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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PIC16 programming for universal remote
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| PICnewbe Newbie  Joined: 05/10/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 2 |
Hey I am looking for some advise/insight here and I apologize for the rant... I have a product that I am looking into and it uses a PIC16 microchip. Please forgive me if I am using the wrong vocabulary, omitting important information, or do not make complete sense. I am very ignorant to any software and/or programming. The product is a universal garage door opener. I realize this is already being sold by companies in the industry, although looking to develop my own. The remote would have the same functionality of other universal garage door remotes. Not the universal remotes that you can sync with gates, lights, fans, cars, and garages...just the universal garage remotes. The remote would need to be compatible with many of the well known, modern garage door opener providers..(craftsman, liftmaster, chaimberlain, genie, etc.) Or the same method of syncing that modern cars use to open/close garages. I purchased a universal garage remote and took it apart, determined that it was using a PIC16LF1824 -/sl chip. Although, I was told that this was overkill for the task at hand. My understanding is that it is written in C, compiled, and loaded as hex code? (most likely using the wrong vocabulary and/or general understanding is very poor) This remote would need to utilize the copy/programming method of syncing with the garage motor unit (motherboard?). Garage door remotes used to have dip switches, then copying the code assigned to the garage unit, and now rolling code. I would think it would need different programming for each method. Is it possible to include each functionality or is that overly complex? To me, the product seems like it would be an easier project for an experienced programmer to create, as there are much more complex computer programs/code out there other than a silly garage door remote...or so I think. Any advise or input toward the development of this type of program/product would be GREATLY appreciated! Is it a feasible to write programming for this task? Are there some obvious program engineering barriers to that I am not aware of? Such as the remotes are only compatible when the major manufactures produce their own universal remotes with their own code. Would it be in realms of most freelance programmers? |
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| matherp Guru  Joined: 11/12/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 10209 |
It is quite difficult to advise on this one. I hope the manufacturers of these openers are now making them sufficiently secure that you wouldn't be able to copy the protocol. I would assume that good quality ones may be using dedicated encryption hardware rather than just a generic uP. The universal garage door remotes on the market just seem to do simple 433MHz switching. The code to do this with a "learn" capability is easy enough - just a lot of slog work. However, versions are available so cheap it can't be worth replicating except as a programming exercise. Personally, I want my garage door as secure as my car and car locks are pretty much un-crackable now. If the garage door manufacturers are using the same technology you won't be able to build a "universal" with a supercomputer let alone a PIC16 |
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vegipete Guru Joined: 29/01/2013 Location: CanadaPosts: 1129 |
If you are dealing with rolling code stuff, you will need to do a lot of research to figure out how to program a remote to match existing equipment (if it is even possible without cracking the codes.) In North America, the usual frequency is 315MHz. With a cheep receiver and a logic analyser, you could capture the transmission and start studying... We sell a product that uses an 'old style' 2 button transmitter, old style in that it sends a fairly simple 12 bit RF code. The first 8 bits are the ID coded into the remote, the last 4 bits represent the status of up to 4 buttons being pressed. When the manufacturer stopped making these transmitters, we had a bit of a problem. We found a new source, but the RF coding was somewhat different. Some work with captured waveforms identified the new coding scheme and I was able to write new code for the receiving microcontroller to accept both the old type and the new type of transmission. In our case, the transmitter gets programmed with a code and the receiver then learns that code. Google "rf receiver transmitter 315MHz" for sources of parts to continue your exploration. Visit Vegipete's *Mite Library for cool programs. |
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| PICnewbe Newbie Joined: 05/10/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 2 |
Thank you for the feedback! It seems as though creating a remote for rolling code will be a no go..as the security is the basis behind the code rolling. If it were easy/possible for me to make one then its not really secure. I will continue to research the "learn capabilities" and what is required to put that kind of remote together. I appreciate the insight, it gives me some direction! |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Interestingly my gate opener brags about it's "TrioCode" technology that "randomly generates codes from 4.29 billion possibilities". The transmitters are setup & managed from the control panel inside the drive box. Despite all that, it's a 30 second procedure to clone an existing remote. Can't be done out of the range of the receiver from what I can see. |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2949 |
Hi, I couldnt find a cheap clone type remote for my garage controller so I `sacrificed' a remote and bought a cheap `rolling code' receiver with relay output to switch the connections to the switch of the original --sacrificed-- remote (located on the lid of the box on the wall ---- doubles as a garage door switch when you dont have the remote in your hand).. This cheap receiver works with the many cloning type remotes out there.. So now I have 7 or 8 remotes instead of just the original 2.. Not doing what you suggested but a very cheap fix for me as the receiver was roughly $10 and each remote cost me about $6. the lot cost roughly what a genuine replacement remote would have cost me. Kind Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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