A Shot in the Dark

[jj727uk]

OK, I know this will sound pretty farfetched, but hey, why not.

First I know that currently there isnt any remote support for my M:Robe 100, not that I have an offical remote.

Anyway the other day my headphones died, luckily it was only the main jack and not the 'top' jack, so i started to root around to see if i could fine another extender, but I couldnt..shame...but..

What i did find was an old Sony Clie remote, and funnily it fitted, the headphone jack and the remote jack fitted in my mrobe and worked perfectly apart from the fact the remote controls didnt work, but what did i expect...

What i was wondering was, is there any chance whatsoever..lol...that it can be supported, is it possible?!

The clie remote looks like this:

[saratoga]

You could figure out how the device works, and assuming its electrically compatible, add support for it.  If you mean to ask if someone else is likely to do it for you, the answer is probably no.

[jj727uk]

Ok..how would i go about it myself?

[scharkalvin]

That connector looks a lot like the one used in iPods.
So it might be a serial link.  OTOH it could also be a setup
like used with the gigabeat where the buttons short out
parts of a resistor network which is read by an A/D converter
in the player.  How easy is it to open up the remote control
and see what makes it tick?

[LambdaCalculus]

That connector looks a lot like the one used in iPods.

Actually, it looks almost exactly like the one on the iPods; a 4-pin connector with a headphone jack connector right next to it. The spacing even looks like it'll fit.

If the m:robe 100 and the iPods both have similar remote connectors, then it's possible to get that remote to work on both players with some work. Like scharkalvin, see if you can open it up and have a look at the PCB.

[jj727uk]

Very easy to open, 2 screws and then just unclip it, Ive taken 2 pics, one of each side, sorry for the poor quality..

Looks like a resistor set up...but hey, what do i know?

[Chronon]

Yes, it appears so.  Perhaps it's using a four point probe configuration?  (I notice it has 4 leads attached to it.)

[jj727uk]

I'm happy to work on this and make it supported...can someone point me in the right direction what I need to do next

[saratoga]

I'm happy to work on this and make it supported...can someone point me in the right direction what I need to do next

You'll need to figure out what signals the remote sends when you push a button, and then figure out how to read them in on the M:robe.   Finally, you'll need to write a driver for rockbox that reads in the signals from the remote and makes the appropriate actions happen in rockbox.

[Chronon]

I think the M:Robe 100's own remote uses serial communication (it has an LCD screen).  If that's the case, then it may not be possible to communicate with this analog remote.  I don't know enough about what connects to those pins in the M:Robe 100 to say for sure, though.  Look into whether it's possible to do a resistive measurement with the pins in the M:Robe 100.  If they only send/receive digital signals then I don't see a way to make this remote work.

Info about the M:Robe 100 (and 500) remote here: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/OlympusMRRemote