Project# 0005
Ultra-Micro-Powered Infrared Receiver Remote Control Plans
The infrared light receiver / remote control circuit described in the following text, can easily be built for less than $3.00, and can be used to control battery powered small robots or automation devices in remote locations, where it would not be convenient or possible for the user to flip a power switch.
I designed the circuit Figure 1, for my patent pending “Electronic Power Angling Rod” for a Venetian Mini Blind. I needed a remote control circuit that would use less than ten (10) microamperes of current in stand by mode when no pulsed Infrared light signal was present. All the commercial I.R. light receivers sold in the electronics hobby market such as the Sharp GP1U52X sold by Radio Shack and Jameco Electronics or the Sharp GP1U01(no longer available), GPIU581Y, Sony SBX 1531 or 407-B322 sold by Electronics Goldmine (typical power drain of 2 to 5 milliamperes), used far more power in stand-by than was allowable for long life battery operation. With your constructed ultra micro-powered remote receiver, you can turn battery powered devices on or off from a distance with out first having to flip on a power switch at the receiving end. This allows you to build intermittent working devices which can be located in hard to reach places and powered by batteries for extended periods of time. At 1.5 to 3 micro-amperes stand-by current drain (conservative), an alkaline battery will last a very long time.
I have provided an ultra micro-powered switching circuit for you to experiment with as a trigger controlled circuit for the remote control receiver. This circuit can be used to control battery powered small robots or automation devices in out of the way places where it would not be convenient or possible for the user to flip a power switch on at the remote location.
Briefly described
A modulated infrared light signal is sent via a transmitter fig.2,
and received by Q1 (schematic Fig. 1), and amplified and
actively filtered by hex inverter U1 and associated components. This
output signal is further amplified by a darlington pair
transistor configuration consisting of Q2 and Q3 and further
filtered and amplified via Q8,Q9, Q10 and associated components. The
filtered output signal triggers a brief output pulse from programable
unijunction transistor (P.U.T.), Q11.
How it works
The Hex inverter (4069) U1, fig. 1, is
configured as an active filter to allow only the detection of a pulsing
I.R. signal and eliminating the dc component. Q2 and Q3 (a
Darlington configuration), amplifies the filtered signal into a
modulated pulsing dc signal, which is applied to the base of Q8 /
Q9 through filtering components R11, C12, R13, and C13. If the
pulsing rate of the signal is fast enough with sufficient
amplitude to over come the dc drain across R11 and C12, in turn
charging C13 before it discharges via R13, and creating
forward bias voltage to the base of Q8 / Q9 (darlington), then Q8
/ Q9 goes into conduction. This cancels out the forward bias of
the base of Q10 through R16, allowing C16 to charge up by means
of leakage current of D2 through R17 and Q11. When C16
has charged briefly and the anode of the programmable unijunction
transistor (P.U.T.), Q11 becomes more positive than the gate, Q11
conducts briefly. This in turn discharges C17. The
discharge of C17 and the negative resistance characteristic of
the unijunction transistor causes the positive going output
pulse to fall off or diminish at the cathode. A pure dc
positive going pulse is taken off the cathode of Q11 for
use in triggering a control pin of a flip-flop IC,
Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) or other device you wish
to control with an infrared transmitter. Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7 and L.E.
D., D1 (Fig. 1), act to visually indicate infrared
signal reception.
The receiver (fig. 1), will be triggered by many pulsed
Infrared sources. For maximum range(about 15 to 40 feet depending
on ambient light conditions), the Infrared transmitter should
pulse the signal at a rapid rate. A schematic for a
transmitter that will work extremely well with the receiver
is illustrated in figure 2, but many infrared TV / VCR remote
control transmitters will work. Although the maximum range will
be limited if the pulsing rate of the transmitter is not
sufficiently high enough to trigger Q8 and Q9 into conduction. It
depends on the filter components used between the collector
output of Q2 / Q3 and the base of Q8 / Q9. The values I indicate
in the schematic fig. 1 are optimum. You may want to experiment
with their values for your particular application and / or I.R.
transmitter.
As previously mentioned briefly, as indicated in schematic figure 1, the I.R. signal is detected by Q1. Very bright ambient or direct sunlight will saturate the I.R. sensor and reduce or stop detection. You should create a shroud for the I.R. sensor in extremely bright locations, although the receiver works quite well in fairly bright conditions, such as bright tungsten light bulbs without a shroud. The built-in I.R. filter keeps most unwanted light from hitting the photo-transistor within the plastic case of the I.R. sensor. A shroud is the best way to further protect the sensor from spurious I.R. signals.
