| 1) |
Q: |
Can I attach the modified C4103A to my serial port? |
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A: |
No - Not Directly… |
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The modifications are intended for use with motherboards with an IrDA UART (or some other on-board Ir controller), and must be attached to the the Ir header on the motherboard… If your mb doesn’t have one, then I suggest getting a USB or Serial IrDA Module (there cheep, like $30 or somthing)… I’m working on ways to make it work, but I haven’t found anything that would be cost effective… |
| 2) |
Q: |
Can I use the C4103A to send and receive Ir Remote Control signals? |
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A: |
Yes and No… |
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The good news is that most will send Ir remote control signals even if they cant receive.... IrDA and IR Remote Control (somtimes called ConsumerIR(CIR) and ASK Ir) are a bit different… I have researched this subject in the past, however much of it escapes me now… some parts of the Linux IrDA HOWTO have some good explanations… Most IrDA receivers are designed to filter out non-IrDA signals, however there are many sites on the net with software and other info on how to do this… it is possible… Also, you will most likely have to un-install the IrDA drivers to accomplish this… Here are some links to others sites that have more info on this subject: - An analysis of IR signals used by a remote control - LIRC - Linux Infrared Remote Control How to make a Remote Control Transmitter and Receiver (for recording) on the COM port: - IR Remote Control by IRDA or RS232 Port - A Serial Infrared Remote Controller - I am looking in to how this can be done with the C4103A for those who only want Ir Remote Control not IrDA |
| 3) |
Q: |
How can I tell if my motherboard supports IrDA |
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A: |
Your IO controller must have an Ir controller of some type… The easiest way to find out if you have it (aside from reading the manual) is to go through the menus in the BIOS, look for the com port options (like COM1 = 2F8 and LPT = 378 etc…) Depending on the manufacturer and bios there are lots of different options… You should see an option that says something about IrDA, FIR ( or maybe UART something) or in the COM1 or COM2 options there will be a “Use IrDA”… If you don’t see it you probably don’t have one… You might also look on the motherboard for the connector block… I found where it should be on my Kayak, but it had no pins… If this is the case, your motherboard will not support it (don’t try to add them) However, even if the pins are present, that doesn’t mean everything else is present… You might check for a BIOS update, but before you do, read the revision updates and look for something about IrDA in the Features Added… Its pointless to go to all that trouble for nothing (unless your like me and just want the most current updates for everything) |
| 4) |
Q: |
Is the LED supposed to work? |
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A: |
Well, this is an issue of much debate right now… I’ve had several people ask me if the LED is supposed to work… Aviv Grafi brought it to my attention that the led may work in come cases: I have a little disagreement with other guy that converted his IR module (you can see his work in your page in the Hebrew board). He claims that in your page you said that the LED of the module will NOT work after the conversion. You wrote there that you have used in one of the LED wires to jumper. I used other wire and I left the LED circle as it was in the beginning. The green-yellow LED on the module id working just fine! So, what is the answer: the led shouldnt be working in the end of the conversion, or it should? It appears that the LED will work if left as is… However several people have tried this and something on the board gets real hot or smokes. (See Next Question: “Something gets real hot! What went wrong?”) |
| 5) |
Q: |
Something gets real hot! What went wrong? |
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A: |
As it says above: It appears that the LED will work if left as is… However several people have tried this and something on the board gets real hot or smokes: (from mattnz@****.com) In your instructions you suggest using the LED wire as a jumper onto RX1. This is a very good idea. If you do not disconnect the LED something on the circuit board gets rather hot, hot enough to burn when you go poking around trying to figure out why it feels warm :-) Another wrote that his did not work and the LED was always on… He cut the wires and it worked fine. Still another… Sheldon… did a lot more investigating: I have a HP4103a IR dongle that I tried to connect to the motherboard (IWILL) of a few of my computers. Ran into a small problem when the dongle draws too much current for the IR Driver (Motherboard side) can provide. Last that I was able to measure, I was on the order of 400mA during a transmission of alternating 1 and 0s using hyperterm. I am curious if you have noticed anything out of the ordinary along these lines. Have you ever tried measuring the current that the dongle uses? I have 3 dongles, 2 draw about 400ma each, the third dongle has been modified so that the LED and Transistor are connected to standard serial cable. If you get a chance to, next time that you have your box open, insert a multimeter (set to 1 or 10 amp measurements) between the purple wire and the pin on the motherboard and let me know what reading you get. If it is significantly lower than mine, I suspect that my former employer got a bunch of bad modules. We would waste one every few months, on various printers, in the factory. I haven’t heard back from Sheldon yet… and I’m not sure this is related but I figured someone will find it useful. So I would have to recommend (for now) that you clip the LED wires when you convert it… I said a while back I’d try one with the led intact, but it may be a while before I get out the old iron again |
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