How to communicate to a USB-IRDA device using VB-6.0 through DeviceIOControl API?

[CMOS]

Hi,
I am trying to communicate to a USB-IRDA device using VB-6.0 through DeviceIOControl API. Can anyone tell me how to find the "DeviceName" for IRDA or any device so that I can use CreateFile API to create a handle for it and pass it to DeviceIOControl for communication. I searched the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\) but couldn't find any key named "DeviceName" under IRDA or WW-600 (My USB-IRDA dongle).

 

[CMOS]

communicate usb visual basic

No one knows how do I get DeviceName of any USB device?
Please help me out of this trouble. This is the first time I am accessing USB.

 

[Zhasha]

deviceiocontrol usb vb6

I'd recommend you use C++ and the DDK

but if you want to use VB6 then you still need to download the DDK, but youll also need to know the DLL names and function names. i cannot remember them out of the top of my head, but im not even sure you can make it work in VB. after all the language is rather limited

if you understand C++ then this page should be of some help: http://www.alanmacek.com/usb/

the key functions are:

VOID HidD_GetHidGuid(GUID *hidGUID)
HDEVINFO SetupDiGetClassDevs(GUID hidGUID, PSTR *filterString, hwndParent, DWORD flags)
BOOL SetupDiEnumDeviceInterfaces(infoset, infoData, interfaceClassGuid, index, deviceInterfaceData)
BOOL SetupDiGetDeviceInterfaceDetail(infoSet, deviceInterfaceData, interfaceDetail, interfaceDetailSize, requiredSize, infoData)
HANDLE CreateFile(name, access, sharemode, security, creation, flags, template)
BOOL HidD_GetAttributes(deviceHandle, &deviceAttributes)

EDIT: and lookie here, i just found this **broken link removed**
it has VB modules for HID and interfacing usb

 

[alzomor]

visualbasic setupdigetclassdevs

Hi

You can check in the EDAboard books section for

USB compelete

it contains a compelte example by explanation for HID driver using the VB

Attached a source code for example using VB for driving USB

Salam
Hossam Alzomor

 

[CMOS]

visual basic irda usb

Those links were of great help.

One more question. Can anyone tell me if I am building a microcontroller programmer, in which USB class it will fall in? Can I use HID for that?

 

[checkmate]

usb device vb6

I don't quite get why everybody is recommending HID when there was never any mention that the USB-IRDA uses the HID device class.
Anyway, how you can retrieve a handle to your device depends very much on its driver. If the driver creates a symbolic link, then you can use the pre-defined device path. The more comon method is that it registers the driver interface. Then the SetupDiGetClassDevs function allows you to retrieve the device interface of all devices from a device class. You can always find out the irda's device class from the device manager.
If you are developing your own usb device, it can be compliant to any of the device classes documented in usb.org, as long as the usb firmware satisfies all the requirements for the device class. HID is one of the easiest device classes to implement, and it does not require any driver programming. That is why it's the most popular device class to use among beginners. You can even define your own custom device class.