JP1 Remotes

Hi All,

After extensive trawling the web I eventually got here. I have to say that you guys do seem to be my best hope is understanding the problem I am trying to solve.

I am about to start hacking my hot tub to add it into my home automation, it is not a new one so does not posses such luxuries as WiFi, but it does have an IR option. the plan is to put an Arduino with WiFi into the controller and drive the demodulated IR signal. I am happy to work out the electronics side of this and get the Arduino up and running with a small web interface and MQTT, eventually through to Google Assistant, but need to unravel the IR protocol, without either the IR receiver or the Balboa Dolphin remote control.

Having searched this site I have found some information on the control and have come to the conclusion that the only thing I need to do is provide the functionality of just 6 keys. However the thing I cannot find any information on is the Protocol being used, the information here suggests Balboa SPA Protocol http://www.getzweb.net/jp1/data_returns ... bpid=+1962. I find it hard to believe that they would have done anything too out of the ordinary for just 6 keys. The Balboa Dolphin has 8 keys assigned to SPA functions, these seem to be the Macro, Learning and Light keys of a HT/PRO or URC 9910.

As i intend to drive the demodulated line directly, the carrier is irrelevant, but I am guessing it will be 38KHz. So I only need the pulse/space timing and the frame format. I have done some digging around on the protocols and I am expecting something along the lines of ASK / PDP, but I have not found much on the actual protocol.

Hopefully you guys will have the nuggets I need.
Thanks in advance

I have loaded a copy of the 1315 code here, but this will only work with a JP1 remote:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=25932

It sounds like you also need the details of the protocol itself so you can recreate it somewhere, so here is a Protocol Builder file for the protocol. To view this file you will need the Protocol Builder spreadsheet:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=25933

It's a very simple protocol, here are some key details:
Freq: 38.6 kHz
ONE: +1000 -2000
ZERO: +1000 -1000
Lead-in: +4500 -2500
Lead-out: +1000 -5000
Format: 8-bit command, 8-bit command complement
Minimum 3 repeats
Binary: LSB (not complemented)

Perfect, thanks Rob.

I understand the timing details you have listed, I am not surprised that it is a very simple protocol. I will check the spreadsheet and hopefully get the values out from that.

Ahhh... need to borrow the wifes PC, I run open office and the Macros don't seem to work, I assume the spreadsheet was written in Excel.

Cheers

Yes, it's an Excel spreadsheet. But before you spend too much time trying to find a PC to open it, it's primary purpose is creating executors for use in a JP1 remote, so it might not be of much use to you.

If you give us a better idea of how you would input the data so that your Arduino can replicate the signal, we might be able to create it for you.

Do you have any examples of the files for known working IR signals that the Arduino uses?

Dear Community, I've bought an old hot tub that doesn't offer any WiFi connection and I'd like to use an RPi to send it IR commands. I bought the original IR receiver that connects to the hot tub's motherboard but I don't have the Dolphin II remote control. In your project files, I found map files for this remote control. Do you think it's possible to transcribe the mapping code to create a LIRC configuration file and then use my RPi with an IR transmitter to control the jacuzzi remotely ? Thank you in advance if you can help me with this project. Best regards. Didier.

We first came to know about the Balboa when we got hold of a Balboa remote and discovered that it was a JP1 remote, so that's why you see a map for it, but that's not what you need.

What you need is the JP1 Upgrade for the Balboa, which is here:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=25932

This upgrade uses a custom "one off" protocol, but it appears to be a fairly simple 8-bit signal.

Here's what I see:
Freq: 38.6 kHz
Lead-in: 4500, 2500
Logical 1: 1000, 2000
Logical 0: 1000, 1000
Leadout: 1000, 5000

Here are the button codes:

OBC HEX Function
3 C0 PUMP3
4 20 BLOWER
5 A0 LIGHT
6 60 OPT2
7 E0 FIBER
8 10 OPT1

Can you make a LIRC file from that?

I just noticed that we never added the official Balboa protocol to protocols.ini, so here's an entry for it.

[Balboa]
PID=01 7B
CmdParms=OBC=0
CmdTranslator=Translator(lsb,0)
DefaultCmd=00
Code.S3C80=42 89 01 8B 14 94 54 00 08 01 F4 03 D4 01 F4 01 E0 09 B0 08 CA 04 CE 00 03 8D 01 46
Code.740=0C 18 01 80 0E F4 70 26 00 08 04 C8 02 D7 04 E2 AD 05 C6 4C 00 FF
Code.6805-C9=0C 19 01 20 0E F4 70 26 00 08 03 88 02 3C 07 61 AD 04 30 3F 7D CC 01 80
Code.6805-RC16/18=11 23 01 20 12 94 54 00 08 01 F9 F4 00 F9 FA 04 E2 00 42 64 71 00 03 CC 01 A5
Code.HCS08=20 17 22 46 01 94 54 00 08 01 F4 03 E8 01 F4 01 F4 09 B0 08 CA 04 E2 FF 03 CC FF 5F