Changing channels on a Motorola box via serial

[ls2]

jgummerm, Sorry it's taken me awhile to respond. I hadn't checked my email in awhile, and I haven't been on the GBPVR forums in awhile either.

I found the codes for the DCT xxx boxes in the Snapstream forums. Someone had posted code that changes the channels, but it was written as a DLL. All I really did was turn it into an executable so it would work with GBPVR.

You said your remote was able to change channels on a DCTxxx box. Maybe you can try this program, and see if the channel up or channel down codes work. If they do, you'd at least know if your serial port is enabled.

If your port is enabled, the next thing you could do would be to buy a Tivo, and see if it can change your box's channels via serial. If it does, then you could just hook the Tivo up to your PC's serial port, and sniff the data that Tivo is sending. It sounds like a lot of work, but that's the only thing I can think of. Good luck.

[prouton]

ls2:

First, thank you. After getting Girder 3 and the serial plugin working 98% of the way, I tried your program and it does a great job on my Motorola DCT-2224. What was the missing 2% with Girder? Half an hour to an hour after the program starts, it spontaneously combusts in NTDLL.DLL -- every time, without exception.

Your program did give me a problem at first, because I tried to vary from the setup you outlined in the original post. I placed the exe and ini in the Plugins folder (yes, I'm somewhat anal about organization ), rather than in the GBPVR folder. On first use, it proceeded to create the log file in the GBPVR folder, and then (I presume) be unable to write to the file it thought it had just opened. Moving the exe and ini to the GBPVR folder solved the problem, but it makes me wonder something -- if GBPVR isn't installed to the default path, will your program work? I'm guessing that the log file isn't being created relative to the location of the exe...

[Ted the Penguin]

logFile = fopen( ".\\mot_changer.out", "a+" );

its relative

if you can recompile it (or want me to), you can make it put the outfile into the logs directory. however I suggest you keep the executable in the base directory, since thats where all of the other executables are (haupblast etc)

[jgummerm]

Well, I tried out the tivo, and it couldn't change the channel on my qip2500 either, which confirms that the serial port on my stb is disabled. On to an IR solution.

Thanks again for all your help.

jgummerm

[anonim]

I hate to wake up an old, dead thread, but I had to give my praises to ls2 for writing this simple app. I've been searching all over to find the codes for Girder so I can change channels on my fios motorola qip-2500 stb via the serial connection, and this piece of software does just that.

verizon only recently (june 07) enabled the serial port on their stb, so that's most likely the reason 'jgummerm' was unable to change the channels back in february.

thanks ls2!

[Ted the Penguin]

LS2 hasnt been seen in a bit (since his last post!) but thanks are always nice.

its good to hear that this works for the FIOS boxes... I guess Motorola isn't much for changing their serial interface spec:p

[c0ck]

Is the program still available for download?

[prouton]

I wonder if the upload aged out, or if LS2's id has been dropped? Anyways, here's the one I downloaded...

[lessonz]

Wow, sorry for the necro-posting, but this is exactly what I need. Anyone still have the files I can download?

[soccerdad]

I think Ted is the only one that is still here. You might want to PM him.