Yes I thought about hacking apart a keyboard or something to make a USB button...
As for IR to RF via powermid I have a little experience... was actually messing around with it today getting no where. The idea is the power mid accepts the IR ====> sends it via RF to the other half of the powermid, where it converts it back to IR.
The hope is, you forget the first IR ===> RF half. You aim your RF remote control, in my case a 433mhz x10 remote at the second powermid RF receiver. This will then convert the signal to an IR output as if it's being recieved from the first pwoermid. You capture this IR output in event ghost, or pronto or whatever. Reinstate the original half of the powermid. You can then learn this IR hex code into your programmable remote, or into EG / VC and operate your RF device via an IR signal. I have it working great with my X10 lighting which was becoming a pain. It now works flawlessly (for x10) from VC events for everything from lighting to power sockets.
However this is not a guaranteed success, you need need the power mid and the remote to work on the same frequency, in my case 433mhz - X10 also works on this frequency which helps. Often it seems difficult or impossible to capture the hex IR signal from the powermid when firing the RF remote at it. I have been trying to get an IR code from my RF projector screen trigger and no dice. This is why I will be breaking the RF remote case open, and triggering the switch inside with an IR relay, which i can trigger off my MCE remote transceiver output to triiger. Phew sounds complicated.
Would that HALi device help get round the need for any of this?
