How to use flirc to add any remote to any media center

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Description

Flirc allows you to pair any remote control with your computer or media center (Including the Raspberry Pi!). Just walk through our super simple cross platform pairing application, and you’re done. Use your previously paired remote with no additional software on any machine with Flirc.

Super Simple Setup
Use our cross platform pairing application for easy remote control pairing. You are walked through the setup process one button at a time until your remote is paired. Pair any remote control button with any keyboard key and use our builtin application profiles for easy setup.

Command Line Application
Use our cross platform command line application for complete control and configuration of your Flirc. Our command line application can do everything the GUI can do.

Suspend or Wake up Your Computer
Pair the suspend and wake up key to any remote control button for complete control of your media center. As long as your motherboard supports wake on USB, you’re clicks away.

Backup, Restore, and Share
Your paired remote configuration is saved on your device but you can back it up or share it with our Cross platform applications.

Advanced Configuration
Because Flirc acts as a keyboard, our GUI allows you to pair any remote control button with any keyboard key for advanced functionality. Run hot scripts, launch applications, all with a single remote control button.

1. What is Flirc’s range?
Although Flirc’s range depends on the strength of the remote control you are using, it will work up to 20 feet away with most remotes. Like all infrared (IR) devices, Flirc works best when it’s placed in the line of site of the remote control.

2. I have a Harmony One remote, how do I use Flirc with my Harmony One and FireTV?
Simple! Launch the Harmony software and add a new device as follows:
Device: Media Center PC
Manufacturer: Flirc
Model: FireTV / Kodi / Plex

3. Can I use my TV remote control with Flirc?
Yes, you can use your TV remote control with Flirc as long as your remote control has enough unused buttons and your TV does not respond to the ones you wish to pair with Flirc. We recommend using a universal remote control with Flirc for the best results.

4. I’m an advanced user, can I pair flirc on a headless machine?
Yes, absolutely. Every software release on Linux/Mac/Windows ships with a commandline version of the pairing software which provides the same functionality as the GUI version.

5. What versions of Linux are supported?
Flirc hosts debian repositories, but the software is statically built to work on any distribution of Linux.

6. Can I map more than one remote button to the same function on my media center?
Yes, record each button independently.

7. Can I map more than one function to the same remote button?
No, unfortunately, this is a limitation with nearly all remote controls controllers

8. When will the new software features get released?
We will be doing sprints. Both will be complete in the first quarter of 2016, beta releases will be released much sooner.

Flirc allows you to pair any remote control with your computer. Just walk through our super simple cross platform pairing application, and you’re done. Use your previously paired remote with no additional software on any machine with flirc.

Features

1. Pair any remote control with your computer
2. Simple cross platform pairing application
3. Compatible with Windows, Linux, OSX

Flirc learns from any remote control, not caring about different vendor protocols. Just walk through the super simple setup – pairing individual remote buttons with ‘Media Centre Buttons’ and you’re done.

It’s basically a universal IR receiver, so can be used with any remote you choose, old, new or Universal! The best part about Flirc is that it can be used to mimic a keyboard so every media center application understands it without any drivers

Super Simple Setup

Use our cross platform pairing application for easy remote control pairing. You are walked through the setup process one button at a time until your remote is paired. Pair any remote control button with any keyboard key and use our builtin application profiles for easy setup.

Command Line Application

Use our cross platform command line application for complete control and configuration of your Flirc. Our command line application can do everything the GUI can do.

Suspend or Wake up Your Computer

Pair the suspend and wake up key to any remote control button for complete control of your media center. As long as your motherboard supports wake on USB, you’re clicks away.

Backup, Restore, and Share

Your paired remote configuration is saved on your device but you can back it up or share it with our Cross platform applications.

Advanced Configuration

Because Flirc acts as a keyboard, our GUI allows you to pair any remote control button with any keyboard key for advanced functionality. Run hot scripts, launch applications, all with a single remote control button.

