Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 63

Ok, I just IR synced my Visor with my laptop and I wanted to share some tips with everybody else attempting this feat. First off, I'd like to thank Tatsushi Hacker Dude-san for writing this superb software. Especially the second version where you can now hotsync USB and IR without having to change settings. And its free, thats hard to beat.

Ok, at first I thought it was the software. I installed bsync-e.prc, SerIrCommLib.prc, and SerialPanel.prc. I would go into hotsync, hit the button and nothing. I went to another laptop and when it picked up the IR from the Visor I realized the problem was with my laptops IR. Its a Dell Inspiron 3000. I'll go into that later. Let me clear up what the setting should look like on the Visor.
Its pretty basic. Go into the Prefs and select Beamsync from the list. Then tap the ON button. Then go to the Serial/IR section, and make sure it says CRADLE, not Infrared. Thats it, your Visor is all ready to sync with the laptop, now for the tricky part.

I've never really used IR on a laptop before and now I know that I never want to have to set it up again.

At first I had no IR at all in the Device Manager, so I went to BIOS and checked the setting. Sure enought IR was disabled. So I enabled it to PnP settting (PlugNPlay). Then exited and rebooted. Windows 98 immediatly picked it up. Then proceeded to install the drivers. I ended up with 2 IR serial port drivers in the network devices section. This used up the IRQ's. So now sound was on the same IRQ as COM1. Not exactly what I had in mind.
NOTE: even if you don't have hotsync set up to pick up the IR on the laptop, if you point the Visor at the IR device, the system tray device will change and show another device communication with it and then disconnecting(beamsync can't find the hotsync manager so it disconnects).
So now when I pointed the Visor at my laptop I didn't even get a connect. The IR wasn't responding at all, even though it said it was working. I deleted one of the serial port drivers for the IR and then deleted the COM Port that was conflicting. Actually I meant to disable it, but I wasn't thinking. So I rebooted and then had COM1 now as COM2. the 2 serial port drivers were back and I didn't have sound. So what I did was to delete all the IR stuff, then the COM2, and reboot. On reboot I went into BIOS and set the IR port to ENABLE and then left it at the default IRQ and Base address.

That did it. I now had only one serial port driver instead of windows installing two. Sound worked and so did COM1. And when I pointed the visor at it and hit sync, the computer picked it up. The IR port was working

Only problem is now the IRdevice was on COM5. And the hotsynce doesn't have COM5. So I disabled(not deleted) COM1, and deleted all the IR stuff. Rebooted and COM1 was disabled and the IR serial was now on COM4. Set the hotsynce to COM4. I tried to hotsync and it worked perfectly. Not too slow either. About like my old Palm III.

So what did I learn.
1. its best to just set up the IR interupts and such in the BIOS on a Dell. Because for some reason when its PnP, Windows like to set up 2 serial port drivers for it, and this will usually force another device to conflict with something else if you don't have enought IRQ's. Even if you do, I'm not sure it would work with 2 drivers.

2. You have to disable COM1 before you install the IR port device and drivers. If not you need to delete them and reboot.

3. If the HotSync by IR isn't working its probably your laptop, not the Visor. This software is pretty simple. Set it to on in the Prefs, and make sure the Serial/IR is set to cradle, NOT IR. Thats it. If it doesn't work check your laptop, and don't believe the IR port is working just because windows tells you that. Point the visor at it and hit sync. It should make some noise on the laptop and show a connection in the sys tray.



That about all I learned today. I just hope this helps anyone else out trying to hotsync by IR.


-VisorHolic

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Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 7

Ok - Call me an idiot, but I can't designate the same COMPORT for both hotsync and my IR port. Any advice?

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 63

I'm not sure I understand. Are you trying to use both the serial cradle and the IR. The way I understand it, or at least the way it works on my laptop is that that is not possible. COM1 is somehow used for the IR port.

-Visorholic

__________________

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 7

On my system I normally sync through COM1. COM2 is designated for the IR Port - when activated.

When I attempted an IR sync I: 1) activated my IR; 2) went into Hotsync setup to change the sync port to COM2 and received in error stating that COM2 was already in use (by the IR I assume).

What am I missing?

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 2

I can only speak for Win95 but setting up my laptop was a breeze. I downloaded the M$ IRDA drivers and installed them. Note that on most laptops one serial port is serial and one can be assigned to IR in Bios. On mine COM1 is the port and COM2 is IR.

In the IR driver configuration you have to tell the drivers that COM2 is the physical IR port but you then configure a *virtual* port that communicates with software. In my case this is COM4. This means that any software I want to have use the IR needs to be set to communicate with COM4.

Setting up my Visor is another story, Im looking for tips but I can say that using the on efile from the 3com IRDA upgrade with Irlink 1,5 works fine (but costs money)

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 7

Ok - I'm beginning to see the light. Right now my IR's virtual port is COM6, but as we all know hotsync can't be designated to COM6. Is it possible to set the virtual port to either COM3 or COM4?

Thanks,

jackgree

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: nowheresburg, PH
Posts: 98

Jack,

My IR port is assigned in COM4. There should be no problem for you reassigning the port to COM4. Unless there is a conflict in your system.

Perze

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I do not know what weapons will be used
in world war III, but im sure that we
will use rocks in world war IV. --Albert Einstein
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Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 7

If I understand what pog451 said, my problem is not with assinging the IR to COM2/3 or COM4, but how to get the virtual IR port to be either COM3 or 4. Right now its set at COM6 and I can't figure out how to change it.

jackgree

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: DFW, TX, USA
Posts: 8

Hi,

I went through this a while back and you've got to edit a "regit" setting.
Go to Start, Run, type: Regedit.
Open up Folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Infrared\VirtualPORT.
You'll find VirtualComPortName as "COM6", change it to COM4.

Then restart and you'll find COM4 back in your setup.

good luck.