I've have a couple ideas for something of a remote switch for a number of different uses.

Basically I'm looking for a way to use a key fob or similar miniature handheld remote to "turn something on or off". My original idea was to create a simple machine that would turn off when I hit the "lock" button on a generic IR fob and then turn back on after I hit the "unlock" button. An extremely simple tool to create, I'm sure, but I wouldn't know where to start. I'm an illiterate when it comes to circuits and such. Anyone care to help me out with designing the remote, the receiver, and anything else necessary? Smile
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=C6849
swivelgames wrote:
I've have a couple ideas for something of a remote switch for a number of different uses.

Basically I'm looking for a way to use a key fob or similar miniature handheld remote to "turn something on or off". My original idea was to create a simple machine that would turn off when I hit the "lock" button on a generic IR fob and then turn back on after I hit the "unlock" button. An extremely simple tool to create, I'm sure, but I wouldn't know where to start. I'm an illiterate when it comes to circuits and such. Anyone care to help me out with designing the remote, the receiver, and anything else necessary? Smile


First of all, your link is not what you want, it is not IR, it is RF (IR==Infra-red, RF==Radio Frequency), you could in theory do it with either but from what little I know about remote control circuitry I think IR would be easier unless you want to use mostly pre-made parts.
With IR the most basic transmitter is an IR led and a pushbutton, and the most basic receiver is an IR phototransistor with a quartet of resistors. If you want to guard against ambient light triggering, you can make it more complex with an oscillating source and a matched receiver. Any IR solution will, however, require relatively close to line-of-sight. If you'd prefer non-line-of-sight, your main option is something RF (Radio Frequency), as Glenn noted. Building your own transmitter and receiver from discrete components is no small feat, but there are several single/double chip solutions that make it much easier. These involve a transmitter chips that requires a battery, switch, and a handful of discrete components, and a receiver that needs a few more components and its own battery. If that interests you, I'll tell you about some of the possibilities, since I'd have to look them up; I don't know that chip numbers offhand. How about RFID? You need contactless proximity, around 2 inches, but the "transmitter" on the fob can be unpowered.

Here's some stuff to give you ideas about RF boards, chips, and kits at Sparkfun and also some RFID stuff.
Glenn wrote:
First of all, your link is not what you want, it is not IR, it is RF (IR==Inferred, RF==Radio Frequency)...

WRONG. IR is Infra-red, so the signal trasmission is optical, and hence requires a line of sight (rather than RF, which doesn't require a line of sight).

My preference for such a project (no idea exactly what you want, but I assume you want more range than RFID offers) would be RF. I was skulking around Digikey a while ago and found a micro which had an on-chip RF transceiver. I suspect such an item would be pretty easy to use, assuming you don't mind taking a bit of time to work out the chip's quirks.

Alternatively (and this one is really beginner-friendly), you could use Zigbee, which is easy to set up (you could even use it with an Arduino for true beginner-friendliness), although fairly expensive. The main downside is you'd probably need a micro on the transmitter-side of things as well, which would require it to be somewhat larger.

Simply put, for simple and small, you probably want IR- robust but large, you want RF of some sort.
Hehe, my apologies. I meant to say RF fob.

Kerm: I'm looking for something of an RF fob that I can use for semi-long distances, through walls and such. IR wouldn't work (even though I said generic IR fob Rolling Eyes ) because I need it to work from a longer distance. It just needs to complete the simple task of opening and closing a circuit from a distance Smile

Tari, are you talking about this?
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9284
swivelgames wrote:

Yes, that's an Arduino. Sparkfun also has Zigbee modules to interface with Arduinos.
The Tari wrote:

WRONG. IR is Infra-red, so the signal trasmission is optical, and hence requires a line of sight (rather than RF, which doesn't require a line of sight).


Sorry typo on my part, it is now corrected.
The Tari wrote:
swivelgames wrote:

Yes, that's an Arduino. Sparkfun also has Zigbee modules to interface with Arduinos.
How do these work? Razz lol
  
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