媒体中心软件和硬件在过去十年中呈指数级增长，但是使用您的设备进行远程升级和运行仍然相当痛苦。 今天我们来看看Flirc IR dongle，这是一个非常聪明和有效的方式将任何遥控器连接到任何媒体中心。

什么是Flirc？

Flirc单元比一个简单的存储单元聪明得多，但是作为一个绝对巧妙的解决方案，将基于IR的遥控器连接到媒体中心软件。 你看到一个根本问题，当涉及到链接您的典型通用或电视遥控器到媒体中心系统，如运行Kodi / XBMC的Raspberry Pi，亚马逊Fire TV，运行Plex或Windows Media Center的计算机或类似：这些设备针对自己的特殊遥控器（例如Amazon Fire TV附带的蓝牙遥控器）进行了优化，或者针对映射到键盘（如Kodi / XBMC和Windows Media Center）的键映射进行了优化。

不要让我们错了，它是可能的挖掘许多媒体中心软件包（如Kodi / XBMC）的勇气和重新映射的键。 这不是一个轻松的任务，但是，当然不是一个任务的初学者。 此外，它要求您已经购买了某种类型的红外加密狗（可以运行在任何地方从$ 10-20）。

另一方面，FLIRC以一种新颖的方式规避整个问题。 不是作为简单地将IR命令传递到主机操作系统的“哑”IR到USB桥，FLIRC单元实际上是使用USB HID（人机接口设备）标准来模拟键盘的可编程设备。

所以，假设您使用的媒体中心软件是键盘映射键盘上的“首页”键，返回到媒体中心软件的主屏幕。 您可以使用媒体中心遥控器上的按钮，并通过FLIRC系统将其映射为代表传统键盘上的“主页”键。 然后，当您将FLIRC加密狗插入媒体中心，并按下远程按钮时，媒体中心被欺骗，认为FLIRC USB加密狗实际上是一个键盘，您刚按下“主页”键。

这个解决方案的聪明之处在于它是普遍的事实。 你不需要特殊的驱动程序，你不需要编辑设备的键盘（如果你甚至能够），你不需要一个特殊的遥控器。 您可以将任何基于红外遥控器链接到任何具有接受键盘输入的USB端口的媒体中心系统。

除了继续教程之外，FLIRC还制作了一款非常出色的Raspberry Pi 2 / B +机箱 （约合16美元），集成了铝制散热器; 如果你正在寻找一个良好的媒体中心案例为你的Pi，它不只是好看，它也非常有效地保持你的板酷。 显然，Flirc项目背后的人正在帮助建立高质量的媒体中心体验。

如何配置Flirc

确定您的键映射

虽然Flirc配置软件确实包含Kodi / XBMC，Boxee，Windows Media Center，Amazon Fire TV的按钮键盘映射，甚至包括标准键盘媒体键的映射（我们非常感谢这些周到的事情），但是知道如何查找和学习一个键盘映射没有软件的帮助，使您可以有效地映射任何东西到Flirc（而不只是它们提供的预映射条目）。

最后一个条目，亚马逊火电电视的官方键盘快捷列表，是一个很好的例子，官方列表有点不足。 由于未知的亚马逊列出了简单的快捷方式（如箭头键导航），但无法列出更高级（和有用的）快捷方式，如按F12返回到Fire TV主屏幕。 挖掘这些更先进的快捷方式需要转向Kodi wiki中关于将USB键盘与Fire TV配对的部分。

如果你的Google Fu失败了（或者只是没有一个好的键盘列表在任何地方找到），你必须做旧时尚的方式，将USB键盘插入媒体中心，并测试所有不同的键找出他们做什么。 这有点乏味，但它是万无一失的，因为你看到每个键在现实世界中使用场景的确切。

编程Flirc

安装软件，然后运行它之前，插入您的Flirc加密狗，并允许您的操作系统将其检测为一个新的USB设备。 一旦加密狗被系统识别，运行Flirc应用程序。 你会发现自己在一个通用遥控器的主屏幕上显示消息“单击一个键开始录制”和一个“去！”按钮。

有几种方法可以接近编程你的Flirc加密狗的过程。 您可以按“go！”按钮开始一步一步的向导过程，引导您完成基本按钮关联的配对，您可以使用包含的键盘映射（例如Kodi / XBMC和Fire TV等流行媒体中心） ），或者您可以使用完整键盘将每个远程按钮映射到按键。

