Total remote control

[Mindphreak]

Ok, so a couple years ago there was a product on the maket called called the griffen total remote that let you use your ipod to control anything with an infrared remote control. Check out the link http://features.engadget.com/2004/07/27/ho...remote-control/ . However, the product is now off the market and I thought of a way to improve it.

 

What i had in mind is that an infrared led and reciever could be hooked up to a phones headset port/jack. The speaker wires would be attached to the transmitter and the mic to the reciever. Then you could simply record the 'sound' of the ir transmit on the reciever and play it back through the ir emitter. My problem is that the electricity is too weak to light the ir led and i need something to amplify it. I was thinking about using and amplifyer chip but i wasnt sure if it would work. I also have some npn and pnp transisters i was going to play around with. My question is what would be the easiest way to wire it to produce the highest output on the led?

[asilentbob]

You do know that if you DID pass enough current to light the IR led up... you wouldn't see it... Right? It would be like a TV remote control. SOME cameras and camcorders will pick up the IR light though, so you might want to check it in a dark room.

 

If this is for a firing system, pyro compositions put out all kinds of light... and spectators might happen to have sources of IR light too... so you might want to put some kind of protection, like a certain sequence of quick flashes or something... Hmm... I wonder how they do that on that cheap IR firing system...

[Richtee]

I wonder how they do that on that cheap IR firing system...

Really?!? Wow...scary. I'm sure it's digitally encoded, but still... I scared!

 

Some manufacturers encoding schemes are VERY complex. Denon has a tough one, and the new gen Direct TV boxes are tough to repro. But still, I'd be worried with all the IR flying about at a show. Be just MY luck.

[mike_au]

Have you actually tested the recording side?

 

Microphones actually generate power (a very small amount) which can then be amplified where as (I believe) IR receivers don't. They simply conduct in the presence of IR light.

 

So I suspect it won't be as simple as replacing a microphone with an IR receiver, you will need a source of power and probably a voltage regulation circuit so as not to overload the amp. You might also need a current limiting device in there somewhere as well.

[Mindphreak]

So far ive been using normal red leds instead of infrared for testing. My cell phone camera picks up infrared light ( i tested it a while ago with a tv remote). About the microphone--- i was thinking i could run an additional circuit through the reciever into the phone to simulate the mics generation of electricity. Voltage would be minimal as mics generate very low voltage.

its not for a firing system but it could be used for one. I was just thinking you could point the ir tranmitter on a remote control (such as a tv remote) to the ir reciever on the phone and record. You could then play back the signal through the "earphones" which would now be the transmitter on the phone. In theory you can record any ir transmitting code. Also in theory you could do it at a distance if you had the appropriate computer program but that is not what i had in mind...

 

Wires leading out from the phone are the two + and - earphone wires and two more mic wires making a total of four.

Any help with how to construct the schematic?

[mike_au]

Personally I would start with a simpler setup. Something like an IR extension cord,

 

Pickup circuit -------> Long wire -------> Amplifier + Emitter circuit

 

once you have that it shouldn't be too hard to replace the wire with your recording/playback device.

 

Why a mobile by the way? Something similar could be built around a PIC or similar uC and it would do the same thing but it would keep working when you get a new phone.

[Arthur]

Search www.maplin.co.uk for these;

 

N39FL Univrsl IR RC System ~1 days £14.99

N38FL 2-Ch IR RC Kit 21 in Stock £19.99

 

then search your preferred US supplier.

 

Beware that the IR emitted by a small led will be swamped by the IR from a firework! Also any smoke will attenuate the beam and reduce the range.

 

I have a strong preference for wired control systems, radio control with security coding comes second, and infra red a distant third.

 

Remember that it is normal for a control pulse from a remote to be a LOT more than just a burst of power. A single button press should send identity codes then function codes.

 

Some of the firework radio controllers have switchable codes so that you can have one remote firing all you want from it.

[Mindphreak]

I was thinking of a mobile phone because i can record as many different signals as i want (before the memory runs out). Also, ive always got my phone on me.