www.cuddon.net

How to disable interfering kernel drivers

2013-02-12T07:27:00.001+11:00

This post has moved to CM19a Software

How to set permissions for a USB device in Linux

2013-02-11T21:09:00.002+11:00

This post has moved to my CM19a Resources Site

Links

Home Page

X10 CM19a Downloads

2013-02-04T07:07:00.001+11:00

Here are all the downloads relating to my Python CM19a driver for Linux.

The latest version of this software can be found at my X10 CM19a driver site

Latest Release

Version: 3.0
Released: 9 September 2011

Download the Python CM19a driver for Linux

Changelog 0.20 - 3.0
- Added basic command line argument functionality
    * e.g. ./CM19aDriver.py A1 ON
    * Send only, you cannot receive commands via this approach becuase the device does not maintain a queue of commands received.
    * Relatively slow because the driver must initialise the device each time and then exit.
    * This is the default mode of operation: MODE = 'Command Line'
- Added an in-built HTTP server
    * Send and receive commands via a web browser, any app that supports http get calls, or even the command line (using cURL)
    * e.g. http://192.168.1.3:8008/?house=A&unit=1&command=ON
    * The driver starts and remains running so it can monitor and respond to http requests and capture inbound RF commands received by the CM19a
    * Faster than the basic command line interface becuase the device needs to be initilaised only once (at startup)
    * You need to set MODE = 'HTTP Server' to use the driver this way. You also need to set the IP address and port you wish to use.
- Fixed several bugs relating to bright/dim functionality
    * Added in missing bright/dim commands to the protocol file
    * Modified approach to decode bright/dim button presses from a X10 RF remote
    * Now identifies the house code as well as the button pressed (bright or dim) on the RF keychain remote

Previous releases

Release v0.2

Download v0.2 CM19a driver

Change log 0.11 - 0.20
- Added Bright/Dim functionality
- Added Python Logging
- General bug fixes
- When searching for a CM19a exits the search when it finds the first matching device
- Added flag to control whether to start the receiving thread automatically (default is to start)
- Some methods renamed so they are not exposed as an XML-RPC call (via a separate programme)

Release v0.12

Released: 3 September 2011
Download v0.12 CM19a Driver

Release v0.11

Download v0.11 CM19a Driver

Change log 0.1 - 0.11
- Add saving error messages to an object attribute so they can be utilised by a separate UI app
- Fixed a couple of coding errors

Original Release v0.1

Download v0.1 CM19a Driver

Functionality
- Use the CM19a to send any X10 on/off command (eg A1OFF, C16ON) wirelessly to a lamp or appliance module (requires an X10 receiver module)
- Use the CM19a to automatically receive and log to a queue any command received from an X10 remote control.

Python Daemon Downloads

2013-02-03T14:53:00.001+11:00

These are the downloads relating to my Python Daemon Article.

Downloads

Python daemon module/class
Example - Simple daemonized web server

Links

All Python Programming topics
Home Page

A Simple Linux Daemon written in Python

2013-01-28T20:46:00.003+11:00

A simple python daemon module/class demonstrates the requirements and functionality for a well-behaved Linux daemon (background process).

Background

With the Python Programming Language it's easy to create applications that run from the command line (terminal) in Linux. However, anything more than a simple interactive run-once and exit app will block your terminal while it executes - so you must wait for processing to complete before you can type another terminal command. What if your programme needs to run continuously and you don't want to tie up the command line terminal?

That's where a Linux Daemon comes in useful. If your application is configured as a Linux Daemon it executes as a background process, so it doesn't block the terminal. Most servers (e.g. Apache web sever, Music Player Daemon) and many other applications run as daemon.

A daemonized Python application (the terminal is available)

Note: Python apps are often cross-platform, running on any OS that supports the Python interpreter. Daemonizing, however, is a *nix feature, meaning that it will function on Linux/Unix etc. This daemon module shown below is designed to run on Linux. Your app will also run on Microsoft Windows but at present it will not run in the background (I need to implement a Windows service to do this).