此外，屏幕底部的文本指示按钮功能（在极少数情况下，从闪烁按钮上的图标不清楚）。 所有您需要做的是按遥控器上的物理按钮，您要映射到媒体中心功能。 成功记录按钮后，它将移动到下一个按钮。 如果出错，请按左下角的“删除”按钮，系统会提示您按下要删除和重新映射的物理遥控器按钮。

在菜单栏中，选择“控制器”，然后从下拉菜单中选择要编辑的预填充媒体中心键盘映射。 为了演示的目的，我们使用Kodi Media Center的键盘映射。

在这里我们找到所有的Kodi媒体中心的主要关键功能都准备好我们映射。 要映射按钮，只需单击每个功能，然后按下物理遥控器上的相应按钮。 在我们的测试遥控器上，例如，我们有一个彩色按钮带（默认情况下）在Kodi什么也没做。 使用Flirc，我们能够将这些按钮分配到有用的功能（例如将未标记的绿色按钮转换为主页按钮，将未标记的黄色按钮转换为隐藏字幕按钮）。

如果您发现基本向导或更高级的媒体中心特定向导不能提供足够的粒度控制（或者该程序包含的键映射对于您的媒体中心软件版本已过期），您可以随时将大多数手在路线上，直接将遥控器按钮直接映射到键盘琴键。 选择菜单栏上的控制器 – >键盘，拉起全键盘。

您不仅可以配对任何键，还可以配对组合键。 例如，假设您的媒体中心软件具有CTRL + SHIFT的键盘快捷键，可将您带到最近添加的电视节目（或某些此类内容）。 您可以对物理遥控器上的按钮进行编程，将CTRL + SHIFT映射到最近添加的电视节目。

如果您想确认这些键已正确映射到Flirc加密狗中，您可以在操作系统（如记事本）上打开一个简单的文本编辑器，然后按遥控器按钮。 记住Flirc的全部魔法是，它将遥控按钮按下（和从遥控器发出的IR码）转换成标准的USB HID键盘按键。 如果你编程遥控器上的按钮等同于“s”键，因为这是媒体中心软件中的一个快捷方式，那么当你打开一个文本编辑器时按下该远程按钮，你猜到了，一个“s”将出现在编辑框。

在媒体中心使用Flirc

只需在您的设备上安装加密狗，使得两个小红外接收器对您可见，无论您坐在哪里和使用遥控器。 如果您的媒体中心计算机的USB端口指向您的沙发，这就像插入加密狗一样简单。 如果你把它隐藏在电视架或类似物品的后面，并且USB端口不在直接的视线，那么你需要拿起一个简单的USB延长器来正确定位它。

Good news for those who wish to control the Playstation 4 with your Harmony Remote!

Since Logitech had been dragging its ass on supporting the PS4 through bluetooth, we Harmony users had been dual wielding the remote and the PS4 controller when watching DVD and Netflix.

At last, there is an intermediate solution. Not a perfect one, and it does require you to part with $23, but never the less I can now perform all the basic controls plus exit play mode to turn off the PS4 without using the controller, so I’m happy.

What you need is the FLIRC infrared dongle. (amazon link). It’s actually a really cool device for it works with any PC, OUYA, or other devices emulating a USB keyboard, and all the keys are customizable. There’s a template for XBMC for those who have a spazzy XBMC setup at home.

FLIRC is new and support database is spotty, so I’ve included a set of instructions for Harmony users to get going:

1) Setup your Harmony Remote

• Add a new device in your Harmony setup. The brand is FLIRC, and the model is XBMC
• Edit your PS4 activity to use the FLIRC device to control your PS4
• Go to the assign button menu, select “PS4”, click on the MENU button, and assign it as “INFO” in the FLIRC device.
• (more info)

2) Setup the FLIRC device

• Download the FLIRC GUI
• Install the GUI first, before plugging device into your PC
• Start the FLIRC setup program
• Plug in your FLIRC dongle
• Align the Harmony infrared hub to the FLIRC dongle
• From the pull down menu, select “CONTROLLER”, then choose “keyboard”
• (more info)
• At this point, assign Harmony buttons to the keyboard keys

3) Assigning Harmony Buttons

Before starting on steps 3 and 4, you can just download my configuration file and skip both steps! (Download config file here)

