Configuring an Infrared Remote Control to control rAudio Archlinux (updated)

Introduction

As have mentioned in a previous blog article, I have started using a brilliant Raspberry Pi-based music player called rAudio (a development of RuneAudio) which uses Music Player Daemon (MPD) at its heart. I have this connected to a home cinema system, and I wanted to be able to use its remote control to control the music player (play/pause, next track, previous track, etc). This article describes how to set this up.

rAudio can be found at https://github.com/rern/rAudio . At the time of writing the latest version is i20251109 which can be found at https://github.com/rern/rAudio/releases/tag/i20251109.

Previously LIRC (Linux Infrared Remote Control) would have been an essential component of this setup, but now support for infrared remote controls has been built into the Linux kernel.

rAudiouse uses Archlinux, and I have tested this approach on several versions of rAudio and RuneAudio, but the same principles may work with other flavours of Linux or with other music players.

I should add that many of the ideas in this article are derived from other web articles which I have listed in the Further Reading section below. Grateful thanks to those authors who have taken the trouble to document their work.

(This is an updated version of an article published in August 2020.)

Step-by-step approach

Note that the operating system used by RuneAudio is Archlinux, and the user logs in as root. This approach may work with systems, but with other types of Linux the user may log in with a non-root account so some of the commands with will have to be prefaced with sudo.

You need an infrared receiver: there are many articles on the Internet about how to build or buy a receiver, so I haven’t duplicated that information here. For convenience I used an Energenie ENER314-IR Infrared Controller board which I got from an Internet supplier for about £9.00 (US$12). This worked well and the receiver was very sensitive; it includes both an infrared receiver and infrared transmitter. (The only potential disadvantages with it that I could think of were (a) if you’re using the Official Raspberry Pi Case then you need to drill a hole in it to expose the receiver, and (b) both the receiver and the transmitter point in the same direction and can’t be moved.)

You need to know which GPIO pin is used by the infrared receiver: with the Energenie ENER314-IR the IR signal in is on GPIO pin 18.

Add the following to /boot/config.txt:
dtoverlay=gpio-ir,gpio_pin=18

(Change the GPIO pin number as necessary to match the hardware that you are using.)

Re-boot the Raspberry Pi:
reboot

Confirm that the gpio module has been loaded:
lsmod | grep gpio

The output should look similar to the following:
rAudio:~ # lsmod | grep gpio raspberrypi_gpiomem 12288 0 gpio_ir_recv 12288 0 rAudio:~ #

Show the corresponding input device:
cat /proc/bus/input/devices

The output should look similar to the following:
rAudio:~ # cat /proc/bus/input/devices
…I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0001 Product=0001 Version=0100 N: Name="gpio_ir_recv" P: Phys=gpio_ir_recv/input0 S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/ir-receiver@12/rc/rc0/input4 U: Uniq= H: Handlers=kbd event4 B: PROP=20 B: EV=100017 B: KEY=fff 0 0 4200 108fc32e 2376051 0 0 0 7 158000 4192 4001 8e9680 0 0 10000000 B: REL=3 B: MSC=10 rAudio:~ #

Ensure that ir-keytable is installed:
ir-keytable

The output should look similar to the following:
rAudio:~ # ir-keytable Found /sys/class/rc/rc0/ with: Name: gpio_ir_recv Driver: gpio_ir_recv Default keymap: rc-rc6-mce Input device: /dev/input/event4 LIRC device: /dev/lirc0 Supported kernel protocols: lirc rc-5 rc-5-sz jvc sony nec sanyo mce_kbd rc-6 sharp xmp imon rc-mm Enabled kernel protocols: lirc rc-6 bus: 25, vendor/product: 0001:0001, version: 0x0100 Repeat delay = 500 ms, repeat period = 125 ms rAudio:~ #

Enable all the kernel protocols:
ir-keytable -p all

The output should look similar to the following:
rAudio:~ # ir-keytable -p all Protocols changed to unknown other lirc rc-5 rc-5-sz jvc sony nec sanyo mce_kbd rc-6 sharp xmp cec imon rc-mm Loaded BPF protocol xbox-dvd rAudio:~ #

Test the infrared remote control with ir-keytable
ir-keytable -t -s rc0

Point the infrared remote control at the receiver, press some buttons on the controller, and observe the output. The output may look similar to the following:

rAudio:~ # ir-keytable -t -s rc0
Testing events. Please, press CTRL-C to abort.
216.380035: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x101000
216.380059: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x101000
216.380059: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
...
248.820027: lirc protocol(sony12): scancode = 0x10025
248.820050: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x10025
248.820050: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
...
353.510019: lirc protocol(rc5_sz): scancode = 0x2fff toggle=1
353.510051: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x2fff
353.510051: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
353.510082: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0xd00002
353.510082: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
353.510079: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0xd00002

In this case the controller is using various sony protocols: 20 bit protocol for some keys, 15 bit protocol for some other keys, and 12 bit protocol for the remaining keys.

