE they could sell if they'd quit trying to lock people into their proprietary (and badly broken) software.

I've pretty much decided against ever installing the AHP that I bought because of its intrusive nature. The required internet connection for something doesn't NEED the internet and is in CONTROL of my home is a BIG turn off. Even WindowsXP stays the fnork off of the Internet if I have auto-updates turned off. It works just fine with no net connection at all. Why does X10 NEED to know that my home is running their software after I've registered it? And if I do opt for control via the Internet, why do I have to send all of my video and home control commands TO THEIR SERVERS and allow them to relay the info? I don't care how careful they are, I'll bet there are a few enterprising X10 programmers watching the video streaming from random iWitness users around the U.S.A. Do you automatically set "security mode" as you leave the house? Are they watching your wife walk around naked because you left the cameras on?

Anyway, I went sideways there. Just get a little more irked every time I look over the software setup.

There are also Linux drivers for the VA11A so you can connect cameras. I think with a little bash scripting attached to a simple .cgi I may have a full web served house in a few months. Still need to get an "all house code" transceiver so I can run more than 16 devices. I may load AHP and turn on the CM15A to transceive all codes then unplug it from the computer. That would work for now. I'll wait for Niel's CM15A driver and the MisterHouse plugin to get a little more fleshed out before I attempt to integrate it into the system.

Gerald

Charles Sullivan:
I've fiddled around a little with Lemay's CM19A driver, but not totally successfully.  The X10 commands work fine but my Ninja doesn't respond to the (limited) Ninja commands.

I had hacked a previous version of the driver to display the raw bytes received and accept a binary string of bytes for transmission, figuring I could just feed back a string received from a remote and have the same control via PC as with the remote.  This worked fine for X10 commands but I got nary a twitch out of the Ninja.  (I have only one CM19A so couldn't  verify I was receiving what I thought I was sending.)

The major problem with custom drivers like this is that unless they're popular enough and work well enough to be accepted into the official Linux tree, it's a constant battle to get updates as new kernels are released.

phorce1:
And me != programmer at all. I just dig for what I can find and combine bits and pieces until I get something that works.

Another thing I like about the Linux setup is the fact that the VA11A isn't actually REQUIRED (as it is in AHP). I need a new video card for this machine anyway and am planning to add a TV Tuner card also. All I need to do is find a Linux supported card that accepts composite input and I won't have to fiddle with getting the VA11A driver compiled and working. May get a better frame rate than he did as well (although 10fps for home security is more than adequate -- I'd be happy with 1fps if that's all I could get).

I would like to know where he reads the bytes received from the remote. I haven't bothered installing X10XMMS because I wasn't thinking along the lines of controlling a multimedia player.

I'm hoping they incorporate this into MisterHouse or the CM15A support gets better.

I think these (or some version of them after they stabilize) will eventually get into the kernel tree just like all the support for the CP290 and CM11 is "there forever" now.

What I have is enough, I think, to put together a bash scrito that accepts parameters and use that as the back end for a pesonalized web app.

Gerald

neil cherry:
I hope to have an Alpha version of the CM15A code running under Mr. House by the end of next week. I might play with the CM19A but I'm not sure as I'm working on several Power Line Controllers. The CM15A code is currently able to read data from the CM15A (only under Linux, with my driver) but isn't decoding it yet.

InfernusDoleo:
Resurrecting an old thread...

Can anyone tell me how to READ FROM the CM19A under linux?

I got this working fine for sending commands... however... for the life of me I cannot read from the transceiver using this driver.

Can anyone point me in a direction?

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