Web Based Home Entertainment Center Remote

Group 8  Spring 2001 CPSC 483 - Computer Systems Design Spring 2001 Group 8

Project Proposal

Josh McJilton Jose Guzman Edgar Ortiz Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION...... 4 PROJECT BACKGROUND...... 5 PC SERIAL INTERFACE...... 5 RF TRANSMISSION...... 5 IR REMOTE TRANSMISSION...... 6 OBJECTIVES AND DELIVERABLES...... 7 HOME CONTROL DEVICE...... 7 HOME REMOTE DEVICE...... 7 IR CODE DATABASE...... 7 WEB INTERFACE...... 8 BLOCK DIAGRAM...... 9 OVERVIEW...... 9 HARDWARE...... 10 Home Control Device...... 10 Home Remote Device...... 11 SOFTWARE...... 12 HARDWARE/SOFTWARE...... 13 LIST OF COMPONENTS...... 13 PROTOTYPE COST...... 13 HAVE...... 13 NEED...... 13 MIGHT HAVE...... 13 PROJECT TIMELINE AND TEAM ASSIGNMENTS...... 14 PROJECT TIMELINE...... 15 TEAM ASSIGNMENTS...... 16 REFERENCES...... 17 WEB REFERENCES:...... 17 Description

Our project will take the stack of remotes on the coffee table and give them a Web interface. This interface will allow any device that can be controlled by Infrared (IR) signals to be accessed and controlled from a web browser.

The Web Based Home Entertainment Center Remote (WeBHECR) will consist of two main hardware components and a software package that will run on a user’s home personal computer (PC). The two hardware devices are the Home Control Device (HCD) and the Home Remote Device (HRD). The HCD will connect directly to the user’s home PC via the serial port. The HRD will be mounted inconspicuously on the user’s ceiling, out of the way and with a clear line-of-sight to the devices it will control. The HRD will be using IR transmissions to deliver the proper device and function codes in order to initiate an action. It will receive the proper device codes that will need to be sent from the HCD using radio frequency (RF) transmissions.

The software package running on the user’s home PC will consist of a web server, an IR device code database, and special software to communicate with the HCD on the serial port. The code database will store all the necessary IR codes that the HCD will require in order to transmit to the HRD and subsequently control the home entertainment center devices. The web server will be responsible for serving the web application that will allow user’s to log in to WeBHECR and initiate all of these actions and be able to remotely control their home devices. Project Background

Our project consists of the three major interfaces. These interfaces will be implemented using a combination of hardware and software. These interfaces will be the majority of the hardware design of the project. A short background on each interface follows.

PC Serial Interface

Serial communication between the server and the FPGA requires the use of two chips. The first chip, the Maxim RS-232 Driver/Receiver (MAX232), will convert the different voltage logic levels of each. The server uses the RS-232 standard, which requires -3 to -25 and +3 to +25 volts. The FPGA uses the TTL logic levels with uses only from 0 to 5 volts. The MAX232 chip should perform any conversions needed back and forth from the server to the FPGA.

The other chip that is needed is the Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART). This chip will make the necessary serial to parallel (and vice versa) conversions so that the server and the FPGA are able to read the data. The following diagram shows how the server, the MAX232 chip, the UART, and the FPGA will be connected.

RF Transmission

The link between the Home Control Device and the Home Remote Device will use Radio Frequency signals to communicate. An RF transmitter in the HCD and an RF receiver in the HRD will send and receive the signals.

RF signals are a common method for wireless data transmission. A major advantage RF has over other wireless communication methods, such as IR, is that a line-of-sight is not required between the transmitter and receiver. This is especially valuable for or project because it will allow the HCD and the HRD to be in different rooms within a user’s home. For devices that we have looked at the typical maximum data rate is 10 – 20 kbps. This will be sufficient bandwidth because we are going to be sending at most a few hundred bits at any one time.

IR Remote Transmission

When considering the final design of our Home Remote Device (HRD), we will have to take serious consideration into how we implement our infrared transmission. Different manufacturers use various communication protocols when designing their own devices and remote controls. The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) has even adopted its own protocol standard, the Universal Remote Console Communication (URCC) Protocol. However, our efforts will be begin by studying Sony’s Serial Infrared Remote Control System (SIRCS) protocol.

