Zennio IRSC-Open Manual

1. Introduction

The IRSC Open application program is designed to enable the control of any Hi-Fi, video, or other electronic device from a KNX system. It allows users to replace their usual remote controls for managing devices remotely.

A typical application scenario could involve a shelf with multiple audio/video devices. In this case, the IRSC Open would allow simultaneous power on/off for all devices with a single command, and at the same time, control other devices within the KNX installation.

IRSC Open Features:

• Ability to integrate up to 4 different remote controls.
• Allows sending up to 30 different commands.
• Possibility to perform multiple consecutive actions thanks to 6 programmable macros.

1.1. Introduction to IR Transmission

Most audio/video electronic devices (TVs, DVD players, Set-Top Boxes, etc.) come with an infrared (IR) remote control. To better understand the configuration of the IRSC Open, it's important to be familiar with certain terms related to infrared transmission.

Remote Control

This is an infrared controller supplied with the device that allows remote control of it.

Command

A command is a message sent from the remote control to the device to achieve a result, for example: power on, change channel, increase volume. This command is transmitted from the remote control to the device via IR.

Carrier Frequency

There are two methods of IR transmission. The simplest method is on/off (modulation). The following image shows several commands modulated this way:

[Diagram showing simple on/off IR signal]

This was the method used in older devices. It has been replaced by another method that modulates a carrier frequency, which is generally more robust against interference from other emitters. In this case, the infrared emission is superimposed on a carrier frequency, typically between 30kHz and 56kHz. An impulse is generated on a carrier frequency, as shown in the following figure:

[Diagram showing IR signal modulated on a carrier frequency]

The IRSC Open exclusively accepts infrared transmission with a carrier frequency.

Frame

For a command sent by a remote control to be received and recognized by a device, the IR pulse frame must follow a certain logic.

Example:

[Diagram showing an IR frame with Header, Data, Trail, Delay]

This is the totality of these pulses that is called a frame. In the preceding frame, the carrier frequency has been omitted for clarity.

1.2. Introduction to IRSC Open Capture

The "IRSC Open Capture" (IOC) application program offers a very simple interface for analyzing IR commands sent by infrared remote controls of household appliances and audio/video equipment. The result of this analysis will be, on one hand, a hexadecimal character string corresponding to the IR protocol/frame of the remote control, and on the other hand, information on the frames of the commands to be controlled.

This application program is downloadable from the Z38i screen.

Frame String: 2F002020109F2710000C884502292231B06704700142898

Data String: E11EFF00

The Frame String indicates the symbols, delays, order of data... in summary, the SCHEMA that all commands sent by the IR remote control will follow.

The data string represents the data sent when buttons are pressed on the remote control; the information sent by each button is different. Example: ON/OFF, Volume Up,...

It is important to know that the Z38i cannot determine the carrier frequency of infrared transmission, and the IR receiver of the Z38i screen is capable of detecting infrared transmissions with frequencies of 30kHz, 33kHz, 36kHz, 37kHz, 38kHz, 40kHz, and 56kHz. Remote controls with different frequencies may not be recognized.

2. Obtaining Data with "IRSC-OPEN CAPTURE"

Once the Z38i, on which the "IRSC Open Capture" application program has been previously loaded, is connected, the user will see the following initialization page:

[Image of Z38i screen showing "WELCOME." and an OK button]

The two arrows allow the user, if desired, to change the screen contrast to facilitate reading.

When the "OK" button is pressed, the application program redirects the user to a page that prompts them to press any button on the remote control, which will be used for studying the IR protocol/frame.

[Image of Z38i screen showing "FRAME CAPTURE" and "Press button 1"]

Regardless of which button is pressed, it will be recognized as button 1. You will then need to choose different buttons when the screen prompts you to press buttons 2 and 3. Simply remember which button was chosen as button 1, 2, and 3. During this procedure, you will be asked to press each of these buttons again.

During this procedure, it is imperative to point the remote control's IR LED towards the Z38i screen. If the procedure is performed without issues, the screen will briefly show the OK result.

Note: It is possible to return to the initialization page at any time by pressing the [home icon].

[Image of Z38i screen showing "FRAME CAPTURE" and "Press button 1 again"]

If the button press is too short or too long, the Z38i touchscreen will display the following pages:

[Image showing "PROBLEM: Button push too short"] [Image showing "PROBLEM: Button push too long"]

In this case, you will need to repeat the operation with the same remote control button, taking care to shorten or lengthen the press on it, depending on the message received by the screen.

