SONY 232

I just put an XBR5 in a system I'm working on the other day. I could not get it to work with "Control a Device." As soon as I dropped the codes into a program, everything worked. Not sure if this is your problem.

Here's the code I'm using, you can just drop this in an include file (the Structure for the Sony vars is not defined here) and reference the channel event for on/off:

DEFINE_VARIABLE

CHAR sSonyXBR5_Header[] = {$8C,$00}
CHAR sSonyXBR5_Function[] = {$00,$01,$02}
CHAR sSonyXBR5_Length
CHAR sSonyXBR5_Cmd[] = {$00,$01,$02,$03,$04,$05}
CHAR sSonyXBR5_Checksum

INTEGER nHeaderPos

CHAR sSonyXBR5_NewCmd[20]

PERSISTENT _Display stSonyXBR5

DEFINE_FUNCTION fnSonyXBR5MsgBuild(INTEGER nArgFunc, INTEGER nArgState, INTEGER nArgSub)
{// Funcs 1=power,2=enable,3=inputs,4=channel,5=volume,6=muting
    STACK_VAR CHAR sMyLength
    STACK_VAR CHAR sMyData1
    STACK_VAR CHAR sMyData2
    STACK_VAR CHAR sMyMsg[20]
    STACK_VAR CHAR sMyCheckSum
    SWITCH(nArgFunc)
    {
	CASE 1: // power
	{
	    sMyLength = $02
	    sMyData1 = sSonyXBR5_Cmd[nArgState+1]
	}
	CASE 2: // enable
	{
	    sMyLength = $02
	    sMyData1 = sSonyXBR5_Cmd[nArgState+1]
	}
	CASE 3: // input
	{
	    IF(nArgState<=2) // length is two
	    {
		sMyLength = $02
		sMyData1 = sSonyXBR5_Cmd[nArgState+1]
	    }
	    ELSE
	    {
		sMyLength = $03
		sMyData1 = sSonyXBR5_Cmd[nArgState+1]
		sMyData2 = sSonyXBR5_Cmd[nArgSub]
	    }
  // add rest of funcs!
	}
    }
// Build string
    sMyMsg = "sSonyXBR5_Header,sSonyXBR5_Function[nArgFunc],sMyLength,sMyData1"
    sMyChecksum = fnSonyXBR5CheckSum(sMyMsg)
    stSonyXBR5.TxBuf = "stSonyXBR5.TxBuf,sMyMsg,sMyChecksum"
}

DEFINE_FUNCTION CHAR fnSonyXBR5CheckSum(CHAR sArgCmd[])
{
    STACK_VAR CHAR sCheckSum
    STACK_VAR INTEGER nLength
    STACK_VAR INTEGER nCount
    nLength = LENGTH_STRING(sArgCmd)
    FOR(nCount=1;nCount<=nLength;nCount++)
    {
	sCheckSum = sCheckSum+sArgCmd[nCount]
    }
    RETURN sCheckSum;
}

DEFINE_FUNCTION INTEGER fnSonyXBR5AckParse(CHAR sArgAck)
{
    STACK_VAR INTEGER nMyReturn
    SWITCH(sArgAck)
    {
	CASE $00:
	{
	    nMyReturn=1
	}
	CASE $01: // data too high
	{
	    nMyReturn=0
	}
	CASE $02: // data too low
	{
	    nMyReturn=0
	}
	CASE $03: // command canceled
	{
	    nMyReturn=0
	}
	CASE $04: // error
	{
	    nMyReturn=0
	}
    }
    RETURN nMyReturn;
}

DEFINE_EVENT

DATA_EVENT[dvXBR5]
{
    ONLINE:
    {
	SEND_COMMAND DATA.DEVICE,'SET BAUD 9600, N, 8, 1, 485 DISABLE'
	SEND_COMMAND DATA.DEVICE,'RXON'
	SEND_COMMAND DATA.DEVICE,'HSOFF'
	SEND_COMMAND DATA.DEVICE,'XOFF'
    }
    STRING:
    {
	WHILE(LENGTH_STRING(stSonyXBR5.RxBuf))
	{
	    IF(GET_BUFFER_CHAR(stSonyXBR5.RxBuf)=$70)
	    {
		IF(fnSonyXBR5AckParse(GET_BUFFER_CHAR(stSonyXBR5.RxBuf)))
		{
		    // command acknowledged
		    ON[stSonyXBR5.CTS]
		    GET_BUFFER_CHAR(stSonyXBR5.RxBuf) // remove the checksum
		}
		ELSE
		{
		    // something went wrong
		}
	    }
	    ELSE
	    {
		// not the beginning of the response string
	    }
	}
    }
}

CHANNEL_EVENT[dvXBR5,255] // power cmd and fb
{
    ON:{fnSonyXBR5MsgBuild(1,1,0)}
    OFF:{fnSonyXBR5MsgBuild(1,0,0)}
}

DEFINE_PROGRAM

IF(LENGTH_STRING(stSonyXBR5.TxBuf) && stSonyXBR5.CTS) // stuff in the buffer and clear to send
{
    OFF[stSonyXBR5.CTS]
    // cancel related waits
    CANCEL_WAIT 'Cancel SonyXBR5 CTS'
    nHeaderPos = FIND_STRING(stSonyXBR5.TxBuf,$8C,2)-1
    SEND_STRING dvXBR5,REMOVE_STRING(stSonyXBR5.TxBuf,LEFT_STRING(stSonyXBR5.TxBuf,nHeaderPos),1)
}
ELSE IF(!LENGTH_STRING(stSonyXBR5.TxBuf) && stSonyXBR5.CTS) // nothing in buffer and clear to send
{
    // poll?
}
ELSE IF(!stSonyXBR5.CTS) // not clear to send
{
    WAIT 25 'Cancel SonyXBR5 CTS'
    {
	ON[stSonyXBR5.CTS]
    }
}

Sony_Command[1]= "$8C,$00,$00,$02,$01,$8F" //PON
Sony_Command[2]= "$8C,$00,$00,$02,$00,$8E" //POF
Sony_Command[3]= "$8C,$00,$01,$02,$01,$90" //Standby ON
Sony_Command[4]= "$8C,$00,$01,$02,$00,$8F" //Standby OFF
Sony_Command[5]= "$8C,$00,$02,$03,$05,$01,$97" //RB1
Sony_Command[7]= "$8C,$00,$02,$03,$02,$01,$94" //VID1
Sony_Command[8]= "$8C,$00,$02,$03,$02,$02,$95" //VID2
Sony_Command[9]= "$8C,$00,$02,$03,$02,$03,$96" //VID3

You need to send standby on before turning off the KDL or you will not be able to turn it back on.

What is the cable pin-out that you used?

Of course the Display should be ON when you begin to test the code because the KDL will never be in a Standby ON state until the command is sent when the display is on.

I'm convinced that 232 control of the Sony KDL units is problematic. The code and cable seem to be very straight-forward, but I've had no success and we've given up, moving to IR control with discrete ON/OFF/INPUT (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?area=pronto&db=discrete&br=sony&dv=television).

I post this reply so that others do not waste as much time on this as I have.

That was the key piece of information that I wasn't aware of, and am not surprised to hear. Thanks for that. Any hints on acquiring the new firmware, so that others who may read this post can use?