# Remotely triggering VSA routines



## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

I've been playing around with a way to remotely trigger VSA routines. I'm using Helmsman from Monkey Basic and a free program called EventGhost. Eventghost has a web server plug in that serves up pages that you create, & passes "events" generated by buttons on those pages. (It does a whole lot more than that - that's just how I'm using it.) In this case those "events" trigger hotkeys that launch VSA routines via Helmsman.






I'm using it here with an ipod touch and an ipad, but any browser with access to your internal network will work.

There's still a few bugs in the setup (I'm still learning how to use EventGhost,) but it works pretty well. If there's enough interest I'll put up a how-to once I get the kinks worked out.


----------



## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

Yes, yes! A how to would be great. That's pretty ingenious!


----------



## The Pod (Sep 15, 2009)

Couldn't this just as easily work using the VSA Console ActiveX control? It would be easy enough to create it into a visual basic application that could be controlled via web browser, X-10 interface, Joystick port inputs and even the RS232 com ports. I may just have to look into this more.........


----------



## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

That's very cool!


----------



## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

The Pod said:


> Couldn't this just as easily work using the VSA Console ActiveX control? It would be easy enough to create it into a visual basic application that could be controlled via web browser, X-10 interface, Joystick port inputs and even the RS232 com ports. I may just have to look into this more.........


I'm sure it could - I'm just not that good a programmer 
I'd love to dust off my VB books & give it a try, but I haven't programmed in VB since VB6 was new. I doubt I'd be back up to speed by Halloween!


----------



## Brett Baker (Aug 3, 2010)

did you ever get that to work? helmsman remote from monky basic does that now


----------



## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

I never did get it to work consistently. The browser would cache the page & not trigger the event, even though I had instructions in the code to prevent it. I think it could work if I used javascript buttons, but I haven't tried it.

I was actually playing with this as part of a home automation project, but ended up going a different direction & abandoned this idea.


----------



## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

I put up a website in 2000 (yes, over ten years ago!) that describes how to use an RF remote to trigger cues in Winamp, for one-man shows. Seems to me that you could configure it to control VSA as well. The one I recommend on the site works up to 150 feet and is configurable so that you can have the receiver send any keystrokes you want to the PC. The PC thinks someone's pressing keys on the keyboard.

http://remotelaptop.tripod.com/

Jeff


----------



## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

Cool! That's essentially what I was doing with eventghost, but it used a web server. Your solution should work great with Helmsman.


----------



## MonkeyBasic (Mar 22, 2009)

Very cool guys!

And as someone mentioned above, Helmsman Remote should do what you need as well. If it is missing any functionality I can work to incorporate it.

Helmsman Remote will be going through a re-design in the off season, so now is a great time for any ideas... and yes the Android community can expect something as well.


----------