Look in /lib/udev/rc_keymaps to see whether a keymap .toml file exists for the controller being used – if so copy the keymap file to /etc/rc_keymaps.

If the keymap file for the controller being used doesn’t exist in /lib/udev/rc_keymaps then it is possible that one exists somewhere on the Internet.

In my case the wasn’t an existing keymap for the controller that I was using (a Sony RM-ADP090), so I therefore created my own keymap by doing the following steps.

As I knew from the above that my controller was using Sony protocol I ran this command to select only the Sony protocols:
ir-keytable -p sony

The output looked like this:
rAudio:~ # ir-keytable -p sony Protocols changed to sony rAudio:~ #

I then ran:
ir-keytable -v -t
and noted the scancodes that were shown for each button.

I then constructed a keymap file (Sony_RM-ADP090.toml in my case) which I placed in /etc/rc_keymaps.
The definition of the format of the keymap file can be found at https://manpages.debian.org/testing/ir-keytable/rc_keymap.5.en.html

My resulting keymap file was as follows:

[[protocols]]
name = "sony_RM-ADP090"
protocol = "sony"
variant = "sony20"
[protocols.scancodes]

# brand:   Sony 
# model:   RM-ADP090
# devices: Sony BDV-E2100 Home Cinema System
#
# Vaughan Harper, December 2025
#
# remote layout:
# +-------------------------------------------------+
# | (EJECTCD)  (TV_SPEAKER)   (TV_POWER)    (POWER) |
# | (SLEEP)        (1)        (2)               (3) |
# | (BLUETOOTH)    (4)        (5)               (6) |
# | (FUNCTION)     (7)        (8)               (9) |
# | (FOOTBALL)   (AUDIO)      (0)        (SUBTITLE) |
# | (RED)        (GREEN)      (YELLOW)       (BLUE) |
# | (TOP MENU)            (UP)        (POP UP/MENU) |
# | (LEFT)                (OK)              (RIGHT) |
# | (RETURN)             (DOWN)           (OPTIONS) |
# | (SOUND_MODE_DOWN)    (HOME)     (SOUND_MODE_UP) |
# | (MUSIC_EQ)   (PREVIOUS)   (NEXT)          (SEN) |
# | (REWIND)              (PLAY)      (FASTFORWARD) |
# | (DISPLAY)            (PAUSE)             (STOP) |
# |             (VOLUMEUP)     (TV_VOL_UP)          |
# | (MUTE)                              (TV_SOURCE) |
# |            (VOLUMEDOWN)    (TV_VOL_DOWN)        |
# +-------------------------------------------------+
#
# Note that the mappings for the POWER buttons have been commented out, so that pressing the power button on the IR RC does not switch off the rAudio system.

0x10103c = "KEY_EJECTCD"
0x103045 = "KEY_TV_SPEAKER"
0x101000 = "KEY_1"
0x101001 = "KEY_2"
0x101002 = "KEY_3"
0x103071 = "KEY_BLUETOOTH"
0x101003 = "KEY_4"
0x101004 = "KEY_5"
0x101005 = "KEY_6"
0x101006 = "KEY_7"
0x101007 = "KEY_8"
0x101008 = "KEY_9"
0x107017 = "KEY_FOOTBALL"
0x101012 = "KEY_AUDIO"
0x101009 = "KEY_0"
0x101011 = "KEY_SUBTITLE"
0x103005 = "KEY_RED"
0x103006 = "KEY_GREEN"
0x103007 = "KEY_YELLOW"
0x103004 = "KEY_BLUE"
0x101019 = "KEY_MEDIA_TOP_MENU"  # labelled 'TOP MENU'
0x101078 = "KEY_UP"
0x10101a = "KEY_MENU"  # labelled 'POP UP/MENU
0x10107a = "KEY_LEFT"
0x10107c = "KEY_OK"
0x10107b = "KEY_RIGHT"
0x10107d = "KEY_RETURN"
0x101079 = "KEY_DOWN"
0x101073 = "KEY_OPTION"  # labelled 'OPTIONS'
0x101030 = "KEY_PREVIOUS"
0x101031 = "KEY_NEXT"
0x107050 = "KEY_SEN"
0x101033 = "KEY_REWIND"
0x101034 = "KEY_FASTFORWARD"
0x101018 = "KEY_DISPLAY"

