I knew the RM pro could send infrared using Alexa so I did a quick google search to see if there was any way to convert the Nvidia shield to Infrared. Initially I just wanted to be able to control the shield for navigation and Alexa didn’t have a way to do this natively. What came first, the idea or the FLIRC? More broadly, how long have you had your FLIRCs and when did you get the idea to use them this way?Ī year or so ago I started looking into ways of controlling my NVIDIA Shield with Alexa, but was sorely disappointed at the lack of functionality, so I figured I would start looking for a way to control the shield with infrared so that I could marry it up with a Broadlink RM pro. We were so impressed with this idea that we sat down with Paul to talk about how he came up with it all. To see how it works, check out Paul’s video: Then, with the app EventGhost, whenever the FLIRC USB dongle sends that special key command, you can launch any app of your choice, like Steam, or Minecraft, or anything else! You can even navigate those apps, if they’re something like Plex. And with FLIRC, you can translate those blasts into any standard keyboard command or keyboard combination, like control+shift+5. With Alexa, you can tell the Blackbean to send IR blasts of any kind. Or more correctly, enter FLIRC, the Broadlink RM Blackbean, and EventGhost. Why not control the rest of it with your voice too? Oh, sure, a person could shut down Alexa and go back to controlling things the old fashioned way with a mouse, but what if this PC is in the living room? Old fashioned controls are so awkward from the couch! Enter FLIRC. This works great for tasks like playing Amazon music, using Alexa smart skills, or maybe controlling lights around the house.īut why stop there? This is a fully fledged PC. The first part of this process was simple enough: Alexa is actually an installable app for your Windows 10 PC, and it can respond to the Alexa wake-word just like any Echo device. His channel focuses on automation and voice control, and he wanted to turn his PC into a full fledged Echo Show, and just like on a Fire TV, he wanted to be able to launch apps with his voice. For most of us, FLIRC is great for controlling a media center or a Pi, or maybe expanding control on an Android box with a more powerful remote.īut for Paul, that simply wasn’t enough. In a recent Youtube video, Paul Hibbert showed off a novel use of the FLIRC USB receiver. Peter Weiss on Remote Buddy 2.0 Is Here!.Control Your Computer with Your Voice, Alexa, and FLIRC.

Flirc raspberry pi zero case