Key requirements for a well-behaved daemon

The daemon must run in the background and not tie up a terminal.
A user must be able to start, stop, restart, and check the status of the daemon process.
All standard and error output must be logged to a file rather than the terminal.
The daemon must relinquish any elevated file permissions, file create mask, and default folder/directory.
If required, it must be able to interact with the outside world (e.g. via network sockets, message queue, files etc.).
The daemon must exit cleanly when the host system shuts down.

Python Daemon Module

A quick Google search shows a number of variants on how to daemonize a Python app. I decided to write my own - purely for the challenge (especially since I am not a professional programmer or Computer Science graduate). Here's my daemon module, which is a simple class to start, stop, restart, and gets status for a Linux Daemon.

Python Daemon module

Dependencies

Python 2.x
No other dependencies

OS Support

Linux (tested on Ubuntu 12.10)
Windows 7 (will run in the foreground, not as a Windows service - to be implemented in the future)

Basic Usage

1. Subclass DaemonClass
class MainLoop(DaemonClass):

2. Override methods as required, typically:
run() # Place your functionality in this method. It must contain a continuous loop or blacking function call
on_exit() # Additional Clean up tasks just before the daemon exits
on_interrupt() # Additional tasks when a terminate or interrupt signal is received

3. You may also want to override the following methods for any processing required before the event is triggered:
before_start()
before_stop()
before_restart()

4. Run from the command line:
python daemon.py start|stop|restart|status

5. Think about security. The daemon will run as the user who initiated it. Do not run your daemon as a user with root or admin privileges.

6. If required, create:

An init script so the daemon starts when the server boots
Or a cron job to start at boot or start/stop/restart at specific times/days

7. Your script will look something like this:

# Import the module
  from daemon import DaemonClass

  # Subclass the daemon class
  class MyApp(DaemonClass):
      def __init__(self):
          # Ensure the parent class is initialised
          DaemonClass.__init(self)

      # Override the run() method
      # This must contain the continuous loop or blocking command
      def run(self):
          # Main loop and processing code for managing the functionality of your application
          alive = True
          while alive:
              # Continuous loop until an interrupt is received
              do_stuff()

          # Exit cleanly
          self.on_exit()
      self.cleanup()
      # The daemon will close down now

def before_start(self):
      sys.tdout.write("Config tasks could go here")

def on_exit(self):
sys.tdout.write("Cleanup tasks go here")

How it Works

Daemon Start

python daemon.py start

Signal handlers are registered so the application can exit gracefully when a terminate or interrupt signal is received.
The process is forked, creating an exact copy of the original so there are two instances running.
The initial process (the parent process) exits gracefully and only the child process continues execution.
The current/default directory/folder is set to something innocuous (e.g. /tmp).
A new process group is created, for the distribution/receiving of external signals (e.g. terminate signal or interrupt signal).
Revoke any elevated file creating permissions.
For the process again to really distance us from the original process.
The child process exits gracefully and only the grandchild process continues execution.
Terminal output (stdout and stderr) are redirected to a log file so the application does not write to the terminal.
The process ID (PID) is saved to a file. This PID file is used to check whether a process is already running and could be used for interprocess communication.
The application is daemonized and fully detached from the terminal that was used to start it.
The application's functionality executes in the background until the application completes execution or is terminated by a user or the host system.

Daemon Stop

python daemon.py stop

The current process check whether the daemon is running. If not, it exits.
If the daemon is running, it's process ID is retrieved from the PID file.
A terminate signal (SIGTERM) is sent to the runing daemon.
The current process closes.
The running daemon traps the terminate signal and completes execution.
The daemon deletes the PID file and resets stdout and stderr to the terminal.
The running daemon closes gracefully.

