Jump to content
Flirc Forums

Flirc suddenly sending many keypresses on each button push


Recommended Posts

Hi all,

 

I've been using a Flirc on a NUC running Windows 8 and then 8.1 for a few months now. Suddenly today in XBMC, when I push any button, it repeats for ages.

 

I've tried moving the Flirc to a macbook pro running Windows 7 and it does exactly the same thing. I see this behaviour in both the Flirc setup app and XBMC.

 

If I connect it to a Mac running OS X 10.9, I don't see the behaviour.

 

I upgraded the firmware to 2.4 and also did the 'Clear Configuration' step, but the problem persists.

 

Can anyone advise what the cause of this might be ?

 

Thanks,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anything different about your setup? Extension cable? Repeater? Have you enabled anything in advanced? Noise canceler, interkey delay? etc?

 

 

Nothing has changed at all recently. No windows updates (disabled on the box). No changes to the remote (Harmony 650). No changes to the XBMC setup or configuration (12.3). No moving of any of the devices or fiddling with connections / cables. The Flirc is plugged into the front right USB port on the NUC, but I've tried it in all 4 USB ports with the same result. 

 

About 3 weeks ago, I moved my entire setup into a number of cabinets, but it's been running like that for a few weeks and it's been fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing has changed at all recently. No windows updates (disabled on the box). No changes to the remote (Harmony 650). No changes to the XBMC setup or configuration (12.3). No moving of any of the devices or fiddling with connections / cables. The Flirc is plugged into the front right USB port on the NUC, but I've tried it in all 4 USB ports with the same result. 

 

About 3 weeks ago, I moved my entire setup into a number of cabinets, but it's been running like that for a few weeks and it's been fine.

 

I've now confirmed that the device is faulty. I purchased a new one that arrived today and it works fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I'm experiencing similar problems.

 

My Flirc would work all day, and then in the middle of the night suddenly go crazy, looks like a stuck key, only resolve is to unplug it.

Plugging it back in it either keeps going crazy, or it does not work at all.

 

I have 6 flirc's, happens periodically with two of them, one in a NUC one in a ZBOX, both in AV closets, both running openELEC, one v3.2 and one v4.0.

Using URC MX890's and MRF350's, and programmed using the (recommended) Panasonic TC-P65VT30 profile.

 

I've formatted, reflashed, reprogrammed them, same happens.

I've swapped them around, same happens.

 
99% of the time late night, this time just now, around 11pm.
I bought my flircs April 2013.
 
Maybe they are all bad?
Any ideas?
 
P.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most likely your TV or your lights. Do you guys have incandescence? It's not likely they are all bad.

Fire up the commandline utility:

 

flirc_util settings

 

do you see duplicates? If you do, those are nosie signals, you can delete those by deleting them by their index shown:

 

flirc_util delete_index <index_number>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You mean that during recording of keys there were duplicates due to environmental noise, that recorded itself and then plays itself?

I looked at settings, there are no duplicate entries, only the individual keys I recorded.

Could it be triggered by heat during media playback the HTPC gets hotter and the flirc doesn't like that?

I've seen posts here where people cover the flirc with tape to keep stray IR out, I could try that?

P

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All I can say from my side is that the original started doing this and the replacement does not. To me, that's a clear indication of a faulty unit in my particular case.

 

I now have the flirc on an extension cable so that it sits outside the media cabinet - I'm hoping that this will keep the new one cooler and stop it from failing in the same bizarre way the previous one did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered one new unit, I'll use it as a comparison, maybe something was bad with the batch of 6 I ordered April 2013.

 

I also taped one of the flircs, leaving only the front open where my IR emitter is attached.

 

We'll see what happens.

Just difficult to come to a conclusion as the failure is so unpredictable.

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also started (all the sudden, without any changes) to have problems with my flirc receiver. I noticed that with using usb-extension cable, it started to go crazy. It started to act like I was pressing a buttong constantly. Removing the Flirc stops the loop.

 

Removing the extension cord resolved my problem. I tried two different extension cords and both had the same problem. Problem is that the location of NUC is so that I have to use extension cord.

 

I have to order other brand IR-receiver to test this issue more. I got the latest FW in my Flirc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Guys,

just got my new flirc which well replace my E6 infrared modul. Unfortuanetly I'm having the same problem. Too many clicks after a single click. Playing around with InterKey Delay helps a bit but doesn't fix the problem. A longer delay is causing not recognized clicks on the remote but after a couple of seconds I get many clicks again.

Has anyone fixed the problem?

Regards,

 

PS.: Relocating the usb stick doesn't help ....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

After ordering replacement flircs, taping around flircs, using USB extender cables, nightly they still go wonkers.

 

I do however now believe that the problem is due to susceptibility to electrical interference.

At 10pm my home lighting control system dims the outside lights to 50%, at 10pm like clockwork the flircs start going crazy.

I manually turn the lights off, flirc behaves, I manually turn the lights back to 100%, flirc behaves, I dim the lights, flirc goes crazy.

 

Thus I highly suspect that the flirc has insufficient electromagnetic interference protection, and that electrical line noise is a cause of these problems.

 

P.

