Help with OpenElec / HArmony / XBMC remote setup

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undesign

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Hi guys

I'm close to losing it...spend a few minutes setting up my Intel NUC with OpenElec...works great. Now on 2nd day trying to get the ****ing ******** bull**** remote to work properly... :mad:

So, some background -

1) Logitech Harmony 650

2) New Haswell NUC with built-in IR receiver (this took some SSH mod to get working)

3) Have since, through the MyHarmony site, loaded 3 devices - MCE Remote, MCE Keyboard and XBMC.

4) All of the above work somewhat (left, right, play, some with menu/context, some with esc/back etc - but none work completely.) Contextual menu the biggest issue.

5) From what I've read I should now customise the keymap.xml file to remap certain remote presses. After reading up on xbmc wiki and other sites explaining this I still have no frikking idea how to do it.

Can I use someone's elses Harmony keymap file (should work?). Is there a very simple set of instructions for total idiots. Please, anything to save me from dumping this NUC in the dustbin and going back to a ATV2 again.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
First download and install the Harmony software and use that to setup the remote.

1) Determine what you want (I wanted my Harmony to turn on my NUC and control XBMC with both standard buttons and a simulated mouse)
2) Open your Harmony software - I highly suggest using your computer that you already use to set up your Harmony Remote to set it up via the Harmony software/website
3) Add a device – Computer > Media Center PC > Intel > d54250wyk (change your power settings to leave on – you don’t want it to do accidently do a “hard shut-down” on exit – you can turn your computer off via XBMC)
4) Add a device – Computer > Media Center PC > Microsoft > Windows Media Center SE
5) Add a device – Computer > Media Center PC > Microsoft > XBMC
6) Add an activity – include your TV and all three of the above
7) Customize your buttons:
Suggest:

Standard Buttons:
Channel Down/Up – Windows MCE
Up/Down/Left/Right - Windows MCE
OK – XBMC – Enter
Exit – XBMC – Esc
Stop/Fast Forward/Play/Rewind – Windows MCE
* Pause – Windows MCE – Play (NOT PAUSE – won’t work)
Number buttons: simulate a mouse (awesome!):
1 – Windows MCE – Mouse LUp
2 - Windows MCE – MouseUp
3 - Windows MCE – MouseRUp
4 - Windows MCE - MouseLeft
5 – XBMC – Enter
6 - Windows MCE – MouseRight
7 - Windows MCE – MouseLDown
8 - Windows MCE – MouseDown
9 - Windows MCE – MouseRDown

Additional Buttons:
“Left Click” - Windows MCE – LeftClick
“Right Click” - Windows MCE – RightClick

8) Add an additional command to start your NUC when you power on your tv (b/c we told it to leave it on all the time in step 3)

*Enjoy!

Edit: If you can't get it to work can I have the exact location of said dustbin please?:whistle:
 
Last edited:
Soul Assassin said:
First download and install the Harmony software and use that to setup the remote.

1) Determine what you want (I wanted my Harmony to turn on my NUC and control XBMC with both standard buttons and a simulated mouse)
2) Open your Harmony software - I highly suggest using your computer that you already use to set up your Harmony Remote to set it up via the Harmony software/website
3) Add a device – Computer > Media Center PC > Intel > d54250wyk (change your power settings to leave on – you don’t want it to do accidently do a “hard shut-down” on exit – you can turn your computer off via XBMC)
4) Add a device – Computer > Media Center PC > Microsoft > Windows Media Center SE
5) Add a device – Computer > Media Center PC > Microsoft > XBMC
6) Add an activity – include your TV and all three of the above
7) Customize your buttons:
Suggest:

Standard Buttons:
Channel Down/Up – Windows MCE
Up/Down/Left/Right - Windows MCE
OK – XBMC – Enter
Exit – XBMC – Esc
Stop/Fast Forward/Play/Rewind – Windows MCE
* Pause – Windows MCE – Play (NOT PAUSE – won’t work)
Number buttons: simulate a mouse (awesome!):
1 – Windows MCE – Mouse LUp
2 - Windows MCE – MouseUp
3 - Windows MCE – MouseRUp
4 - Windows MCE - MouseLeft
5 – XBMC – Enter
6 - Windows MCE – MouseRight
7 - Windows MCE – MouseLDown
8 - Windows MCE – MouseDown
9 - Windows MCE – MouseRDown

Additional Buttons:
“Left Click” - Windows MCE – LeftClick
“Right Click” - Windows MCE – RightClick

8) Add an additional command to start your NUC when you power on your tv (b/c we told it to leave it on all the time in step 3)

*Enjoy!

Edit: If you can't get it to work can I have the exact location of said dustbin please?:whistle:
Click to expand...

I don't remember having ever been so frustrated...and thoroughly confused.

I see where you're aiming at, thanks for the info and helping out. :) Next step is to program an Activity. My issue to date was to get a proper Device loaded that gives me most of the XBMC functionality e.g. Info/Contextual/Back/OSD etc on the Harmony 650 layout. This was quite a challenge because all of the options have some important features missing.

I used this tutorial - http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=153698 - loaded base Device and amended remote.xml to map changes. Will play with this a bit more when I have time

/deep breaths
 
Could you explain what exactly is not working, I can't see how this could take more than maybe 10 minutes. I have been using my Harmony 650 with Plex for more than a year now.
 
DJ... said:
Check this out - http://xbmccustomregis.sourceforge.net/

And use showkey to map the keyboard.xml - it's really simple.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbmcmce/files/ShowKey.exe/download

Especially if you follow this guide...
Click to expand...

Thanks, will give this a go tomorrow. Brain needs a break...

Soul Assassin said:
Could you explain what exactly is not working, I can't see how this could take more than maybe 10 minutes. I have been using my Harmony 650 with Plex for more than a year now.
Click to expand...

I couldn't find a device in MyHarmony that properly controlled OpenElec/XBMC - e.g. either the ContextualMenu was missing or Esc/Back didn't work properly etc.

Could the Intel NUC's receiver play a role?
 
Add the Media Centre keyboard as a device, Google the XMBC keyboard shortcuts and manually change/add the keys you need with the Harmony software?
 
Soul Assassin said:
Add the Media Centre keyboard as a device, Google the XMBC keyboard shortcuts and manually change/add the keys you need with the Harmony software?
Click to expand...

I tried this, but didn't work. Accept keypresses is enabled in XBMC - none of the keys worked though?
 
SSH into the NUC again and type, irw, that should show you what, if any, commands are received when you press a button on the Harmony.
 
Soul Assassin said:
Any updates?
Click to expand...

Haven't had time to experiment more. Working ok now with previously mentioned adjustments to remote.xml.

Still want to try the key press method agin for even more control - but I remember reading somewhere of an issue with Haswell and Openelec. Will try to find it again.

Need to also find time to experiment with Activities on Harmony. This looks like the **** and probably the real killer function of the remote.
 
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