How to make an arduino IR link

First of all I made this because..........
1. I was bored
2. I had the parts kicking around............and
3. Id seen a video on you tube showing how to use LED's as sensors

All the project does is create an IR link that you can send data over it as long as its serial.
It has a short operating distance but it is a quick and dirty hack........On with the instructable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Step 1 Parts and other stuff

Parts List
1. Arduino Diecimila/ Duemilanove (or freeduino V1.16 in my case)
2.IR LED(s) (maplin part no. CY85G)
3.IR photo transistor (maplin part no. YY66W)
4.LED (your choice)
5.Oscilloscope (optional)
6.Transistor (maybe needed to get signal further away)
7.Breadboard
8.Stiff wire I got mine from an old fluorescent light fitting
Where can I get these parts?
In the U.K at maplin, In America it will most likely be radio shack.

Comments

[Dominion-Network]

This ible was very simple, but very educational and fun to do, keep up the good work!

[uberdum05]

Thanks :)

[jcouch1227]

So it would be possible to use an arduino to output IR code, similar to a tv remote?

[uberdum05]

Found a useful library a while ago, this is the link to the page:
http://www.arcfn.com/2009/08/multi-protocol-infrared-remote-library.html

[uberdum05]

Yeah, you probably could if you worked out how to program the right code into the arduino :)

[Matt LaVoie]

Thanks, that helps me a lot on my project that I'm working on.

[kaka17]

dude its not working

[uberdum05]

check everything thouroughly and just upload the blink code from the arduino IDE

[rev6]

Any chance of a circuit diagram or cleared breadboard photos?

Im trying to get my head around photodiodes and it would really help!

[uberdum05]

yeah, ill try get a schematic posted within the next few days so keep checking back ! :)

[rev6]

Cheers, I'll keep an eye out!

[landmanr]

Mine only works when I do the reverse, i.e. connect the cathode (negative lead, the larger plate inside the LED) to pin 13 and the anode to gnd. This is with the Radioshack emitter/detector pair (276-142). Also, on my emitter LED the flat side is the anode (the smaller plate).

[uberdum05]

Well, if that configuration works for you, thats fine. Whether it's because of the different suppliers. :)

[scott_kirkwood]

 I think your main problem with the blurry photos is that you didn't have enough light. When doing macro shots get every light turned on and get some desk lamps on it too.  If you have a tripod or a mini tripod that would have helped as well.
You may want to also review your photos instead of getting disappointed when you upload them.  Hey this isn't the '80's you don't have to wait a week for the photo to be developed anymore :-).

[uberdum05]

I did take all the photo's on a very sunny day with my blinds wide open, and my lights wouldn't have made any difference at all.

[amando96]

 Yeah a lot of people don't bother to use the camera's auto focus, is it really that hard?

[benmakins]

 Thanks so much, this is exactly what I needed !

[uberdum05]

 Ta, at least somebody finds it useful :)

[CaptainObvious]

Well, I hooked it up like you said, disconnected everything, and put it together again. Can't seem to get it to work.. the LED just stays lit, regardless. Using the Radioshack IR Emitter and Detector set, why meeeee. Any ideas?:D

[uberdum05]

Meeeeeeeeez has just had an idea, perhaps your IR phototransistor is recieving stray IR signals. To solve the problem, try shield the IR phototransistor

[tr0nk]

if you want to get rid of blurriness when taking close-up photos, check if your camera has a "macro" mode. this mode adjusts the focal depth to bring close items (less than 1 foot (30 cm) ) into focus on canon brand cameras, the button's icon usually looks like a fireflower from super mario world

[uberdum05]

I did pop the macro mode on, but I moved a bit I think

[uberdum05]

Are you sure that you hooked everything up right, and did you upload the Blink code to the arduino board ? And instead of buying a emitter/detector set, just buy an IR LED and IR photo transistor separately.

[ReCreate]

Who are you talking to?

[uberdum05]

CaptainObvious

[ReCreate]

Aye aye Captain!

[Protons]

is the freeduino EXACTLY the same as an arduino? thanks ps i'm a newbie

[uberdum05]

no its compatible with the arduino diecimila, apart from ts open sourced

[Protons]

I see... kk thanks for the help

[serrano23]

Does someone know if there exists some way of knowing the voltage that the red LED receives?

[uberdum05]

Do you mean the LED after the phototransistor ? Because I know, you just put the red probe of a multimeter on the phototransistor's terminal and connect the black probe of the multimeter to ground on the arduino

[serrano23]

Yes, i need to know the voltage to the red. I need take it from arduino, because if I receive 0V(no signal) I need to turn on another LED.

[uberdum05]

It's actually a white LED coloured in red permenant marker. By the way, you don't need a resistor with the LED because the phototransistor, depending on where the IR LED is, acts as a resistor.

[sotsirh194]

I would use a 38 khz ir receiver and an infrared led that pulses at 38khz by a slave. the arduino would control a transistor to turn allow the led to ground. When the reciever

[uberdum05]

Yeah, but it was a quicke thing so I wasn't bothered.

[Noodle93]

This isn't really an IR Serial link :\

[uberdum05]

It uses IR though. You can't send parallel data over it because you would have to have individual TX / RX pairs operating on different frequencies to each other. So that makes it serial.

[uberdum05]

It uses IR though. Well you can't really send parallel data over it can you?

[Noodle93]

You could maybe, but I believe you'd need so much processing power it'd be more efficient to use a transmitter / reciever combo. That way you can actually send data. It could work though putting an LED on the pins of TX and on the other one the transistor on rx :\ Not sure though, don't have any of this other than arduino around.

[uberdum05]

Well I tried hooking up a standard red LED to the TX pins on the arduino and I couldn't send or receive data at all but it went back to normal when I took it off