Daemon Restart

python daemon.py restart

A restart is simply a stop followed by a start.
The original daemon is stopped via a terminate command and the current process is then daemonized (so the resulting daemon will have a new process ID).
This ensures that any configuration changes are loaded when the daemon is restarted.

Daemon Status

python daemon.py status

The current process checks for a PID file for the running daemon.
If there is not pID file then the daemon is not running.
If there is a PID file then the daemon's process ID will be reported.
The current process then closes.

Example

The example creates a simple daemonized web server using nothing but the Python standard library, so there are no external dependencies.

Download the example - a daemonized web server

How to use the example

1. From a terminal run:
python example.py start

2. Notice that the terminal is available immediately after the application has been daemonized.
3. From the terminal run:
python example.py status

4. The PID of the daemonized process should be displayed.

5. Open a browser (on the same computer if the IP is set to localhost) and go to http://127.0.0.1:8001 (or your configured IP address and Port).

6. The simple website should be displayed.

7. Answer the important question posed on the website.

8. From the terminal run:
python example.py stop

9. The daemon should now be stopped.

10. From the terminal run:
python example.py status

11. The status should show that the daemon is not running.

References

This script is was originally based on an excellent post and comments at www.jejik.com
How to Daemonize in Linux by Doug Potter
Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment by W. Richard Stevens, ISBN 9780201563177
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umask
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_group

Relevant Links

Downloads in this post
All Python Programming Posts
Home Page

CM19a links fixed

2012-09-20T21:26:00.001+10:00

For the latest version see my CM19a Python Driver site

A couple of the links on my CM19a page were broken. They should now work.

Version 3.0 CM19a driver

Previous stable Version 0.12 Cm19a Driver

Auto install and configure MPD on a Raspberry Pi

2012-08-05T14:17:00.001+10:00

A script to auto install and configure Music Player Daemon (MPD) on a Raspberry Pi.

Connect your Raspberry Pi to your hi-fi, install Music Player Daemon on your Pi and a client on your phone, and you have a $35 network music player. Way cool, but it took me a while to work out how to configure it all. So here's a script that does it for you...

Please test and leave a comment for defects or enhancement requests.

WHAT THIS SCRIPT DOES

MPD is designed for remote access playing and streaming of audio files and for managing playlists. It's a music server, not a GUI Music player. But it's core feature is remote control of your music from other devices including computers, tablets, and phones (and other Raspberry Pis of course).

This script:

Installs MPD;
Configures it for control via another device such as a smartphone, tablet or PC;
Configures MPD to output to the Raspberry Pi's analog stereo connector; and
Sets permissions to ensure MPD has read access to your music.

Gnome Music Player Client connect to the Pi

HOW TO USE THIS SCRIPT

Log in to your Raspberry Pi.
Open a terminal if you are in GUI mode.
Download this script form here or:

wget -O mpd.sh http://ubuntuone.com/5EduYu3UDn3LPtqi7Iubo9

Edit any BASIC SETTINGS such as the music directory: e.g.

nano mpd_pi.sh (Ctrl-o to save and Ctrl-x to exit).

Set execute permissions so the script can run:

chmod u+x mpd_pi.sh

Run the script:

./mpd_pi.sh

If you haven't done so already, copy some music across or point the music directory to a network or USB drive.
You can install a client (such as Gnome Music Player) on the Pi but MPD is designed to be controlled from a separate device. So, install a client such as Droid MPD from the Android Market or the command line client mpc can be used.

PREREQUISITES

Raspberry Pi Model B (with Ethernet)
Raspian distribution installed (This script may work on other Debian based distributions an on other devices).
The user who runs this script must have sudo rights. A password is required.
The user who runs this script must have write access to the current directory.
The RPi must be connected to the internet using the Ethernet connection.
An MPD client to control playback.

BEWARE

By default this script sets read access to all files in the nominated music folder. You can change this by setting SET_READ_ACCESS_PERMISSIONS='n' in the Advanced Permissions section.
This script may need to reboot your Pi. Ensure all documents are saved before you run this script.