Edited by ptr727
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ptr727 your light dimmer must be using high frequency PWM. It looks like it uses a clock frequency which is close to standard IR carrier frequency (about 38kHz). Also the light itself radiates IR light in addition to visible one. This creates a situation in which IR receiver in Flirc "thinks" it is getting a signal from real remote. As Flirc needs to have wider carrier frequency range sensing ability to support more types of remotes it is also more sensitive to such cases. IR receivers in TV or other equipment is tuned to specific carrier frequency of the maker's remote and can be immune to the flicker of dimmed lights.

 

---edit---

 

The standard real time clock uses quartz clocked at 32.768 kHz frequency which is not bang on IR carrier frequency but it is near. Those clocks are very popular to be used as PWM clock source so I would not be suprised if yours is using it too.

Edited by yawor
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ptr727 your light dimmer must be using high frequency PWM. It looks like it uses a clock frequency which is close to standard IR carrier frequency (about 38kHz). Also the light itself radiates IR light in addition to visible one. This creates a situation in which IR receiver in Flirc "thinks" it is getting a signal from real remote. As Flirc needs to have wider carrier frequency range sensing ability to support more types of remotes it is also more sensitive to such cases. IR receivers in TV or other equipment is tuned to specific carrier frequency of the maker's remote and can be immune to the flicker of dimmed lights.

 

---edit---

 

The standard real time clock uses quartz clocked at 32.768 kHz frequency which is not bang on IR carrier frequency but it is near. Those clocks are very popular to be used as PWM clock source so I would not be suprised if yours is using it too.

The dimmer modules use simple forward phase dimming of the 120V AC signal, it is not a low voltage PWM dimmer, thus the interference will be at 60Hz plus harmonics.

Even if the electrical interference were at or around IR modulation frequencies, then a well designed system will not allow crosstalk, i.e. noise on the power line will not interfere with signal on the processing line. This is no different to an audio amplifier, where  with a well designed unit you will not hear AC hiss, but on a poorly designed unit you will hear the AC hiss.

 

Given that electrical noise from dimmers and fluorescent lights are common in home environments, flirc should not be susceptible to interference from these devices.

And to be clear, my observation is a correlation between dimming lights and the flirc not working, I did not investigate causation.

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All guys using XBMC older than 13.1 (including OpenELEC) have to keep in mind, that there is a bug with it, wich can causes the described behaviour with nearly every remote (IR and/or radio controlled).

 

Just a hint.

 

I'm not sure I buy that. A software bug should not create a situation where (in my case) simply replacing the unit fixes all of the observed issues, and that exact unit behaves in that exact way on all Windows boxes but does not exhibit the behaviour on a Mac.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Yes it is a bug in XBMC. It's still a bug even in 13.2. I have a remote keyboard with a mouse pad....it does the repeat bug as well. Maybe they'll nail it with 14 (Helix). It may only be in the Android versions. If I connect flirc or the keboard to the PC the bug is not there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I've developed the same problem a couple of days ago.  It's been working fine for the several months I've had it and I have not changed a thing, not even a lightbulb.  I'm using elec on an Asus Chromebox with a Harmony Smartcontol FWIW.   It has ruined the wife acceptance factor completely, and is really anoying me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've developed the same problem a couple of days ago.  It's been working fine for the several months I've had it and I have not changed a thing, not even a lightbulb.  I'm using elec on an Asus Chromebox with a Harmony Smartcontol FWIW.   It has ruined the wife acceptance factor completely, and is really anoying me.

you said the wife word, you have my attention.

 

If you aren't already on it, upgrade to 3.1, format the device, and re-record keys. It's such a huge leap forward in terms of architecture and fundamental design.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you said the wife word, you have my attention.

 

If you aren't already on it, upgrade to 3.1, format the device, and re-record keys. It's such a huge leap forward in terms of architecture and fundamental design.

 

I'll do that in the morning.  I just eliminated everything else.  Turned off all the lights and removed the USB extension I was using.  I'll try the new firmware in the morning.  I'm not recording keys, I'm using the FLIRC XBMC preset in the Harmony software.  I'll followup later today. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll do that in the morning.  I just eliminated everything else.  Turned off all the lights and removed the USB extension I was using.  I'll try the new firmware in the morning.  I'm not recording keys, I'm using the FLIRC XBMC preset in the Harmony software.  I'll followup later today. 

 

Don't rule out faulty hardware. In my case, simply swapping the flirc for a new one solved my issue. I didn't need to make changes to the OS, or XBMC or any of the other things many people here talk about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't rule out faulty hardware. In my case, simply swapping the flirc for a new one solved my issue. I didn't need to make changes to the OS, or XBMC or any of the other things many people here talk about.

 

That's what I think it is.  I was trying to say that I had eliminated everything from the equation except the FLIRC.  I'm upgrading the firmware as we speak. 

 

The only thing that makes me think something else is going on is it seems that it only happens a night, like after eight at night.  That doesn't seem to make any sense but it's pretty consistent and hasn't done it during the day.  The running joke was it didn't like me.  It would work fine all day but when I got home from work it would go on the fritz. 

Edited by boomhower
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...