• On the FLIRC setup program, click on the Enter key on the keyboard
• Hit the OK button on the Harmony remote
• Program should respond by saying “button learned”

Now the OK button is assigned! Repeat for all other keyboard keys that are used by the playstation. Here’s a list:

In the PS4 interface

In-movie controls

4) Assign the Pause/Break button

Notice that the Pause/Break button is crossed out, that’s because the GUI interface doesn’t include that button for some reason. You’ll need to assign that button through the command line interface:

• Exit the FLIRC setup program (a must)
• Access command line mode on your PC (select Accessories from the Start Menu and select Command Line, or run a command called “CMD”)
• Go to directory where FLIRC is installed (usually /Program Files/FLIRC) ** when typing the first command, include the double quotes
• Run the following command:
• Hit the Menu button on the Harmony remote
• Now run the second command:
• Hit the Record button on the Harmony remote

5) Connect the FLIRC dongle to PS4

The dongle too wide to fit the front slot on the PS4, you can:

• Remove the clear casing by prying it open with a small flat screwdriver so it’ll fit
• Run an USB extension cable from the back

Most of you probably know this but to turn off your PS4, hit the Menu button to get back to the main menu, then hit up to select the PS4’s sub menu, and the power options is on the far right.

That’s it! Finally we have one remote to rule them all (except for starting the PS4)

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Remote Control Questions

Flirc works very well. In the latest version of the firmware, we added a default XBMC profile so as long as you are running that release, your flirc will work with the harmony without any additional pairing.

Using the XBMC harmony profile:
Make sure you are running the latest version of FLIRC GUI software

• Install Flirc software
• Plug in Flirc and open the Flirc software – the software should automatically upgrade the Flirc firmware (if required)
• Go to harmony software or myharmony.com and add a new device
  Manufacturer: Flirc
  Device: XBMC
  (If you’re using the harmony software you’ll have to choose the device “Media center PC”)
  Depending on the Harmony remote model you may have to create an activity that uses the “XBMC Device”
• Sync the settings
• You should be good to go – you don’t need to program buttons using the Flirc gui, we’ve done that for you.

To add further keys to the remote control see this article

Use a TV profile

In Harmony software or the online utility choose from one of the two option below (best to choose a tv that isn’t the same brand as the one you are using)

Manufacturer: Panasonic
Device: TC-P65VT30

or
Manufacturer: Samsung
Device: LN46C650L1F

Using the harmony software or myharmony.com, ensure all buttons have something assigned to them (e.g. the subtitle button may not have anything assigned to it for the panasonic device). If nothing is assigned to the button then the button won’t be mappable using Flirc GUI as nothing is being sent when it is pressed.
Also, by default each button is assigned something different, when changing or adding buttons ensure the same action isn’t assigned to different key, this will prevent “Button already exists” error when configuring Flirc through the GUI.

Sync the changes, quickly set up Flirc

Key repeat rate may not be desirable (i.e. when scrolling a list, flirc may not be responsive and continue to scroll a little longer than you want). This is something that is addressed in our custom harmony profile (as described at the start of this post)

Comments (9)

I’d like to know what buttons are set up by default? I can’t seem to find what you used for the “back” button.

So, is there anything I need to do if I did program a bunch of buttons before seeing this article? I started off by emulating a hauppauge, which isn’t working so great. I’d like to start fresh.

Thank you for this, it’s awesome!

However, by default, the toggle fullscreen is sending a forward slash (/) instead of a backslash () to xbmc. Reprogramming the button in the flirc GUI fixes the problem.

I see in the new firmware, that doesnt exist anymore the profile “XBMC” but “Kodi”.
Should I use the name “Kodi” instead XBMC in Logitech Harmony Device Profile as well ?
I mean, “Media Center / Flirc / Kodi” instead “Media Center / Flirc / XBMC” ?

@Ducapédia They are both the same. XBMC is now an alias to Kodi in the harmony software.

Thanks.. While I was waiting here.. I give a shot with “Kodi” and worked fine.
Thanks again

Omg. Thank you so much for doing this! I’m using this with a Logitech Harmony 650, and so far it’s working amazing. I have some hotkeys setup in autohotkey, and FLIRC can actually use these hotkeys with my remote. I’m thrilled with how this is working.