The SIRCS protocol is sometimes referred to Control-S as well. This protocol is a unidirectional protocol that can be found on some VCRs and DVDs. Transmissions can be made with this protocol through either a Control-S port or an infrared interface. We have chosen this protocol to begin with due to the abundance of information that we have at our disposal.

A message that is sent using the SIRCS protocol is a twelve-bit signal. Five of the bits are used as an address code while the other seven bits are the actual command code. A pulse-coded method is used when sending these signals. This method produces pulses that are either of length T representing a low state, and a pulse of length 2T representing a high state. In addition, a header is usually added that will be about four times the length of a low state pulse. The figure below demonstrates the idea of pulse coding.

Objectives and Deliverables

The objectives and deliverable of our project consist of the main pieces of hardware and software that we intend to design and implement to complete our project. Each component is described below.

Home Control Device

The Home Control Device (HCD) will comprise the bulk of the hardware of our project. It will interface with the user’s home PC directly via a serial port. Command sent to the HCD from the PC will be wrapped in a data frame and then sent to the Home Remote Device via RF technology.

The HCD will be implemented using an FPGA. The flexibility of the FPGA will allow us to implement the vast majority of the needed circuitry using only one chip. This will simplify the design of the HCD and help keep its cost down.

Home Remote Device

The Home Remote Device (HRD) is a small receiver/transmitter unit. This device will receive RF signals from the HCD and send IR signals to the HED.

The HRD will consist of a RF receiver, an FPGA, and an IR transmitter circuit. The RF receiver will receive signals from the HCD. The signals will be wrapped in a transmission frame that will have to be stripped off. Hardware implemented in an FPGA will perform this task. The signal will then be sent to the IR transmitter circuitry. This hardware will actually send the signal to the HEDs.

IR Code Database

The IR Code Database will consist of a single table that stores the necessary code to control different Home Entertainment devices. The table will contain only three columns, Device_Name, Command, and IR_Code.

Using this database the addition or modification of device codes should be extremely easy and could possibly be done through a web interface as well. The IR Database will also allow for the storage of a large amount of codes, thus allowing our system to control many different HEDs. Web Interface

The WeBHECR Web interface is the outermost interface for the system. This is the remote user’s point of contact with their HEDs and the WeBHECR system itself.

The Web interface will have a login mechanism that will allow only one user to access the system at a time. This will prevent the confusion of multiple users sending different commands. Each user must login and either logout or be timed out before another user will be allowed to login. Once logged in the user will be able to control all configured for as long as their session is active.

The interface will present a control page for each device the system is configured to control. Each control page will list all available commands for that device. From this page the user will actually be able to issue those commands to the device. A possible upgrade to the system would be an online configuration system that would allow users to configure new devices from the Web interface. Block Diagram

Overview Hardware

Home Control Device Home Remote Device Software Hardware/Software

This project will have about 60% hardware implementation and 40% software implementation. The hardware part will consist of the RF and IR implementations that will send signals to the home entertainment devices, while the software part will consist of the web server and DBMS software which will send the end user’s requests.

List of Components

RF Transmitter/Receiver IR Transmitter/Receiver 2 FPGAs (HCD and HRD) Serial Interface components RF Interface components IR Interface components Web Server (Software) DBMS (Software) Server PC Remote PC Home Entertainment Devices

Prototype Cost

The cost of our prototype will not include the cost of the server or remote PC because it is assumed that the end user already owns a PC and has access to from other PCs (a remote PC). We will assume the same is true for the home entertainment devices, such as a TV, a VCR, and/or a DVD. The necessary server/database software is freely available and should not contribute to the cost of the prototype. The cost and of the components is listed below:

Have Remote PC $600 Server PC $600 Home Entertainment Devices $200 Two FPGAs $120 Web Server/DBMS software FREE

Need IR Transmitter/Receiver and interface components $70 + $50 = $120

Might Have RF Transmitter/Receiver and interface components $89 Serial Interface components $20 The total estimated cost would be $1749. If we subtract what we already have the projected cost will be about $229. Project Timeline and Team Assignments

The following two charts break down our project timeline and individual team assignments. Our project timeline breaks down each task that we must complete in order to successfully implement our project. The team assignments show how we have distributed the workload between all team members. In some instances, two or all members will be responsible for completing the same task.