REFERENCES

Raspberry Pi wbsite: http://www.raspberrypi.org/
MPD Website: http://mpd.wikia.com/wiki/Music_Player_Daemon_Wiki
Details of the Debian Wheezy MPD packages: http://packages.debian.org/wheezy/mpd
MPD on the Raspberry Pi Wiki: http://elinux.org/Rpi_Music_Player_Daemon

DOWNLOAD FROM HERE:

Download the MPD auto install script for Raspberry Pi

Python X10 CM19A USB Driver - Version 3.0

2011-09-13T19:55:00.000+10:00

See my new site for the latest version of my Python CM19a driver.

Python X10 CM19A USB Driver version 3.0 is here

Download

New features

Basic command line argument functionality

e.g. ./CM19aDriver.py A 1 ON
Send only, you cannot receive commands via this approach becuase the device does not maintain a queue of commands received.
Relatively slow because the driver must initialise the device each time and then exit.
This is the default mode of operation: MODE = 'Command Line'

Built-in HTTP server

Send and receive commands via a web browser, any app that supports http get calls, or even the command line (using cURL)
e.g. http://192.168.1.3:8008/?house=A&unit=1&command=ON
The driver starts and remains running so it can monitor and respond to http requests and capture inbound RF commands received by the CM19a
Faster than the basic command line interface becuase the device needs to be initilaised only once (at startup)
You need to set MODE = 'HTTP Server' to use the driver this way. You also need to set the IP address and port you wish to use.

Bug Fixes

Fixed several bugs relating to bright/dim functionality

Added in missing bright/dim commands to the protocol file
Modified approach to decode bright/dim button presses from a X10 RF remote
Now identifies the house code as well as the button pressed (bright or dim) on the RF keychain remote

Enjoy... Feedback and bug fixes welcome.
Andrew

How to import the CM19a driver into another module

2011-09-03T15:27:00.000+10:00

This question has come up many times. Here is an example of how to import the CM19a driver (v0.12) into another Python module so you can create your own macros.

It's relatively painless:

Use the import statement to import the driver module (import cm19aDriver)
Configure/initialise the CM19a (cm19aDriver.configure(start=True))
Send and receive commands (result = cm19aDriver.cm19a.send("A", "1", "ON") and cm19aDriver.cm19a.getReceiveQueue())
Tidy up and exit (cm19aDriver.tidyUp())

Download the example

CM19a Driver - new version 0.12

2011-09-03T15:07:00.000+10:00

Here is the latest version of the original (0.1 series) driver. This seems to be the version most people currently use.The following updates have been made:
1. Added functionality to accept command line arguments for sending an x10 command
e.g.
sudo ./cm19aDriver.py A1 ON
echo "Result: $?"

Note that this is relatively slow since the device needs to be reinitialised for each command line request. (I am working on ways of changing this).

2. Added argument to Configure to state whether polling for inbound commands should be started. The default is 'start=False'. This is the correct setting for command line processing but can be changed to 'start=False' when importing this driver into another module and polling the device for inbound commands. Click here to see how.
Download version 0.12
Cheers, Andrew

SR7400 Page updated

2011-09-02T14:02:00.001+10:00

I have now updated the static page for the Marantz SR7400/SR8400 Surround Sound Receiver. This includes the serial control specification and my automation driver. Click on the SR7400 Page above or click here.

Script - Install Mediainfo

2011-09-01T21:18:00.001+10:00

Ubuntu Desktop Script

This script installs MediaInfo, which is a great app for displays information on various media files. This script installs both the GUI and command line tools. http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/

Download the script

Other Ubuntu Scripts

Script - Install Virtualbox

2011-09-01T17:44:00.001+10:00

Ubuntu Desktop Script

Installs Oracle VM Virtualbox. Based on information from http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads

Download

Other Ubuntu Scripts

Script - Access a networked scanner

2011-09-01T15:19:00.000+10:00

This script enables access to a NETWORKED scanner that uses the SANED (Scanner Access Now Easy) daemon. The scanner is attached (usually via USB) to a server or another computer. This setup is not required if you simply connect your scanner directly to your Ubuntu Desktop computer.