[[protocols]]
name = "sony_RM-ADP090_2"
protocol = "sony"
variant = "sony15"
[protocols.scancodes]
#0x500015 = "KEY_POWER"
0x500060 = "KEY_SLEEP"
0xd00002 = "KEY_PLAY"
0xd00069 = "KEY_FUNCTION"
0xd0006f = "KEY_SOUND_MODE_DOWN"
0xd00007 = "KEY_HOME"
0xd0006e = "KEY_SOUND_MODE_UP"
0xd00049 = "KEY_MUSIC_EQ"
0xd00001 = "KEY_PAUSE"
0xd00000 = "KEY_STOP"
0x500012 = "KEY_VOLUMEUP"
0x500014 = "KEY_MUTE"
0x500013 = "KEY_VOLUMEDOWN"

[[protocols]]
name = "sony_RM-ADP090_3"
protocol = "sony"
variant = "sony12"
[protocols.scancodes]
#0x10015 = "KEY_POWER2"  # TV power button
0x10012 = "KEY_TV_VOL_UP"
0x10013 = "KEY_TV_VOL_DOWN"
0x10025 = "KEY_TV_SOURCE"

(In my case, because the controller uses three separate variants of the Sony protocol, there needs to be three separate sections within the keymap file.)

Delete the existing table and load the the new table from the keymap file by running a command similar to the following:
ir-keytable -c -p sony -w /etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml
where:
-c clears the existing table
-p sony sets the protocol to sony
-w /etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml write (add) the keymapping from the file specified

Review the resulting output – mine was as follows:

rAudio:~ # ir-keytable -c -p sony -w /etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml
Read sony_RM-ADP090 table
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_TV_SPEAKER' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04103045
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_FOOTBALL' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04107017
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_RETURN' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x0410107d
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_SEN' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04107050
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_DISPLAY' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04101018
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_TV_VOL_UP' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x0410012
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_TV_VOL_DOWN' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x0410013
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_TV_SOURCE' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x0410025
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_FUNCTION' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04d00069
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_SOUND_MODE_DOWN' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04d0006f
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_SOUND_MODE_UP' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04d0006e
/etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml: keycode `KEY_MUSIC_EQ' not recognised, no mapping for scancode 0x04d00049
Old keytable cleared
Wrote 40 keycode(s) to driver
Protocols changed to sony
rAudio:~ #

You can see from the output that 40 keycodes were written, but there were also a number of errors listed: the keycodes specified need to match the keycodes already defined within the system. I never found where the list of allowable keycodes is defined or whether it can be added to, but you can find a list of keycodes (as comments) in /usr/include/linux/input-event-codes.h. Of course it doesn’t matter if you get some errors – you only need to recognise the keycodes from the buttons on the controller that you want to use to control RuneAudio. So if, for example, you wanted to use the button labelled ‘FOOTBALL’ on the remote control then you would need to map its scancode to one of the allowable keycodes.

Check the contents of the keytable. If you run
ir-keytable -r
it will list the keycodes that are now in the keytable together with their corresponding scancodes:

rAudio:~ # ir-keytable -r
scancode 0x101000 = KEY_1 (0x02)
scancode 0x101001 = KEY_2 (0x03)
scancode 0x101002 = KEY_3 (0x04)
scancode 0x101003 = KEY_4 (0x05)
scancode 0x101004 = KEY_5 (0x06)
scancode 0x101005 = KEY_6 (0x07)
scancode 0x101006 = KEY_7 (0x08)
scancode 0x101007 = KEY_8 (0x09)
scancode 0x101008 = KEY_9 (0x0a)
scancode 0x101009 = KEY_0 (0x0b)
scancode 0x101011 = KEY_SUBTITLE (0x172)
scancode 0x101012 = KEY_AUDIO (0x188)
scancode 0x101019 = KEY_MEDIA_TOP_MENU (0x26b)
scancode 0x10101a = KEY_MENU (0x8b)
scancode 0x101030 = KEY_PREVIOUS (0x19c)
scancode 0x101031 = KEY_NEXT (0x197)
scancode 0x101033 = KEY_REWIND (0xa8)
scancode 0x101034 = KEY_FASTFORWARD (0xd0)
scancode 0x10103c = KEY_EJECTCD (0xa1)
scancode 0x101073 = KEY_OPTION (0x165)
scancode 0x101078 = KEY_UP (0x67)
scancode 0x101079 = KEY_DOWN (0x6c)
scancode 0x10107a = KEY_LEFT (0x69)
scancode 0x10107b = KEY_RIGHT (0x6a)
scancode 0x10107c = KEY_OK (0x160)
scancode 0x103004 = KEY_BLUE (0x191)
scancode 0x103005 = KEY_RED (0x18e)
scancode 0x103006 = KEY_GREEN (0x18f)
scancode 0x103007 = KEY_YELLOW (0x190)
scancode 0x103071 = KEY_BLUETOOTH (0xed)
scancode 0x107017 = BTN_TRIGGER_HAPPY10 (0x2c9)
scancode 0x500012 = KEY_VOLUMEUP (0x73)
scancode 0x500013 = KEY_VOLUMEDOWN (0x72)
scancode 0x500014 = KEY_MUTE (0x71)
scancode 0x500060 = KEY_SLEEP (0x8e)
scancode 0xd00000 = KEY_STOP (0x80)
scancode 0xd00001 = KEY_PAUSE (0x77)
scancode 0xd00002 = KEY_PLAY (0xcf)
scancode 0xd00007 = KEY_HOME (0x66)
Enabled kernel protocols: lirc sony
rAudio:~ #