In planning our implementation process, we decided upon twenty-two tasks that would be necessary to complete our project. All of these tasks were grouped into five areas.

The first area dealt with the preparing of reports and presentations. We included the preparation of our proposal and presentation, bi-weekly reports, midterm report, and the final report and demonstration.

The second area included tasks pertaining to research. We decided that five major areas needed to be researched and studied. These areas include radio frequency transmission, infrared transmission, serial port connections, home entertainment device codes, and FPGAs.

Third, we included tasks that were classified as testing. During the implementation process, we will need to test radio frequency transmissions, infrared transmissions, and communications through a serial port, FPGA designs, home entertainment device codes, and our final prototype

Our fourth group concerned the development of our two FPGAs. We felt that designing and implementing an FPGA were two separate tasks that needed distinct attention.

Finally, our fifth group included the two tasks of creating our device code database, and the development our web interface. Project Timeline Team Assignments References

Web References: PC Serial Interface http://www.beyondlogic.org/ Chapter 12 Xilinx Tutorial

Control-S (a.k.a. SIRCS)-unidirectional protocol found on VCRs and DVDs http://www.insflug.org/slink/resources/proto/controls/

S-Link http://www.insflug.org/slink/resources/proto/

SIRCS - Serial Infrared Remote Control System http://www.fet.uni-hannover.de/~purnhage/dat/sircs.html

Definitions http://www.dfusion.com.au/information/glossary.htm

IR signals http://cgl.bu.edu/GC/shammi/ir/ http://cgl.bu.edu/GC/shammi/ir/codes.htm http://www.ee.washington.edu/conselec/A95/projects/pierreg/works/works.htm http://www.epanorama.net/irremote.html http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/irremote.htm http://www.cs.columbia.edu/%7epaul/circuits/ir.html http://www.citycom.gr/electronics/projects/infrremcontr/infrared.htm http://home.earthlink.net/~henryarnold/page33.html http://home.maine.rr.com/randylinscott/aug98.htm http://www.webelectricmagazine.com/99/2/uirr.htm http://www-us2.semiconductors.philips.com/pip/SAA3049A#description http://www.zetex.com/pdf/apps/an3.pdf http://www-us2.semiconductors.philips.com/acrobat/datasheets/SAA3049A_2.pdf

Control-S protocol (Sony Protocol) http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/electronics/Sony/protocols/button_codes.txt http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/electronics/Sony/protocols/ http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/electronics/Sony/protocols/sircs.txt http://www.armory.com/~spcecdt/remote/control-S http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/4652/sircs.htm http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/4652/video.htm http://members.bellatlantic.net/~echeung/automa/sircs.htm http://home.t-online.de/home/mb.koenig/sircs.htm http://www.ee.washington.edu/circuit_archive/text/ircodes.txt http://www.ee.washington.edu/conselec/A95/projects/pierreg/sony/sony.htm

RC5 protocol http://www.armory.com/~spcecdt/remote/RC5codes http://www.ee.washington.edu/circuit_archive/circuits/F_ASCII_Schem_IR.html#ASC IISCHEMIR_006

Serial Infrared Remote Controller http://www.armory.com/~spcecdt/remote/ http://www.armory.com/~spcecdt/remote/IRremote.html S-link http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/s-link/home.html http://www.brian-patti.com/s-link/

IR codes for CD player http://www.brian-patti.com/s-link/phsoeren.html

URCC protocol http://www.dinf.org/csun_98/csun98_096.htm http://trace.wisc.edu/redirects/urcc/

Other http://people.ne.mediaone.net/wasser/OFA/index.html http://www.tech-wiz.com/manuals.htm http://www.innotechsystems.com/sp4001.htm http://www.circuitpsyche.com/Remote.html http://www.veg.nildram.co.uk/remote.htm http://www.agtannenbaum.com/vcr.html

Device Codes http://www.xdiv.com/remotes/ http://www.vcrcodes.com/ http://www.orbitsat.com/Support/remotecodes.htm