Results

We feel our design was very simple and elegant. Response time from the button to execution of the command is almost instantaneous except for the read play list function. When scrolling up and down the play list, a slight delay can be seen. This is the only function that needs a button push to begin the command, and then must wait for a response from the computer. Because of this, there is a delay of approximately one quarter of a second.

Accuracy is very good on our project. We never pushed a button and had a wrong command. The only problem ever experienced was with our fast forward and rewind commands. It is set up so that if the fast forward button is pressed and released, it skips to a new song. If it is pressed and held, it fast forwards through the current song. The same is true for rewind. There were a few times when we wanted to skip to the new song and we ended up fast forwarding through the current song instead.

Safety was not much of a concern during our project. The 9V battery can only be connected the correct way. Our buttons were clearly labeled. If going into production, there would be real PCBs made and a case for the controller that would eliminate safety issues of exposed wires.

Our project does not interfere to our knowledge of any other design projects. The only other possible interference would be if someone was using WinAmp on the computer while someone else was using the remote control. Because our code is non-blocking of normal use, the two people can both control it at the same time, which could lead to fights about which song to play.

Known Bugs

As much as we would like to say there are none, there are some bugs. Inevitably with any software, there will be bugs, and more will continually creep up.

  • If the playlist mode on WinAmp is set to shuffle, and the playlist mode on the contoller is turned on, this will cause WinAmp to crash.
  • If the last song in the playlist is deleted, and playlist mode is entered from the controller, WinAmp will crash.
  • Occassionaly the LCD will bug out when some other action on the computer takes place.
  • At some point, Mozilla crashed, claiming there was a bug in the com port software that the plugin uses to service requests.