Crucially you need to ensure that the remote control keys that you want to use to control RuneAudio are listed here – if not, you’ll need to update the keymap file.

Test the operation of the keytable – run this command:
ir-keytable -t
and press some buttons on the remote control. You should get some output similar to the following:

rAudio:~ # ir-keytable -t
Testing events. Please, press CTRL-C to abort.
673.780023: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x10103c
673.780068: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x10103c
673.780068: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_down: KEY_EJECTCD(0x00a1)
673.780068: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
673.820050: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x10103c
673.820079: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x10103c
673.820079: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
673.870025: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x10103c
673.870046: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x10103c
673.870046: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
673.910033: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x10103c
673.910049: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x10103c
673.910049: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
674.030025: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_up: KEY_EJECTCD(0x00a1)
674.030025: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
679.450023: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x101000
679.450058: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x101000
679.450058: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_down: KEY_1(0x0002)
679.450058: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
679.490024: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x101000
679.490049: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x101000
679.490049: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
679.540022: lirc protocol(sony20): scancode = 0x101000
679.540037: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x101000
679.540037: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
679.660021: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_up: KEY_1(0x0002)
679.660021: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
685.550027: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0x500012
685.550055: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x500012
685.550055: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_down: KEY_VOLUMEUP(0x0073)
685.550055: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
685.600028: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0x500012
685.600054: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x500012
685.600054: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
685.640024: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0x500012
685.640039: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0x500012
685.640039: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
685.760026: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_up: KEY_VOLUMEUP(0x0073)
685.760026: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
696.170030: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0xd00002
696.170073: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0xd00002
696.170073: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_down: KEY_PLAY(0x00cf)
696.170073: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
696.220087: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0xd00002
696.220138: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0xd00002
696.220138: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
696.260117: lirc protocol(sony15): scancode = 0xd00002
696.260154: event type EV_MSC(0x04): scancode = 0xd00002
696.260154: event type EV_SYN(0x00).
696.380076: event type EV_KEY(0x01) key_up: KEY_PLAY(0x00cf)
696.380076: event type EV_SYN(0x00).

Crucially you want to see messages like key_down: KEY_EJECTCD and key_down: KEY_PLAY which shows that the scancodes from the controller are being mapped to keycodes within Archlinux.

Optionally you can get debug messages by specifying the verbose option:
ir-keytable -t -v

Edit the file /etc/rc_maps.cfg to ensure that this keymapping is loaded automatically on bootup. There are a lot of comments in the file, and a lot of options selected by default, but I just commented out all the entries and added this line to the file:

 *       *       /etc/rc_keymaps/Sony_RM-ADP090.toml

(This keymapping seems to take effect 30-60 seconds after the system boots up.)

Reboot
reboot

Test that the keytable is automatically loaded correctly by running this command:
ir-keytable -t
and then pressing some buttons on the remote control. Again you want to see messages like key_down: KEY_EJECTCD and key_down: KEY_PLAY.

With earlier versions of RuneAudio/rAudio, certain keycodes control Archlinux/MPD behaviour by default: for example, KEY_PLAY automatically causes MPD to toggle play/pause (equivalent of mpc toggle). However this was no longer the case with the current version of rAudio, so it appears to be necessary to run a program which captures the key codes and runs commands to control MPD. I also found that Triggerhappy, the program which I had been using previously, no longer worked so I switched over to using Evsieve (from “event sieve”) which can be found at https://github.com/KarsMulder/evsieve. (Note, however, that by default KEY_POWER does cause the system to power off, so don’t map this to the key you use for powering off any other system, or rAudio will also be shut down.)

