Archive:Set up PS3 BD Remote

This HOW-TO explains how to setup the remote control for the Sony PlayStation 3 to use with XBMC for Linux. You'll need a Bluetooth dongle and of course the remote control. All these information can be found here at the forum.

Installation

BlueZ

sudo apt-get purge bluez
cd /usr/local/src
wget http://kitlaan.twinaxis.com/holdingcell/bluez_ps3remote.diff
wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/bluetooth/bluez-4.58.tar.gz
tar xvfz bluez-4.58.tar.gz
cd bluez-4.58
patch -p0 < ../bluez_ps3remote.diff
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=bluez --pkgversion "4.58-patched"

Or, using kitlaan's PPA:

sudo apt-get purge bluez
sudo echo deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/kitlaan/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main >> /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo echo deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/kitlaan/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main >> /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 6F7177CC
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bluez

Of course, replace "jaunty" with the name of your distribution.

Kernel module

Check if the uinput module is running:

lsmod | grep uinput

If that's not the case:

sudo modprobe uinput
echo uinput >> etc/modules

Pairing

cd ~
wget http://kitlaan.twinaxis.com/holdingcell/ps3pair.tar.gz
tar xvfz ps3pair.tar.gz
cd ~/ps3pair
sudo python ps3_pair.py

Now press START+Play on your PS3 remote for at least 7 seconds, then it should detect the remote. Then run

/usr/share/doc/bluez/examples/list-devices

to verify that the remote is paired (and connected). Also, running

cat /proc/bus/input/devices | grep emot" 

should show the remote.

Then customize the file "/etc/bluetooth/input.conf" for button mappings and timeout values (Example here). At this point, the remote should connect (and auto-disconnect after a timeout, if configured). The d-pad is probably the best way to test it within xbmc. If you have a terminal active, pressing the number buttons should type the number.