PC side IM-ME hacks

posted May 6th 2010 9:30am by Mike Szczys
filed under: wireless hacks

[Paul Klemstine] is working on some PC-side software hacks for the IM-ME. We’ve seen a lot of hardware hacks for this device, such as controlling the display, firmware flashing, and using it as a spectrum analyzer, but if you don’t want to alter the device right away you can try [Paul's] collection of hacks. Working with the code developed by [Ben Ryves] there is support for using the IM-ME as a command prompt, to control Win amp, and as a wireless keyboard. Crack out your C# skills and develop the next feature for this inexpensive device.

Comments [11]

tagged: im-me, keyboard, prompt, winamp

11 Responses to PC side IM-ME hacks

CodeAsm says:

May 6, 2010 at 10:38 am

Nice work !
Stupid color, but I got one anyway. one can always repaint it and use it for remote controlling something. want to control my Xbox xbmc.

- first post -

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tiuk says:

May 6, 2010 at 10:57 am

Would recommend vinyl dye over paint, seeps into the plastic and gives it a factory look without chipping.

Pretty neat the things you can do with this device, might have to pick one up if I see it somewhere (are they still sold?).

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bro says:

May 6, 2010 at 2:31 pm

On the SF website of hunter and ben there is also a linux app written in C.

The svn version enables you to control programms via unix pipes –> you can control your linux box via the im-me :)

I guess thats also worth mentioning.
bro

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bro says:

May 6, 2010 at 2:32 pm

You can buy them e.g. from amazon.co.uk

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Ben Ryves says:

May 6, 2010 at 5:10 pm

Great work, though I should probably apologise to Paul for my awful C# code! ;-)

I picked up a couple of these from Amazon for under £8 each – http://www.amazon.co.uk/IM-Me-Wireless-Instant-Messaging-System/dp/B001CC1HNE/

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stas2k says:

May 7, 2010 at 1:00 am

Great! I am writing my own im-me protocol implementation in ruby+libusb. A im-me to XMPP gateway is on its way. ;)

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Paul Klemstine says:

May 7, 2010 at 9:59 am

That’s funny. It never occurred to me to repurpose the IM-ME as a CHAT CLIENT. Doh!

It took me forever to get my IM-ME. I ordered it from some vendor on Amazon.com, for $25 including shipping.

1. They send me a D-REX Robotic Dinosaur worth $150.
2. I told the vendor what happened, and that I’d be willing to trade that product for my original order
3. Three days later they email me back asking me what my problem was.
4. 2 weeks later I still haven’t heard anything so I reported my problem to Amazon.com for a refund.
5. 3 days later I get my IM-Me int the mail.
6. 3 days after that I get a refund to my card.

Now that is some crazy business practices, but I shouldn’t complain. The D-REX robot is great fun, our dog thinks it’s the creepiest thing in the world.

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JONnyboy says:

May 7, 2010 at 12:55 pm

It would be great if it could be a standalone ssh client, for a linux server maybe (guruplug?) That way you would be able to access it from a distance with something portable. I would design a better case for it though. or use duct tape.

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Paul Klemstine says:

May 7, 2010 at 1:47 pm

The way I have this programmed is that it will interface with any Windows command line program. So if you awesome readers can point me towards your favorite command line programs I can add them to the the project. I’m trying to add a web browser and a XMPP chat client, but I can’t find any good ones. Plus I can’t figure out how to get Lynx to work in TTY terminal mode.

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Paul Klemstine says:

September 13, 2010 at 11:37 am

Now it answers any question you can think of.

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CryptoKnight says:

September 29, 2010 at 12:10 am

@Paul Klemstine

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html

“NirCmd is a small command-line utility that allows you to do some useful tasks without displaying any user interface. By running NirCmd with simple command-line option, you can write and delete values and keys in the Registry, write values into INI file, dial to your internet account or connect to a VPN network, restart windows or shut down the computer, create shortcut to a file, change the created/modified date of a file, change your display settings, turn off your monitor, open the door of your CD-ROM drive, and more… “

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