Has anyone else had an issue with the Harmony and the ContextMenu command not working? Everything else works perfectly when I programmed via Harmony app (Mac version), but even after trying to clear command and relearn it both on the Harmony app and the Flirc app, it won’t seem to work. I’m not sure what command it is sending (it does do something). I’ve made sure that Flirc and Harmony app are updated to latest version. Any advice? Thanks.

My name is Levente from Hungary,

i am having trouble setting up Flirc usb with Logitech Harmony Ultimate, to be precise with powering on and off, i cannot get it to work,

can you please tell me how to do it properly??
i am using My Harmony app,

Frlic is installed in a HTPC running under win 10 64 bit, an the Flirc actual Firmware version is v3.8

please help me as this is a nightmare for me,

We have partnered with select remote control partners for ease of use, and minimal setup.

What Is This?

We’ve partnered with select remote control manufacturers to allow seemless integration, ease of use, and operation for our customers. Certain devices within these remote controls have been pre-pared with Flirc. That means, for example, you can add the Logitech – Kodi profile on your harmony, take a new flirc out of it’s packaging, plug it into a PC/system running kodi, and your Flirc will just work with your Logitech remote control and it’s kodi profile. No additional software is needed to pair your remote with Flirc. It just works.

This chapter walks through using and setting up these profiles on your remote control.

Customizing Built-In Profiles

If for any reason one of the buttons in our partners isn’t mapped to the correct function of your choice, it’s very simple to overcome this. Install our pairing application on your computer. Open up the user interface application, choose the keys within the GUI you’d like paired with the remote button on our partnered remote. You should be prompted to hit any key on your remote. Press the button on your remote you’d like to pair. That’s it. You’ve just over-rode the built in Flirc profile set functionality for that remote button.

Un-Doing Custmozitation of Built-In Profiles

Hopefully, you still have the GUI installed on your computer. If not, install our pairing application on your computer. Hit the Erase Key in the GUI, the press the button on your remote control that you previously over-rode.

You will be prompted with a success, or a failure. If a failure is shown, this means the button was not over-ridden.

The other way to remove or reset a device, is by formatting the device.

Note – Formatting a device clears the user configuration of a device. It does not remove the built-in profiles of our partner remotes.

Everyday findings in my world of .net and related stuff

I have become a big fan of both kodi and Raspberry Pi.

On of the advantages with Kodi is that it works with HDMI cec, wich basically means that You can use Your regular tv remote since all button input signals will be transfered using Your HDMI cable – nice. On most of the tv manufacturers remote controls, the arrow and media buttons are in the bottom region of the remote. For just navigating kodi I started to search for a more simple remote. I wanted a remote of good qaility, nice design and not too expensive. And somehow that lead me into wanting to use an apple tv remote along with kodi. The apple tv remote (3rd gen.) has a simple and very nice aluminum design with just a few simple buttons used to navigate. The price is also very attractive compared to other remotes like Logitech Harmony

I will not go into details of how to use flirc or kodi – but will focus on the procedure you need to go through. If You need any information about how to configure flirc, please visit their website. If You need to know more about kodi, please visit their wiki.

First step – configure the remote to work with flirc – pairing buttons

One important thing to know about flirc is that it just records keybord commands. Below is how I mapped the Apple tv remote buttons.

Second step – create kodi keymap

One of the features that makes kodi extremely flexible is that you can create keymaps. This basically means, that You can have a button work one way if you are in one menu and have the same button act in another way in some other menu. Put in another way – one button can act in different ways based on the context in the user interface. Having only seven buttons to configure this is very useful.

So the basic features that I would want to have the apple remote to support?:

• Navigate left
• Navigate right
• Navigate down
• navigate up
• Select
• Play/pause
• Context menu
• Navigate back (escaping a menu)

As you migh notice, this is eight commands for seven buttons.

I decided to have the play/pause button work in two different ways.

1. When wathching movies etc. I want it to play/pause when pressed
2. When items are highlighted in playlists and in the video submenu I want it to display the context menu for instance for being able to see movie information)

To make a long story short what You basically need to do is to map a keyboard command with a kodi command – and that is what You use the keymap for.