It is also possible that the screen displays the following message:

[Image showing "PROBLEM: Please try again ..."]

This message means that something went wrong during signal reception. Perhaps the infrared remote control was not correctly pointed at the Z38i screen, or another IR device is emitting nearby, causing interference.

After pressing the 3 buttons twice, the application program will have sufficient data, and the Z38i will show you the result of the analyzed frame:

FRAME RESULTS.

2F00 2020 109F 2710
000C 8845 022C 2291
A068 0470 0142 898

2F00

[Image of Z38i screen showing frame results and an OK button]

The previous figure shows the hexadecimal character string of the remote control frame being studied. It is divided into groups of 4 characters, which can be browsed using the arrows to facilitate data reading. In this way, the selected group is enlarged and shown in the lower part of the screen.

It is important to know that this frame must be entered into the IRSC-Open parameters, excluding spaces:

2F002020109F2710000C8845022C2291A06804700142898

Note: It is recommended to note the result and then enter this frame into the IRSC-Open parameters.

Once the "Frame String" is obtained, and after pressing the OK button, a menu will appear on the screen allowing you to decode the specific data of the remote control buttons, for example: Vol+, ON/OFF, Channel+,...

[Image of Z38i screen showing "DATA CAPTURE." and "Press any button"]

Here, you should press the button(s) on the remote control that you wish to integrate to find the IR code (for this step, the press duration does not matter). After a very brief moment, the screen will show the analysis result:

DATA RESULTS

E11EFF00

[Image of Z38i screen showing data results and an OK button]

If you find that the data is presented on two lines, you will need to enter both lines of the frame, without spaces, into the IRSC-Open parameters under ETS.

Pressing the "OK" button allows you to perform the same procedure with a different button.

[Image of Z38i screen showing "DATA CAPTURE." and "Press any button"]

Note: It is recommended to note all results obtained with a brief description and then enter them into the IRSC-Open parameters.

346B1483024121F5F273412140200046A4504446604819184898 – Frame String

F708FB04 -- On/Off

FD02FB04 -- Vol +

FC03FB04 -- Vol –

FF00FB04 -- Channel +

FE01FB04 -- Channel –

BC43FB04 -- Menu

A45BFB04 -- Exit

EA15FB04 -- Channel 3

Once the frame recognition procedure is finalized, you can press the [home icon] to return to the initialization page.

3. IRSC-OPEN CONFIGURATION

The configuration environment of the IRSC-Open application program consists of 3 distinct sections:

• <<TELECOMMANDES>>
• <<COMMANDES>>
• <<MACROS>>

3.1. TELECOMMANDES

The IRSC-Open offers the possibility to integrate up to 4 remote controls per module. This section of the configuration environment allows the user to activate or deactivate the integration of different remote controls, depending on their needs.

[Image showing the TELECOMMANDES configuration interface with fields for 4 remote controls]

The following presents the different configurable parameters when in the configuration environment for previously activated remote controls:

FREQUENCY → Choice of the carrier frequency: 30kHz, 33kHz, 36kHz, 37kHz, 38kHz, 40kHz or 56kHz.

Note: The "IRSC-Open Capture" application program cannot determine the carrier frequency. Therefore, if the carrier frequency of a remote control is not known beforehand, you will need to test the different carrier frequencies until you find the adequate one (the one that offers the greatest range).

As an example, here is a procedure to determine the operating frequency of an IR remote control:

• Configure the "Frequency" parameter of the IRSC-Open with the most commonly used frequency, 38kHz.
• Point the IRSC-Open's IR LED towards the device to be controlled, preferably towards the device's IR receiver, at a distance of approximately 50cm.
• Try sending a command to your device via the IRSC-Open to verify command reception. It is preferable to use a command that acts instantly, such as "Volume Up/Down".
• The "Power On/Off" command will not be the best option in this case, as devices generally have a long power-on/off time.
• It is assumed, of course, that the device is powered on before sending the command.
• If the command is received correctly, gradually increase the distance between the IR LED and the device while performing command reception tests.
• If the operation is correct, you can remove the adhesive protector to attach the IR emitter to the device's IR receiver. Once this is done, verify once more that everything functions correctly.