After running the script you should be able to selected your networked scanner (in my case an Epson Multifunction printer scanner) as you scanning source device.

Download the auto install script

New links to the CM19a Drivers

2011-08-12T12:06:00.002+10:00

Apologies guys. Obviously I have not been active on this site for quite some time.

Updated links to the various versions of my driver are provided on the CM19a Page. Click this link or click on the 'CM19a' tab above.

Let me know if you have any problems.
Andrew

Version 2.(beta) Python driver for CM19a X10 RF Transceiver (USB)

2010-06-26T15:20:00.001+10:00

Here's a new version (treat it as a beta) of my Python driver for the CM19a X10 RF Transceiver (USB).

There are many changes including:

ability to send dim and bright commands.
ability to receive dim and bright commands from an X10 remote.
ability to turn off automatic polling of the device for incoming commands from a remote. This is useful if you want control over when the device is polled for inbound commands or if your application just sends commands to X10 units and does not respond to remote controls.
more error checks.
some refactoring of the class methods and some methods have been renamed to identify then as private to the class and should not be called externally. This is mostly to support a device manager I am working on which exposes the key methods as XML-RPC functions that can be called remotely by other languages such as Perl.
I have also included some examples of how you can use this driver to respond to inbound commands and perform a simple macro.

I have tested this on Ubuntu 10.04. Please let me know if you have any problems.

~~Download the version 2 (Beta) driver~~

Download the latest CM19a Linux driver

Andrew

CM19a USB permissions in Ubuntu Lucid

2010-06-20T14:32:00.012+10:00

This post has moved to my CM19a Resources Site

Here's how I set permissions in Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid) so that any user can run my CM19a X10 USB Transceiver driver.

1. Create a udev permissions files so that when udev creates a device file when the transceiver is connected, the correct permissions are set
sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/cm19a.rules

Note that I did not number this file so it runs after all other permissions are set.

2. Add in the following text and save
# Allow all users to read and write to the CM19a X10 Transceiver (USB)
SYSFS{idVendor}=="0bc7", SYSFS{idProduct}=="0002", MODE="666"

3. If your CM19a is plugged in, then remove, wait a sec or two and then plug it back in again. The correct permissions should now be set.

4. Any user should now be able to run the driver without using sudo.

eg. From a terminal

./CM19A_X10_USB.py

Note: In Ubuntu you will also need to blacklist two drivers so they do not take control of the CM19a when it is plugged in.

1. Edit the blacklist file
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist

2. Add in the follow text and save

# To enable CM19a X10 Transceiver to work
blacklist lirc_atiusb
blacklist ati_remote

3. Reboot so this all takes effect.

Cm19a driver User Interface concept is here

2009-12-27T17:50:00.005+11:00

Several people have asked for a user interface for my CM19a X10 USB Transceiver driver.

Here's my first attempt at a very simple front end. It's not elegant at all - it just allows a user to turn on/off devices with the click of a button.

You can download the code from here.

Requires my CM19a driver version 0.11 or later, available here. You must run this with root privileges (I use gksudo) for the driver to be able to access the usb device.

Cm19a driver User Interface

2009-12-26T23:53:00.004+11:00

Just started working on a simple user interface to demonstrate how my Cm19a driver works.

Python driver v0.11 for CM19a X10 Transceiver

2009-08-19T15:16:00.010+10:00

Version 0.11 is superseded. The latest driver can be found on my CM19a Site

Now updated to version 0.11. Just a few bug fixes plus it now saves any error messages to an object attribute so these can be accessed externally (such as via a user interface app).

Here's my first attempt at a Python driver for the CM19a wireless (USB, Firecracker) transceiver.
This is a user space driver so a kernel driver for the CM19a does not need to be installed.