Install the Evsieve prerequisites. To install rust, run this command:
pacman -S rust
Verify the installation: run rustc -V to see the Rust version.
The Evsieve web page also says that libevdev is a prerequisite for Arch Linux, but for some reason I did not find that necessary.

Create a temporary directory, then download and compile Evsieve prerequisites:
mkdir evsieve-work cd evsieve-work
wget https://github.com/KarsMulder/evsieve/archive/v1.4.0.tar.gz -O evsieve-1.4.0.tar.gz
tar -xzf evsieve-1.4.0.tar.gz && cd evsieve-1.4.0 cargo build --release

Copy the compiled Evsieve to /usr/bin:
cp -p evsieve-1.4.0/target/release/evsieve /usr/bin

It is possible to test Evsieve by running it interactively by running the following command:
./evsieve --input /dev/input/event0 --print
Then press some keys on the remote control. You should see some output similar to the following:

rAudio:/tmp/evsieve-work/evsieve-1.4.0/target/release # ./evsieve --input /dev/input/event0 --print Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 1060869 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = key:red value = 1 (down) domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 1060869 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 1060869 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = key:red value = 0 (up) domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 1060869 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 5242898 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = key:volumeup value = 1 (down) domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 5242898 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 5242898 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = key:volumeup value = 0 (up) domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 13631490 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = key:play value = 1 (down) domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 13631490 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = msc:scan value = 13631490 domain = /dev/input/event0 Event: type:code = key:play value = 0 (up) domain = /dev/input/event0

It is possible to test Evsieve operation by running a command like this:
evsieve --input /dev/input/event0 --hook key:red exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc play"
Then, when pressing the red key, the mpd play operation should be invoked.

Create a Service definition file, such as /etc/systemd/system/raudio-remote-control.service
which contains the following:

[Unit] Description=rAudio Remote Control support [Service] User=root WorkingDirectory=/root ExecStart=evsieve --input /dev/input/event0 \ --hook key:stop exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc stop" \ --hook key:play exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc toggle" \
--hook key:ok exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc toggle" \ --hook key:pause exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc pause" \ --hook key:rewind exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc prev" \ --hook key:previous exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc prev" \ --hook key:left exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc prev" \ --hook key:fastforward exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc next" \ --hook key:next exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc next" \ --hook key:right exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc next" \ --hook key:red exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc stop" \ --hook key:green exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc play" \ --hook key:yellow exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc play" \ --hook key:blue exec-shell="/usr/bin/mpc play"
# optional items below Restart=always RestartSec=3 [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target

Start the new Evsieve service, check its status and enable the service on every reboot as follows:
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl start raudio-remote-control.service
systemctl status raudio-remote-control.service
systemctl enable raudio-remote-control.service

This should look similar to the following:


rAudio:~  #  systemctl daemon-reload
rAudio:~  #  systemctl start raudio-remote-control.service
rAudio:~  #  systemctl status raudio-remote-control.service
● raudio-remote-control.service - rAudio Remote Control support
     Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/raudio-remote-control.service; disabled; preset: disabled)
     Active: active (running) since Sun 2025-05-04 21:35:21 BST; 8s ago
 Invocation: 73f6b3d2a85e4b9780f601ea37cc2bf5
   Main PID: 1776 (evsieve)
      Tasks: 1 (limit: 1006)
        CPU: 58ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/raudio-remote-control.service
             └─1776 evsieve --input /dev/input/event0 --hook key:stop "exec-shell=/usr/bin/mpc stop" --hook key:play "exec-shell=/usr/bin/mpc toggle" --hook key:pause "exec-shell=/usr/bin/>
May 04 21:35:21 rAudio systemd[1]: Started rAudio Remote Control support.
rAudio:~  #  systemctl enable raudio-remote-control.service
Created symlink '/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/raudio-remote-control.service' → '/etc/systemd/system/raudio-remote-control.service'.
rAudio:~  #

And that’s it all done!

Further information

Here are some articles that I found useful when setting up my system:

This article discusses IR hardware options for the infrared receiver and also many of the principles described above: https://blog.gordonturner.com/2020/05/31/raspberry-pi-ir-receiver/
This article provides additional information about testing ir-keytable: https://mauricius.dev/configure-an-infrared-remote-control-with-linux/
This page defines the format of rc_keymap: https://manpages.debian.org/testing/ir-keytable/rc_keymap.5.en.html
This interesting article discusses the coding used by Sony IR remote controls: http://www.righto.com/2010/03/understanding-sony-ir-remote-codes-lirc.html
This web page describes how to create a Systemd service in Linux: https://www.shubhamdipt.com/blog/how-to-create-a-systemd-service-in-linux/

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