[NTLK] Learning Remote App?

[Chris Browder]

Interesting. Very interesting.

On Sat, Nov 24, 2012 at 1:41 PM, Matej Horvat <redjazz_slo at yahoo.com> wrote:

> > Is it possible to take the source from TV PAD and rewrite it
> > to be a learning remote?
>
> I don't think so. Quoting the developer Q&A documents:
>
> Q: What are the hardware specifications for the Newton IR port?
>
> A: In the Apple MessagePad 100, 110, and 120, the Sharp ExpertPad, and the
> Motorola Marco, the IR transmitter/receiver is a Sharp Infrared Data
> Communication Unit model RY5BD11 connected to channel B of a Zilog 85C30
> SCC. Data is communicated along a 500 KHz carrier frequency at 9600 or
> 19200 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, odd parity. The IR hardware requires a
> minimum of 5 milliseconds settling time when transitioning between sending
> and receiving. Sharp's CE-IR2 wireless interface unit may be used to
> connect the Newton to MacOS or DOS machines, with the appropriate software.
>
> The Newton supports four IR software data modes:
> Sharp encoding, NewtIR protocol (specifications are NOT releaseable)
> Sharp encoding, SharpIR protocol
> Plain Serial
> 38 KHz encoding ("TV Remote Control")
>
> Q: Data sheets indicate Newton IR communications occur at speeds up to
> 38.4 kbps.  Communications documentation implies that 19.2 kbps is the top
> speed. Which is correct?
>
> A: IR communications occur at 9600 baud when using the Sharp IR protocol
> (the kCMSSlowIR).  When two Newtons are beaming to each other, a slightly
> faster protocol is used, which communicates at 19.2K baud.  PIE engineering
> reserves the right to modify this protocol (including transmission speed)
> in current and future products and versions of the Newton operating system.
>  This protocol is intended only for internal Newton communications.
>  Developers should use the kCMSSlowIR endpoint in their applications.
>
> The 38.4 kbps speed (actually 38.4 kHz) refers to a mode of communication
> in which the Newton's serial communcations controller chip is not involved.
>  This system is used by "TV remote controls" and is a send-only mechanism.
>  Data is "bit-blasted" as a 38.4 kHz square-wave through the IR port by a
> software loop, bypassing the SCC entirely.  Besides being a very
> inefficient method of data transmission, this mechanism has no provision
> for error detection/correction.  The data to be transmitted must be
> described as a large binary object of square-wave state transitions and is
> therefore specific to each vendor's remote control protocol.
>
> (end of quote)
>
> However, this documentation was not updated for the MP2x00/eMate hardware,
> I've never done IR communication on Newton devices, and I only consider
> myself an expert for 1.x devices, so I can't say for sure.
>
> Matej Horvat
>
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