Functionality
- Use the CM19a to send any X10 on/off command (eg A1OFF, C16ON) wirelessly to a lamp or appliance module (requires an X10 receiver module).
- Use the CM19a to automatically receive and log to a queue any command received from an X10 remote control.

Click here for the Python code(version 0.11)

Click here for the X10 protocol file

Andrew

Example Output
Configuring...
CM19a found and opened
Vendor ID (dev.idVendor): 3015 (0bc7 hex)
Product ID (dev.idProduct): 2 (0002 hex)
Device Version: 01.00
usbVersion: 01.10
Number of Configurations: 1
Turning ON A1...
Waiting 5 seconds...
Turning OFF A1...
Press one or more keys on the x10 remote within the next 30 seconds
Command A3OFF received via cm19a
Command A3ON received via cm19a
Command A3ON received via cm19a
Command A4OFF received via cm19a
Command A3OFF received via cm19a
Command A1OFF received via cm19a
Receive Queue: ['A3OFF', 'A3ON', 'A3ON', 'A4OFF', 'A3OFF', 'A1OFF']
Press one or more keys on the x10 remote within the next 30 seconds
Command A1ON received via cm19a
Command A2ON received via cm19a
Command A2ON received via cm19a
Command A3ON received via cm19a
Command A4ON received via cm19a
Receive Queue (since the last time we requested the queue): ['A1ON', 'A2ON', 'A2ON', 'A3ON', 'A4ON']
Tests complete.

CM19a USB Permissions

2009-08-11T13:36:00.004+10:00

The latest version of this post can be found at my X10 CM19a Software site

A typical user in Linux does not have sufficient privileges to read/write to the CM19a USB device without the appropriate driver installed with the correct permissions. Since I am writing a User Space driver in Python I need a way to read/write to the device without having to run the script/programme as thee root user.

The following notes show how I have set up udev rules to automatically set the correct permissions on system start or hot pluggin the CM19a.

1. Create the udev rules file:

gksudo gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/40-cm19a.rules

Note:

This uses gedit text editor in Ubuntu. You can create the text file any way you like.
The '''40''' is the priority/order for the rule relative to other rules found in /etc/udev/rules.d (user rules) and /lib/udev/rules.d (system/package rules etc)

2. Add the rules
These rules says that for a device with the specific vendor and product id, enable read/write access to any user who is a member of the '''cm19a-users''' groups

# Sets user permissions for the CM19a X10 US Wireless Transceiver
# Users who are members of the cm19a-users group have read and write access to this device
# Note that the vendor and product IDs are hexadecimal values
# Vendor id = 3015 (decimal), 0bc7(hex), X10 Wireless Technology Inc
# Product id = 2 (decimal), 0002 (hex), USB Transceiver

# Skip these rules if a usb device is not being added
SUBSYSTEM!="usb_device", ACTION!="add", GOTO="end_of_cm19a_rules"

SYSFS{idVendor}=="0bc7", SYSFS{idProduct}=="0002", MODE:="0660", GROUP:="cm19a-users"

LABEL="end_of_cm19a_rules"

3. Restart the server/pc to ensure to permissions take hold.
(Just re-plugging the device does not seem to work correctly)

4. Check that the CM19a has been detected

lsusb

Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 005 Device 002: ID 046d:c517 Logitech, Inc. LX710 Cordless Desktop Laser
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 003: ID 0bc7:0002 X10 Wireless Technology, Inc. Firecracker Interface (ACPI-compliant)
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 045e:00f5 Microsoft Corp. LifeCam VX-3000.
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

5. Check the group ownership

ls -la /dev/bus/usb/004/

total 0
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 80 2009-08-11 11:22 .
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 140 2009-08-11 18:20 ..
crw-rw-r-- 1 root root 189, 384 2009-08-11 18:20 001
crw-rw---- 1 root cm19a-users 189, 387 2009-08-11 11:22 003

