Red-Eye Serial

Serial remote control interface for Pace^® Digital Cable Receivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Red-Eye Serial work with the Telewest PVR ?
Yes. The PVR uses the RC5 code set (as used on the NTL 4001/4010). All versions of Red-Eye Serial support this code set for basic functions like channel numbers. Firmware version E onwards has additional commands to support all keys on the PVR remote.  

Will Red-Eye Serial work with a Telewest Explorer 4000/4200DVB (Scientific Atlanta) STB ?
Yes. You will need to set the IRDA repeat value to at least 3, as this STB needs to see several IRDA keycodes for reliable operation. This can be done by sending the string "3~"  (You can do this using the reddemo utility). This must be sent within the first seven commands after Red-Eye Serial is powered on. The setting is nonvolatile, and so only needs doing once. Higher numbers may help improve reliability further.

Which Sky Digital STBs are supported? Does it work with Sky+ ?
To my knowledge all makes of Sky Digibox use the same remote, therefore Red-Eye Serial (configured to Sky mode) should be compatible with all of them.
Sky+ is supported from firmware revision E onwards.   Foxtel Australia STBs use a different remote protocol and are not supported.

Will Red-Eye Serial work with NTL DC221 STB used in Ireland.
Yes.

Will it work with Sky Italy set-top boxes ?
Yes - Red-Eye Serial has been tested on a Sky Italy STB.

The Pace STB has a serial port on the back, why can't this be used to control it?
The rear serial port is only used for factory testing, debugging and STB configuration. It does not allow access to remote control type functions.

I don't have a free serial port, is there a USB version ?
No, but you should be able to use Red-Eye Serial in conunction with a cheap (£10-15) USB to Serial converter.

I have an IRDA port on my PC/Laptop/PDA, can't I use this instead of Red-Eye Serial ?
The short answer is I don't know. Although the Pace IRDA protocol is based on the computer protocol, it uses a different packet format and checksum (CRC), so it would be necessary to get access to the IRDA hardware at a very low level, and also ensure that the timing of transmitted commands was correct. There is also the more practical issue of having to have your PC's IRDA transceiver within optical range of the STB.

Will it work with my PVR/Home Automation system ? Will it work under Linux/Unix/MacOS etc....? Will it work on my PDA/SparcStation/Mac/Mainframe/PDP11/Sinclair ZX81 etc...?
Please see the downloads page for currently available drivers. If your hardware has an RS232 serial port (or can provide one via a USB to serial adapter), then it should be possible to drive Red-Eye Serial, but you will have to write your own software if drivers are not available here. All contributions of drivers, utilities and source code examples are most welcome! The RS232 serial s protocol is fully documented here. A Sample Visual Basic example (including source code) is provided on the downloads page.

How long is the cable?
3 metres. It can be extended using a standard RS232 extension cable. if you want to make your own extension cable, you only need to connect pins 3,4 and 5 of the 9-way D connector. There should be no problems extending up to about 20-30 metres.

Does it have any pretty flashing lights?
Yes! - there is a red LED on the front of the emitter assembly that flashes when it sends a command, and glows dimly to indicate the presence of power. 

What's IRDA? ..and RC5?
IRDA is an infra-red communication system originally designed for short range communication between devices like mobile phones, portable computers, digital cameras and printers. You can find out more at www.irda.org. RC5 is a standard infra-red control protocol, originally developed by Philips, used by many remote controlled products including TVs, VCRs etc.