cir - a new implementation of linux infrared tools

For Linux, there are tools to interact with any infrared hardware: ir-ctl and ir-keytable. These tools can load simple infrared keymaps and load decoders, and transmit simple IR. The IR decoders are hardcoded and a small hardcoded set is included with the kernel. There is also the lirc daemon and its tools, which supports many more IR protocols but certainly not all.

This tool replaces all those tools, but with major new features:

• Pronto hex codes
• IRP support
• lircd.conf remote definition support
• daemon-less (using BPF)

Pronto hex codes are a fairly straightforward way of encoding raw IR, NEC, RC-5 and a few others.

IRP is a DSL language which can express any IR protocol. The aim is parse IRP and compile a decoder to BPF. So, any protocol can be supported directly.

Listing IR devices (cir config)

This is the cir equivalent of both ir-keytable with no arguments and ir-ctl -f.

$ cir config
rc0:
        Device Name             : Media Center Ed. eHome Infrared Remote Transceiver (1784:0008)
        Driver                  : mceusb
        Default Keymap          : rc-rc6-mce
        Input Device            : /dev/input/event10
        Bus                     : USB
        Vendor/product          : 1784:0008 version 0x0101
        Repeat                  : delay 500 ms, period 125 ms
        LIRC Device             : /dev/lirc0
        LIRC Receiver           : raw receiver
        LIRC Resolution         : 50 microseconds
        LIRC Timeout            : 125000 microseconds
        LIRC Timeout Range      : 50 to 1250000 microseconds
        LIRC Wideband Receiver  : yes
        LIRC Measure Carrier    : yes
        LIRC Transmitter        : yes
        LIRC Set Tx Carrier     : yes
        LIRC Set Tx Duty Cycle  : no
        LIRC Transmitters       : 2
        BPF protocols           : 
        Supported Protocols     : rc-5 nec rc-6 jvc sony rc-5-sz sanyo sharp mce_kbd xmp imon rc-mm
        Enabled Protocols       : 

Transmit/Send (cir transmit)

If you have a .lircd.conf file or .toml keymap, you can send with the following command:

cir transmit keymap foo.lircd.conf KEY_CHANNELUP

Alternatively, you can send raw IR directly like so:

cir transmit rawir '+9000 -4500 +560'

You can also files or linux kernel scancodes, exactly like the ir-ctl tool. This supports mode2 files or raw IR files.

cir transmit rawir -s input-file -S nec:0xcafe

You can send pronto codes:

cir transmit pronto '5000 0073 0000 0001 0001 0001'

Lastly you use IRP notation and set the parameters. This is great for experimenting with IRP; use the --dry-run (-n) to avoid sending.

cir transmit irp -n -fF=2 '{40k,600}<1,-1|2,-1>(4,-1,F:8,^45m)[F:0..255]'

Decoding (cir decode)

Use this if have a .lircd.conf file or .toml keymap, and want to decode the IR, without changing any configation.

cir decode keymap foo.lircd.conf

This will infrared from the first lirc device. You can also decode IR on the command line or a file.

cir decode keymap foo.lircd.conf -r '+9000 -4500 +560'

or

cir decode keymap foo.lircd.conf -f input-file

If you wish to decode using IRP Notation that is possible too:

cir decode irp '{40k,600}<1,-1|2,-1>(4,-1,F:8,^45m)[F:0..255]'

Like above the input can be from a lirc device (optionally specify the device with -d /dev/lirc1 or -s rc), on the command line (-r '+100 -200 +100') or a file (-f filename).

Configuration (cir config -w)

This is the cir equivalent of ir-keytable -w.

cir config -s rc0 -w foo.lircd.conf

This will generate a BPF decoder for foo.lircd.conf and load it.

On startup, ir-keytable -a -s rc0 read the correct keymap from /etc/rc_maps.cfg.

cir auto -s rc0

Test configuration (cir test)

This is the cir equivalent of ir-keytable -t

cir test

Status

All the functionality is in place to load keymaps. More tests are needed, and more polish. The aim is to have this done by the end of 2024.

Building

On Linux, cir depends on llvm for BPF code generation. On Fedora you need the llvm-devel package install and llvm-dev on Ubuntu.

cargo install --git https://github.com/seanyoung/cir cir