Notes:
* 004 in the ls command is the bus number where lsusb found the device
* The ls command lists the devices found on that bus
* The Cm19a is device number 003 on bus 004
* Owner is root with permissions: create, read, write
* Group is cm19a-users with permissions: read, write
* The World has no permissions at all

6. Add any users who need to access the CM19a to the cm19a-users group.

7. Now your users have read/write access to the device

CM19a USB Info

2009-08-11T13:11:00.002+10:00

This post is superseded. See http://www.cuddon.net/2013/02/how-to-set-permissions-for-usb-device.html

Here's my programme to extract the Descriptor info from the CM19a X10 USB Transceiver.

Click Here

By Default, a normal user does not have sufficient privileges to access this device so you can either:

run the programme as root (sudo python CM19aUSBinfo.py); or
set the privileges when udev detects the device (see my next post for how to do this)

On my PC, the Python script returns the following information for the CM19a:

Bus number (bus.dirname): 004
CM19a found:
Device Number(dev.filename): 002
Device class: 0 (Per Interface)
Device sub class: 0 (Per Interface)
Device protocol: 0
Max packet size for Endpoint 0: 8
Vendor ID (dev.idVendor): 3015 (0bc7 hex)
Product ID (dev.idProduct): 2 (0002 hex)
Device Version: 01.00
Manufacturer (dev.iManufacturer): 1, X10 Wireless Technology Inc
Product (dev.iProduct): 2, USB Transceiver
SerialNumber (dev.iSerialNumber): 0, ?
usbVersion: 01.10
Number of Configurations: 1
Configuration: 1
Total length: 32
selfPowered: 0
remoteWakeup: 0
maxPower: 4
Configuration Description: 0
Number of Interfaces: 1
Interface tuple: ((usb.Interface object at 0xb7d22cb0,),)
Interface Number: 0
Alternate Setting Number: 0
Interface class: 255 (Vendor Specific)
Interface sub class: 0 (Per Interface)
Interface protocol: 0
Number of end points: 2
Endpoint tuple: (usb.Endpoint object at 0xb7d441c0, usb.Endpoint object at 0xb7d441d0)
Endpoint address: 129 (0081 hex)
Type: 3 (INTERRUPT):
Max packet size: 8 bytes
Interval: 10
Endpoint address: 2 (0002 hex)
Type: 3 (INTERRUPT):
Max packet size: 8 bytes
Interval: 10

Python Driver for the CM19a X10 USB Transceiver

2009-08-03T10:33:00.012+10:00

Python Driver for the CM19a X10 RF Transciever (USB)
1. I have started developing a driver for the CM19a using pyUSB, which allows for easy integration in my home-grown Python-based automation software. PyUSB is simply to install in Ubuntu:

Open a terminal
Install dependencies: sudo apt-get install python gcc python-dev libusb-dev
Change directory to the puSUB source: cd ~/pyusbfolder
Install pyUSB: sudo python setup.py install
Test the installation by running usbenum.py which is found in the samples folder

2. Here's a dump of the information extracted from the CM19a using usbenum.py. Note this the vendor information is independent of the actual branding of the device, which in my case is Winplus Home Automation.

Vendor ID: 3015 (decimal), 0bc7 (hex) = X10 Wireless Technology, Inc.
Device ID: 2 (decimal), 0002 (hex) = Firecracker Interface (ACPI-compliant)
Interface Class = 255 (decimal), FF (Hex) = Vendor Specific
Interface subclass and protocol = 0 (decimal), 0000 (Hex) = Vendor Specific

