Introduction: Easy Arduino Pro Mini TV-B-Gone Disguised
TV-B-Gone was getting on my Dreams ;)
Wanted to try TV-B-Gone for many years, but un-fortunately I never found all
the components to make one, and with bad shipping services in my city, it was
turning out to be super expensive to get it thru express shipping like Fedex etc.
Finally I found out someone ported this to Arduino, and it was like a delight to me as Arduino
itch has recently got inside my skin and I was all excited when I got my 1st Arduino Uno.
Then to fit Arduino Based TV-B-Gone in more compact setup, I ordered a Pro Mini (Clone)
but to my shock, ebay.in seller sent me ATMEGA168, claiming it to be ATMEGA328,
the only big difference in both is memory size, however as TV-B-Gone Sketch
was just under the size available on ATMEGA168 Board, I didn't claimed for a return and refund and kept it.
I also needed a USB2Serial Adapter and I started using Pro-mini as soon as it reached me.
I am still in process of refining the size and looks of Arduino based TV-B-Gone
so might change it in near future and post back with latest update,
Till Then enjoy the process, pics and the fun.
IMPORTANT: this is really a Fun and Educational Project, please do not use it un-responsibly to
harass anyone, a angry shopkeeper can be a real problem if you messed with him multiple times so watch out before you use it on a public place.
Step 1: Needed Components
You Need Following Components:-
1). Arduino Pro Mini ATMEGA168/ATMEGA328 (Clone works too).
2). 4 to 5 IR LED's (Infrared LED's)
3). 5V Battery, use any combination to give Pro Mini 5v Power
4). NPN Transistors, 2N2222 or 2N3904 works great.
5). Piece of Perfboard PCB
6). Tactile Switch
7). Cellphone Flipcover, used or new, any make would do.
Connect Arduino Pro Mini to PC and upload the TV-B-Gone Sketch Available Here
Ken Shirriff has already made modifications to earlier versions and includes two plus points
in his ported TV-B-Gone v1.2 Sketch,
1). European Codes now work,
2). Once All pulses are sent, Arduino Enters Sleep mode which saves battery.
you may need USB2 Serial Adapter to connect the Pro-Mini to PC.
Step 2: Prepare the IR Emitters for Arduino TV-B-Gone
step 2
Prepare the IR Emitters on Perf Board Using the Schematic published on Ken Shirriff Blog.
PDF file with schematic is linked here
You need to make sure Each IR LED is driven by its on dedicated Transistor to make it work
on full power, this will give you more reliable distance coverage.
Step 3: Make Holes to Fit IR Emitters
I Used the TOP Part of Cellphone Flipcover to make Holes for IR Emitters.
You can use a Drill or even Hot Soldering Iron to Make holes.
As in Above pic, I've 5 IR LED's
the whites ones on sides are Wide Beam (ripped off from old Cable TV Remote)
and 3 Dark ones in middle are Narrow Beam bought from local electronic parts shop.
Step 4: Arrangement of Components.
I also fixed two buttons, One is power ON
and other one is momentary button which is for trigger.
I Hot Glued the components and also fixed a old Nokia Type Charging socket to charge
the 4V sealed battery I am using. The purple LED lights up only when the unit it connected
to my desk and is on charging using a cellphone charger.
I am still modifying this setup every weekend to make it work from very Long distance.
Step 5: Rechargeable Battery on Flipcover
I used double sided tape to let the Battery Stay on back of the flipcover.
the battery easily hides in PALM, when I hold the unit and use it.
Step 6: Tried Another Version
I even tried a bigger battery earlier, which was same 4V, but 1 Ah however my 0.5Ah battery works very well
with 2+ days of usage, so the battery part is very flexible and you can use any which suits your purpose.
Step 7: Added Cruel Reflectors
after modding my TV-B-Gone for almost a dozen times, I ripped open a small LED Torch
and took out its plastic reflector which had good quality lens in front.
The LED's inside the reflector has been sourced from a spare CCTV IR Illuminator Ring I had
now this setup emits IR Codes in real Nasty Brightness.
Using this I've seen a TV showroom crying for electrician as entire wall of LED TV's were
turning off when a friend borrowed this to test.
Lastly a video made in hurry on this unit's first use ;)
