Hello, a bit of a unusual request, but i was looking for some help with a problem…
So my mother has alzheimers, but is more or less autonomous for the moment. however a recurring problem is that she has a TV that is working with a external “set top box” so normally the tv needs to be set to a source, for example “Input 2” or something similar. The problem is that if there is a power cut the tv defaults to a terrestrial tv input and then as a result she cannot operate the tv, and the process to get it back onto the correct source is not easy.
I also live in another country, so it’s not often that i can visit…
So, what i am looking for is the most simple device that i can put in place and either
:- Control remotely to trigger a preset sequence of IR signals
or
:- send the preset sequence everytime the tv turns on
So please, if you have some suggestions about the most cost effect, and robust and preferably cleanly packaged system, i would love to hear your suggestions.
It really needs to be handsfree… she has no capacity to learn new remote control buttons such as a programmable remote…
Hello,
Here are the different possibilities that I see:
CEC control is a way to control the TV by a HDMI cable. You may do some research if you are interested by this solution
Regarding IR the most difficult is that you don’t have a way to retrieve the TV state, so you are firing in the dark. One option could be to repeat the sequence several times.
I don’t know your DIY or software competencies, could you give some insight, it cans impact a lot the solution proposals.
If you are looking for a clean package I would suggest AVATTO IR, it can be uploaded with an Arduino program with some disassembly and soldering.
You may find also some commercial solution that offer the capability to reproduce a sequence, maybe some research around this could help.
I would locate the solution between the remote and the TV so that you can detect a Power ON signal and launch the sequence of IR codes.
Thanks for the reply! i have some capabilities in assembling diy projects with arduino, Esp8266 and 32 and raspberry pi etc. also soldering skills and i can modify programs even if i can’t always write them from scratch…
This ACATTO device looks good… Maybe i could have it powered by the tv usb (if the usb turns off when the tv is off) and then just have a delay when it turns on then send the codes…
Worst case scenario is just to have it send the codes at a certain hour everyday and i can just tell her to put the tv on at a certain time…
This is great, i will order this device to get started…
Happy to hear any other idea’s and suggestions…