• Create a remote.xml file
• Paste this xml snippet

section is a fall through – they will only be used if the button is not –>

blocks –>
where # is the original button code (OBC) of the key –>
block to the window or section: –>
–>
Stop –>
–>

VK_space is the keyboard command that kodi receives. See List of keynames that can be used in keymap for more information

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jaypm

Senior Member

• Nov 24, 2014 at 4:54 PM

has anyone had any luck (or ideas) on using a universal remote (i.e. logitech harmony family) to replace the stock nexus player remote?

in my view the remote that ships with the nexus player is the weakest link in the product. with no volume controls i am forced to hold two remotes while i use this unit. and i am constantly hitting the “home” button accidentally, which boots me out of whatever i was doing. i expect that replacing the mic/speech capability on a universal remote won’t be possible, but am really hoping that there is at least a way to get the d-pad + home + back buttons mapped to a universal remote for basic use cases.

in particular, i am wondering if the bluetooth support that logitech harmony remotes can somehow be made to learn those buttons? or, worst case, perhaps a USB IR receiver dongle — but i’ve already went looking for android USB IR receiver dongle support and am yet to find anything.

Elrondolio

Senior Member

• Nov 24, 2014 at 5:25 PM

has anyone had any luck (or ideas) on using a universal remote (i.e. logitech harmony family) to replace the stock nexus player remote?

in my view the remote that ships with the nexus player is the weakest link in the product. with no volume controls i am forced to hold two remotes while i use this unit. and i am constantly hitting the “home” button accidentally, which boots me out of whatever i was doing. i expect that replacing the mic/speech capability on a universal remote won’t be possible, but am really hoping that there is at least a way to get the d-pad + home + back buttons mapped to a universal remote for basic use cases.

in particular, i am wondering if the bluetooth support that logitech harmony remotes can somehow be made to learn those buttons? or, worst case, perhaps a USB IR receiver dongle — but i’ve already went looking for android USB IR receiver dongle support and am yet to find anything.

I couldn’t agree more about needing to integrate the Nexus into the livingroom. I don’t know about using the bluetooth support for the harmony, but I use a Flirc USB IR receiver (its currently on a Black Friday sale for $15) that plugs in to the Nexus Player (via OTG cable and, in my case, a powered hub). There’s a bit of setup required on both the pc for the Flirc and, of course, adding a new remote to your Harmony profile, but it works great. The only issue remaining is finding the correct key to have Flirc send for the Home button, but that’ll be solved within a day or two. My Harmony 650 is setup not just for the Nexus Player, but also XBMC/kodi, so it controls both completely.

As for speech, I use the android tv remote app from my phone since I almost always have that with me. Works a treat.

jaypm

Senior Member

• Dec 4, 2014 at 4:00 PM

i can confirm this approach as i have it all working now. elrondolio provided links with all the necessary information, but as someone that was new to flirc there were still a few things i had to figure out to put it all together. here is a distillation of what you need to know if you want to use flirc for IR control of the nexus player via a logitech harmony remote (in my case, the old but trusty harmony 650):

1) buy the flirc USB IR receiver dongle, still on sale for $14.95, not sure how much longer this will last.

2) buy a micro-USB adapter for flirc. this one works great and fits next to my HDMI cable, but be mindful that some HDMI cables with fat heads might crowd the adpater. costs $2 plus shipping.

3) add the nexus player to your harmony remote as a “Media Center PC > Flirc > XBMC” device as per these instructions. setup button mappings (as you prefer) that you will use for nexus player “back” and “home” buttons. in my case, i assigned the XBMC “back” command to the “previous channel” button on my remote. harmony remotes don’t have “home” buttons and neither does the XBMC profile, so you need to pick something arbitrary here. i decided to assign the “PageUp” command to my harmony’s “Menu” button, with the intention of mapping that command to the the corresponding keyboard combo for nexus player’s “home” command in flirc (more on this in step 6). save and update your harmony remote with the new config.

4) plug your flirc+adapter into the nexus player and you should see partial functionality start working immediately. arrow keys and selection will work, back and home will not.

5) install the flirc desktop app for windows/mac/linux using these instructions.

