9V IR detector

Step 12 You're done!/Problemfixes&circuit diagram

If you jumped to this step because you have problems with your devices:
1. Check if your battery has enough juice (the "putting the contacts on the tongue" trick will work)
2. Make sure all the solderconnections are nice & smooth
3. Check if there any shorts in the circuit (solderbridges that shouldn't be there)
4. Check if any leads/wires from the parts or battery connector are broken, sometimes too much stress
    on the parts makes them break.
5. Did you put the LED & Phototransistor in the right way around / did you get the polarity right?
 
As a help I added a circuit diagram as pic #4.


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For all the others:
Fetch a 9V battery and try your IR detector. Clip it on and... you're done! Have fun!

Comment, rate & follow!

Comments

[m1s73r]

Is it possible to increase the range of the IR Phototransistor? I've tried it with my TV remote but it does only work in range of approximately 4 inches... Also, I have an idea, couldn't you add a red LED, which light up if no Infrared Signal is in near?

Thanks

[Candymanproductions]

It's not that easy to increase the range of the phototransistor because if you would, you would also get more false readings because the natural light would be recognized more. The actual reason why the remote must be in a range of 4 inches is because th IR LED of the remote is too weak. The TV can sense the IR LED because the remote lets it flash at a certain frequency, which makes it possible for the TV to concentrate on the remote's light and cancel out other IR light sources, linke natural light.
You could add a red LED, but that would use up too much circuit board space to make it fit on a 9V battery clip.

[kel noseh]

simpleness is greatness

[skrubol]

You have the LED labeled as Infrared LED. That should be visible LED shouldn't it?

If you need higher sensitivity, there are also photodarlingtons, which, if you aren't familiar with darlington transistor configurations, have 10-100x the gain.

[Candymanproductions]

Oh thanks, I'll fix that right away.

[der_fisherman]

Hi,

great idea and could be very useful when testing for IR from remotes and the like, but I personally always like to see a circuit diagram before building anything, even something this simple/easy......can you add a simple sketch of the connections.

I could probably work it out myself, but me being born lazy......

For anyone else who maybe wants to understand the operation better, they may agree with me.

Full marks though for simplicity and ease of use, many thanks.

Regards
Andy
PS If there is already one here and I did not see it, I am VERY unobservant, apologies/sorry!

[Venemot]

Well actually there is.....the last pic on the last page is a schematic of the whole circuit...!!!!

[der_fisherman]

Many thanks, I thought I may have overlooked it somehow.....
Regards
Andy

[kill-a-watt]

I might suggest that at least add text to the intro saying there's a schematic on step 12. You may think it's so simple that the schematic is not needed, and that's true, but think of the diagram as a "Cliff's notes" of the project.

First thing I did was hit "show all steps" and then skim for the schematic (and then fav your project).

[Suyogaerospace]

Circuit diagram please

[sail4sea]

You should include a schematic of your device. That way we will make no mistakes when assembling this device.