I'm happy with the Flirc so far, but I found the initial set up a bit un-intuitive - so I thought I would document how I got this running on Mint Linux.
Ultimately, I want to record all the codes from the huge remote that came with my screen, mount the Flirc near the IR receiver of the screen on a USB extension cable, and then use my PC as the primary control for the screen (transmitting IR via the Flirc dongle with scripts). At that point, I can put the remote in a drawer somewhere, so it's not cluttering up my space. I'm not quite there yet, but I think it's just a matter of learning how to decode the recorded codes and how to feed them to`sendir`.
My process
Using the commands below, I downloaded the binaries and loaded the libraries I was missing. I also pasted in the recommended udev rules.
sudo apt install libreadline7 libhidapi-hidraw0 libqt5xmlpatterns5
wget http://apt.flirc.tv/arch/x86_64/flirc.latest.x86_64.tar.gz
tar xvzf flirc.latest.x86_64.tar.gz
cd Flirc-3.27.12
After unplugging and replugging the Flirc, I was able to successfully test it:
I recorded a key press from my remote, turning it into the 'e' key. Then I pressed the key on the remote again and it typed an 'e'!
Flirc-3.27.12$ ./flirc_util record e
Press any button on the remote to link it with 'e'
Succesfully recorded button
Flirc-3.27.12$ e
I successfully started the GUI, and upgraded the firmware via the GUI
I successfully confirmed the firmware update, the self test, and the stored 'e key' macro.
Flirc-3.27.12$ ./flirc_util settings
3.27.12
FW Version: v4.10.3
SKU: Flirc 2.0 [dori]
Branch: release
Config: release
Hash: 0x9E8F9304
Settings:
sleep detection: always enabled
noise canceler: always enabled
inter-key delay: N/A for current firmware
variant: Flirc
builtin profiles: NA
Memory Info: NA
product sku: Flirc 2.0 [dori]
Recorded Keys:
Index hash IK ID key
----- -------- --- -- ------------
0 F6F39F97 054 01 e
Flirc-3.27.12$ ./flirc_util unit_test
Flirc Okay
Issues encountered
Adding the repository, per the docs, did not work at all for me, it comes up as 'insecure' and even using the apt flags for --allow-unauthenticated didn't help. The x86_64 repo doesn't have a Release file. That seemed to be one source of the issues, but I think there are multiple problems that would need to be addressed to allow the repo to work.
After initial install, I was still getting the error below, even though the device showed up in lsusb. Ultimately it seems I was encountering an issue where udev rules are not applied until the device is removed and then reinserted.
Flirc-3.27.12$ ./flirc_util settings
device disconnected, can't run command
Running the Flirc self test unexpectedly erased the key I had recorded during testing.
I was unable to find a download for the firmware, so I had to use the GUI to update the firmware. I probably would not have loaded the GUI or it's dependencies at all otherwise.