6) plug flirc into your desktop computer and start the app to reprogram keys. reprogram as follows:
– switch to keyboard view by selecting Controllers > Full Keyboard.
– un-map the “back” button, since we need to re-map it. do this by clicking “erase” and then pressing the “back” button on your harmony remote (probably mapped to your “previous” button; check your harmony button mappings to confirm).
– map your harmony “previous” button to the “escape” key. do this by clicking on the “escape” key on the flirc keyboard image, and then pressing your “previous” button on the harmony remote (which sends the “back” command). the flirc app should say that the key was successfully mapped.
– map your harmony “menu” button to the “alt+escape” key. do this by first clicking the “alt” key on the flirc keyboard image, then clicking the “escape” key (both should now be highlighted), and then pressing your “menu” button on the harmony remote (which sends the “PageUp” command). the flirc app should say that the key was successfully mapped.

7) plug flirc back into your nexus player and you should now be able to fully navigate the nexus player UI.

there is one significant caveat that i have still not yet resolved, which is that the back and home button mappings do not necessarily work as expected under all apps. for example, the “back” button did not behave as expected in the TED app, and the “home” button doesn’t work in XBMC. if/when i am able to resolve these minor issues i will post more updates here.

Introduction: Convert an Old Laptop Into a Media Center

How to take and old Laptop and convert it into a Home Theater PC that runs XBMC on Openelec.
I have used a Acer Aspire AMD motherboard with 1gig RAM.

How to install Openelec with windows.
Here

Note: Openelec and XBMC are Open Source programs. Credit goes to the developers for a awesome program.

Step 1: Requirements

An old laptop with the motherboard, processer and RAM in working order.
2x Flash Drives, 512mb min. (Both drives will need to be formatted, so back them up first)
IR remote control (optional).
USB Hub (optional)

2x 500mm x 75mm perspex or acrylic
Pack of 60mm x 3mm bolts with nuts
Dremel (optional)
Side Cutters
Drill
54mm holesaw
10mm holesaw
5mm nylon tube

Step 2: Strip the Motherboard

Strip off the entire case.
Remove all cables and connectors. Be sure to leave the heat sink attached ; )

Step 3: Measure Up and Cut

Once the MB is down to its barebone, measure up the holes for the four corner mounts. And drill through both pieces of perspex.
Vary the size and shape of the perspex to suit you liking. I cut this down right up to the HDD bay for a snug fit.

I used a 54mm holesaw to cut out the cpu fan and 10mm for the bottom intack.

Step 4: Assembly

Once all the holes are drilled through both pieces of perspex, thread the 60mm bolts through and screw a nut in place.

Cut the nylon tubing to act as a spacer between the MB and the perspex. Cut the same size for the top half.

Place the motherboard between the spaces and screw on the top half.
Cut down any extra thread with the Dremel.

Screw it all together and connect up the power, Video and audio cable.
I extended the power on button to a switch on the back. Bit trickey to do the soldering but works great.
Note: Use a multimeter to test continuity on the power switch to see which pins to extend. Solder carefully.

Step 5: Install Openelec

This is where the 2 flash drives come into place.

We are going to use one drive to boot from and the other for the OS to be installed onto.
Change the BIOS settings to boot from USB media first. then boot from the drive created with the windows installer.

Follow the install instructions:
Here

If you are not sure which version do download use the Generic OSS Build. It has the most generic drivers.

Remember. the drives will be formatted, so make a back up.

Step 6: Boot Up

Insert your media hard drives and IR remote and get watching. (XBMC has a remote app for iOS devices)

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22 Comments

Hey, I am trying to do the same but when I take the MOBO out of the case it does not turn on, when I put the MOBO back in the case it powers on, any idea what could be issue? Outside the case all parts are connected as in they were inside the case.

Reply 1 year ago

Check for temper switch and keep it closed circuit

Nice Work Asilay

i have setup my old laptop to openelec media center. its work fine on Laptop screen. i need to forward display to my Sony Bravia LCD. would you please help me how can be possible. or link forward any work you have done on it.

Reply 4 years ago

Sorry for the late reply.

Once you connect the LCD then in Kodi/Openelec settings you can choose witch monitor you would like to use.