For your information, most IR remote controls use a frequency between 36KHz and 38KHz.

FRAME STRING → This is the specific frame configuration string for each remote control, previously obtained using the IRSC-Open Capture program on the Z38i.

COMMENT → This can optionally be used to describe the integrated remote control.

3.2. COMMANDS

The IRSC-Open can send up to 30 different commands, each of which can be activated/deactivated.

[Image showing the COMMANDS configuration interface]

Each of these commands has a specific configuration page. This page is identical for all commands and offers the following configurable options:

REMOTE CONTROL → This field allows specifying the remote control, from the previously activated ones, that will be associated with sending the command.

TRIGGER OBJECT → Specifies the KNX BUS object that will trigger the execution of the command.

TRIGGER VALUE → Value that the object must receive to trigger the command.

Note: By default, the "Trigger Object" has the value "None". This means that the command is not associated with any object and will therefore never be sent.

DATA STRING → This is the IR frame sent by the remote control button. This field requires prior capture of the frame using the "IRSC-Open Capture" program.

Note: If the entered string contains invalid data (non-hexadecimal code), the command will not be sent.

Note II: The data string can be entered in uppercase or lowercase, as the application does not distinguish between them.

COMMENT → Additional field used to provide a description for the command.

If two or more commands share the same "Trigger Object" and the same "Trigger Value", the commands will be sent in numerical order. This configuration can be useful for sending the same command to multiple devices with different remote controls. For example, to send an "ON" command to both the television and the DVD player.

Of course, in this case, it will not be possible to configure a delay between the sent commands.

For example, if you want to turn on the TV and set it to channel 1 using the "ON" and "TV Channel 1" commands, starting from the same trigger object, it is very likely that this will not work correctly. The TV channel change command would most likely be lost due to the TV's power-on time. For this reason, this configuration method is not recommended, unless you first verify the reception of all commands sent this way.

To chain multiple commands, we recommend using MACROS.

3.3. MACROS

Multiple commands can be chained and executed successively, forming a macro. The IRSO-Open has 6 macros, each composed of 4 commands. Macros, like commands, can be activated as needed.

[Image showing the MACROS configuration interface with fields for 6 macros]

Each of these macros has a specific configuration page:

[Image labeled "Figure 1"]

Each macro has a "Trigger Object" and a "Trigger Value" and can be composed of a maximum of 4 different steps. When the macro is executed, the commands are sent in order.

TRIGGER OBJECT → Specifies the KNX BUS object that will trigger the execution of the macro.

TRIGGER VALUE → Value that the object must receive to trigger the command.

COMMENT → It can optionally be used to describe the function of the macro.

STEP "X" → Corresponds to the different steps that make up the macro.

Command → Same functionality as the "COMMANDS" section described in chapter 3.2 COMMANDS and allows associating each step of the macro with one of the previously configured commands.

Number of presses: The IRSC-Open allows simulating consecutive presses of a remote control button. It specifies how many times the simulated button press is performed.

Example: If the number of presses is set to "2", the IRSC-Open will send the following frames:

[Diagram showing two presses of BUTTON 1 with a delay]

Note: Each press is preceded by a delay (see delay parameter)

Number of repetitions: The IRSC-Open allows simulating continuous pressing of an IR remote control button, so that the command is sent periodically the number of times indicated in this field.

Example: If the number of repetitions and the number of presses are set to "2", the IRSC-Open will send the following frames:

[Diagram showing BUTTON 1 pressed twice with repetitions and delays]

Delay: Allows setting a delay between different presses, in case there is more than one repetition defined in "number of repetitions".

Note: If 2 or more macros share the same "Trigger Object" and the same "Trigger Value", each macro will be executed in numerical order, making it possible to chain 24 distinct commands.

The execution of the Macro configured in Figure 1 will turn on the TV and set the volume to level 25:

• Step 1 -> Command 1: Turn on the TV
• Step 2 -> Command 3: Long press to ensure a volume level of "0", which is necessary as this value is the reference for then increasing to level 25.
• Step 3 -> Command 2: 25 short presses to reach the desired volume level.

4. ANNEX I. COMMUNICATION OBJECTS

The application is equipped with 30 binary objects that can be used as "Trigger Objects" for "commands" or "macros".

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