{"id":3318,"date":"2018-01-05T10:24:37","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T15:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/?p=3318"},"modified":"2023-04-11T18:56:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T22:56:14","slug":"using-ir-remote-controls-with-arduino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/using-ir-remote-controls-with-arduino\/","title":{"rendered":"Using IR Remote Controls with Arduino"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Download \"Parts<\/a> \"View<\/a> \"Download<\/a><\/p>\n

IR Remote controls are everywhere these days, you probably have several of them around your home to control your video and audio equipment as well as air conditioners, fans and even light bulbs.<\/span><\/p>\n

These devices can also be used with your Arduino projects and in this article I\u2019ll show you how you can decode the outputs from your remotes, repurpose them to control additional devices and even build your own custom remote controls.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Introduction<\/span><\/h1>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine that there was a time when you actually had to get out of your chair to change channel and adjust volume on your television. Every television and most other audio and video equipment come equipped with a remote control that allows you to be a true \u201ccouch potato\u201d, controlling your world from the comfort of your favorite chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arduino-Remote-Control\"<\/p>\n

The IR remote control has changed how we interact with our appliances, for better or worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chances are you have a large collection of these devices, some may even be left over from equipment you no longer own or use. Most of the ones you do make use of have several buttons that serve you no purpose as they were made to integrate with additional equipment that you don\u2019t even own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time to put those unused buttons and controllers to good use! \u00a0All you will need are a few very inexpensive parts and an Arduino to decode the outputs from these little electronic gems and put them to work in your own custom designs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or maybe you\u2019d like to build your own custom control, one that controls all your device or a simplified one to replace that 40-button monster you fumble with daily.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article we will examine how IR remotes work and how you can decode their signals with an Arduino. We will also look at how you can use the Arduino as a remote control itself, emulating the signals that the original controller emitted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally we will see how you can use very inexpensive remote controls in your own custom projects. \u00a0Let\u2019s get started!<\/span><\/p>\n

How IR Remote Controls Work<\/span><\/h1>\n

Before we start hacking our remote controls it would be a good idea to discuss how they work.<\/span><\/p>\n

IR remote controls, as the name would imply, make use of pulses of infrared light to send signals to a receiving device such as a television or sound system. Each button on the remote control sends out a unique pattern of pulses which are decoded by the receiver so that the appropriate action (i.e. raise the volume, change channels) can be taken.<\/span><\/p>\n

IR remotes make use of IR LED\u2019s which are very inexpensive, in fact some of the very first LED\u2019s manufactured in the 1970\u2019s were infrared as it was actually easier (and cheaper) to make IR light with an LED than it was to output visible light.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"IR-Spectrum\"<\/p>\n

The infrared part of the light spectrum is just below the visible spectrum, the name \u201cinfrared\u201d actually means \u201cbelow red\u201d which is where they sit on a spectrum chart. This is the opposite of ultraviolet or UV light which is just above the visible spectrum, \u201cultraviolet\u201d meaning \u201cabove violet\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Infrared light is perfectly safe to work with, you can stare into a working IR remotes LED without any fear of damaging your eyes. In fact you are exposed to infrared light every day, often without being aware of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Preventing Interference<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sunlight and the interior lighting in your home have infrared components along with their visible components, and this abundance if infrared light can make it difficult for IR remotes to function as it interferes with them. To resolve this problem IR remotes don\u2019t just pulse their LED\u2019s on and off, instead they modulate them in the same fashion as analog radio modulates a carrier wave to send a signal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most IR remotes use a modulation frequency of 38 kHz although a few use different frequencies. The IR receivers are designed to look for this modulated infrared light and to ignore the rest, effectively filtering out the sea of infrared ambience flooding the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

Infrared light covers a broad range of the spectrum, from 700 Nm to 1 mm. Most IR LED\u2019s used in remote controls operate at 850 Nm to 940 Nm range so most receivers are tuned to receive light within this range. This is another way that they prevent interference from sunlight and other infrared sources.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manufacturer Codes<\/span><\/h2>\n

As I mentioned earlier different manufacturers use different codes for their remote controls, in addition there are different codes for different devices made by the same manufacturer. Codes are also shared between manufacturers so there is a possibility that two remotes may conflict with one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

A great resource for finding manufacturer codes is the IRDB<\/span><\/a>, which is an online database of IR codes for virtually every remote control device ever made. \u00a0I\u2019m also about to show you how you can use an Arduino to determine which codes your remotes are using so keep on reading!<\/span><\/p>\n

Working with IR Remote Controls<\/span><\/h1>\n

Working with IR remotes is pretty simple. You\u2019ll need an IR sensor to pick up signals and an IR LED to send them.<\/span><\/p>\n

IR Receivers<\/span><\/h2>\n

Receiving IR codes requires a special infrared sensor, and there are many inexpensive ones available. \u00a0One common device is <\/span>the 1838T infrared receiver<\/span><\/a>, a tiny 3-pin sensor that is often included with those inexpensive remote control kits that you can get on eBay of Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"IR-Module\"<\/p>\n

You can purchase this sensor by itself or mounted on a small module board. The latter usually will accept a 3-pin Dupont connector which makes it easy to use in your project. \u00a0Either way the three pins on the sensor or module have the following functions:<\/span><\/p>\n