USB Device Details

Device: 002
Device class: 0
Device sub class: 0
Device protocol: 0
Max packet size: 8
idVendor: 3015 (0x0bc7) X10 Wireless Technology, Inc.
idProduct: 2 (0x0002) Firecracker Interface (ACPI-compliant)
Device Version: 01.00
Configuration: 1
Total length: 32
selfPowered: 0
remoteWakeup: 0
maxPower: 4
Interface: 0
Alternate Setting: 0
Interface class: 255
Interface sub class: 0
Interface protocol: 0
Endpoint: 0x81L
Type: 3
Max packet size: 8
Interval: 10
Endpoint: 0x2L
Type: 3
Max packet size: 8
Interval: 10

3. Now I need to start developing the Python Driver module and classes. The basic approach will likely be something like this:

Load pyUSB
find the correct device and get all the details
Open the device and claim the interface
send and receive commands (using the appropriate protocol)
Release the interface
Close and cleanup

RS232C Controller Specification for Marantz SR8500/SR7500/SR5500

2009-08-03T09:56:00.004+10:00

Click here for the specification.

Source: Marantz USA

If you are looking for my driver for the SR7400 click here.

Marantz SR7400 Surround Sound Receiver

2009-07-13T11:58:00.012+10:00

This is an old post. Go to my Marantz SR7400 page for all the details and a how to.

Great sounding receiver
Crossover settings could go a little lower to better cater for small speakers
Automation via its RS232 port

Serial Protocol and codes
Note that the codes used by this receiver are completely different to the SR7500.

Here is the official specification (I can no longer find the original source)
Marantz SR7400 Serial Control Specification

Here is the serial control protocol file I use for my AV automation controller.

This specification also applies to the SR8400 (but not the SR7500/SR8500/SR5500).

NOTE On the serial comms parameters required

A STRAIGHT THROUGH serial (NOT a Null Modem cable) is required (the SR7400 has its pins already reversed)
Baud: 9600 bps
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
Data bits: 8
Flow Control: RTS/CTS (Hardware Flow Control)
Note that software flow control and no flow control do not work so the connecting master device must support hardware flow control

Infrared Protocol and codes

Search for SR7400 on the Marantz USA support site.

Python comms driver I wrote to control this device

Here is my Python driver for controlling the Marantz SR7400 AV Receiver over TCP (connected via serial to a Global Cache GC-100).

www.cuddon.net

How to disable interfering kernel drivers

How to set permissions for a USB device in Linux

Links

X10 CM19a Downloads

Latest Release

Previous releases

Release v0.2

Release v0.12

Release v0.11

Original Release v0.1

Related Links

Python Daemon Downloads

Downloads

Links

A Simple Linux Daemon written in Python

Background

Key requirements for a well-behaved daemon

Python Daemon Module

Dependencies

OS Support

Basic Usage

How it Works

Daemon Start

Daemon Stop

Daemon Restart

Daemon Status

Example

How to use the example

References

Relevant Links

CM19a links fixed

Related Links

Auto install and configure MPD on a Raspberry Pi

A script to auto install and configure Music Player Daemon (MPD) on a Raspberry Pi.

Python X10 CM19A USB Driver - Version 3.0

Python X10 CM19A USB Driver version 3.0 is here

New features

Basic command line argument functionality

Built-in HTTP server

Bug Fixes

Related Links

How to import the CM19a driver into another module

Related Links

CM19a Driver - new version 0.12

Related Links

SR7400 Page updated

Script - Install Mediainfo

Ubuntu Desktop Script

Script - Install Virtualbox

Script - Access a networked scanner

Related Links

New links to the CM19a Drivers

Related Links

Version 2.(beta) Python driver for CM19a X10 RF Transceiver (USB)

Related Links

CM19a USB permissions in Ubuntu Lucid

Related Links

Cm19a driver User Interface concept is here

Related Links

Cm19a driver User Interface

Related Links

Python driver v0.11 for CM19a X10 Transceiver

Related Links

CM19a USB Permissions

Related Links

CM19a USB Info

Related Links

Python Driver for the CM19a X10 USB Transceiver

Related Links

RS232C Controller Specification for Marantz SR8500/SR7500/SR5500

Marantz SR7400 Surround Sound Receiver