Halo Ci remote control using CQC

[MarkStega]

For anybody searching for a powerful automation solution, you should check out Charmed Quark's CQC (See http://www.charmedquark.com for details). The reason that I mention this here, is that I created a driver for the Halo processors that allows CQC to have full access to all operational settings on the C1 & C2.

I am now using CQC on my HTPC to control my C2 via the RS-232 link.

It is not an inexpensive solution, but the quality & support are superb, and after a fight with some shareware products, the fact that it just works out of the box is worth a lot to me!

And, no, I get no financial gain from promoting CQC, it is just a good product that is not very well known.

[Kingdaddy]

I would love to know more, I already have my DVD changer running via RS232 and it's great, but I dont have another comm port available, plus I would have to run another long (60') cable thru the attic. What does the user interface look like, what can it specifically control on the C1/C2?

can you elaborate some more, I could not fing any info on the web page. also how much is the software and C2 plugin?

[MarkStega]

Kingdaddy,

1) The UI of CQC is totally under your control. This is a good and a bad thing. The good is that you can make the UI look anyway you want, the bad is that you are starting with a truely blank slate. You can make a UI that is very utlitarian (buttons like a remote control) very easily, or you can get creative and go totally custom (http://www.charmedquark.com/CustImag...SampleMain.jpg).

2) Running 60' of cable for RS-232 is pretty easy, no realistic length limitations in a household setting.

3) Purchase details are here (http://www.charmedquark.com/Purchase.htm). The base package includes the C1/C2 driver.

4) Basically everything (except setup parameters) can be controlled using the Halo driver.

Prepare for a steep learning curve, but also a product that is very professional in code quality as well as support. If you have other questions, you can either post them here or in the CQC support forums.

[Dean Roddey]

If you have a network, then you can add new serial ports using an ethernet based multi-port box. So you can have the serial ports live whereever you want them to, but still look like local serial ports on the computer doing the controlling.

IONetworks, RocketPort, Quatech, and Extron, among others sell these typse of Ethernet-to-Serial adaptors.

And of course you can just put a PCI board in as well, and get from 2 to 16 serial ports, whichever way you'd prefer to go and how much you want to spend.

[Kingdaddy]

Very nice, but for that price I would expect a turn key product, so I'll have to wait for something else.

Thanks

[Dean Roddey]

If you are thinking that CQC is just to control the Parasound, that's not at all what it does. It is a general purpose control and automation system, in software, and can control any device (just needs a driver done) and coordinate the activities of those devices (or software applications) to create a full control and automation solution.

You might find a turnkey application to just the Parasound, but that would be fairly useless because having a separate little program to control individual devices provides no coordination of those devices under a single control umbrella. What you really want is something that can control anything you want to control, and to coordinate the activities of them, which is where CQC comes in.

That kind of thing has traditionally cost $10,000 to $50,000. With products like CQC, if you want to do it yourself, you can get it done for a tiny fraction as much, but it does require some sweat equity on your part. But the cost of CQC (you'd only need the base product for $200) is completely trivial for what it does, and compared to what it is competing against. And there is never going to be a truely turnkey way to do it, though I'll continue to make CQC as easy to use as I can make it.

When you sit down at the couch and touch a button on a touch screen, and the entire home theater cranks up and the lights go down and the everything flips to the correct settings, that's a level of control that can get with CQC and which you can do yourself if you want to do it, particularly if you compare what it would take to pay someone to do it for you.

[emillika]

Mark,

Today I downloaded CQ and tried to control my C2 but I can't seem to get it to connect. I know it's not CQ as I can't get the Halo control sw to connect either. I am using com3 (usb-rs232 adapter). The cable I am using is one that I use to successfully control my sony 777 changer (null modem cable) so I fairly confident that is not the issue.

I connect via Hyperterminal and I get connected with settings of 9600,8,n,1 and no flow control but I don't get a prompt or anything.

Not sure what to try next.... any ideas?

Thanks.

Elmer

[MarkStega]

Elmer,

The Halo has TX on pin 2, RX on pin 3, so you need a "straight through" cable, not a null modem cable. The joys of serial connections :rofl:

[emillika]

Got it.

Thanks.