Figure 1
Figure 1a
Parts list Micro-powered Infrared Receiver
Integrated Circuits
U1--------------------------------------------------CD4069BCP Hex
Inverter CMOS Integrated Circuit
Semiconductors
Q1----------------------------------------T16556,
TPS703 IR Detector Sensor (many types will work)
(Electronic Goldmine has 5/$1.00, #G8743,page80)
Q2,3,6,7--------------------------------------------------------------------------2N3904,
NPN Transistor
Q4,5,8,9,10-----------------------------------------------------2N2907A
or MPS3638A PNP Transistor
Q11-------------------------------------------------------2N6028
Programmable Unijunction Transistor
Diodes
D1-------------------------------------------------------T1
size or smaller High Brightness Green LED
D2---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1N4148
Diode
Resistors
R1---------------------------------------------------------------------1
00K ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R2-------------------------------------------------------------------1
M eg. ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R3,4,5,7,9,10-----------------------------------------------20 to
22 Meg. ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R6,12,13,15,18----------------------------------------------------10
Meg. ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R8-----------------------------------------------------------------4.7
Meg. ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R11------------------------------------------------------------------2
Meg. ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R14---------------------------------------------------------------------50K
ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
R20,31-------------------------------------------------------------------1K
ohm, 1/8 watt carbon resistor
Capacitors
C1,13,15,17---------------------------------------------------------------0.1
uf. ceramic mono capacitor
C2-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
pF. ceramic capacitor
C3,4,6,8,9,10---------------------------------------------------------------------47
pF. ceramic capacitor
C5-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
uf. tantalum capacitor
C7,11,18------------------------------------------------------------------------0.001uf.
ceramic capacitor
C12-----------------------------------------------------------------------------0.005
uf. ceramic capacitor
C14,16-------------------------------------------------------------------0.01
uf. ceramic mono capacitor
C19----------------------------------------------------------------1000
uf., 10 volt electrolytic capacitor
Figure 2
Parts List
Infrared Transmitter
Integrated circuits
U1-----------------------------------------------------------------------------555
Timer Integrated Circuit
Transistors
Q1,2--------------------------------------------------------------2N3904
NPN general purpose transistor
Diodes
D1------------------------------------LTE-2872 high output
Infrared L.E.D. (many types will work)
(Electronic Goldmine sell above, #G8312,page1)
Capacitor
C1-------------------------------------------------------------------------------47
uF. electrolytic capacitor
C2----------------------------------------------------------------------------------0.3
uF. ceramic capacitor
C3--------------------------------------------------------------------------------0.01
uF. ceramic capacitor
Resistor
R1,3,5---------------------------------------------------------------------------100K
ohm 1/8 watt resistor
R2---------------------------------------------------------------------------------100
ohm 1/4 watt resistor
R4---------------------------------------------------------------------------4.7
Meg. ohm 1/8 watt resistor
Miscellaneous
S1---------------------------------------------------------------------------Momentary
push-button switch
B1-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9
volt battery
Figure 3
Figure 4
Where you can purchase inexpensive Infrared Transmitters:
$.99 each;Halted Specialties Co. (HSC), Electronic Supply, Toll free (order only) 1-800-442-5833
$2.00 each #Electronic Goldmine, P.O. Box 5408, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
$1.95 each; Alltronics, 2300 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA. 95131
$2.50 each; American Science
& Surplus, 3605 Howard Street, Skokie, IL 60076
Various Electronic Components Mail order
companies
Electronic Goldmine, P.O. Box 5408, Scottsdale AZ. 85261, Call (602) 451-7454------------------------------- rated by author as very good
All Electronics Corp., P.O. Box 567, Van Nuys, CA. 91408-0567, Call 1-800-826-5432----------------------- good
American Science & Surplus, 3605 Howard Street, Skokie, Il 60076, Call (847) 982-0870 -------------------- (fun)
Gateway Electronics, Inc., 8123 Page Blvd. St. Louis, MO. 63130 ------------------------------------------------------- (good & unusal)
American Design Components, 400 County Ave., Secaucus, NJ 07094, Call 1-800 776-3700----------------good
Surplus Center, P.O. Box 82209, Lincoln, NE 68501-9973 Call 1 - 800 - 488-3407---------------------------------(motors +)
Edmund Scientific Co., 101 E. Gloucester Pike, Barrington, NJ 08007-1380, U.S.A.--------------------------------(fun)
Herbach & Rademan Company, 18 Canal St., P.O. Box 122,Bristol,PA 19007-0122, Call 1-800-848-8001--------Good
Marlin P. Jones & Assoc. Inc., P.O. Box 12685, Lake Park, FL 33403-0685-------------------------------------- (good & interesting)
Fort Apache Electronics and Trading Company, Inc. , 31902 hayman St., Hayward, CA. 94544----------------------------fair
SouthPaw Electronics, P.O. Box 886,
New Hyde Park, NY 11040-0311
------------------------------------------------------------fair
Unicorn Electronics, 10000 Canoga Ave., Unit C-2,
Chatsworth, CA. 91311--------------------------------------------------------fair
Premium Parts, P.O. Box 28, Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190-0028----------------------------------------------------------------------fair
International Microelectronics, P.O. Box 17041, Arlington, TX 76003---------------------------------------------------------------fair
Hosfelt Electronics, Inc. , 2700 Sunset Blvd., Steubenville, OH, 43952-1158----------------------------------------------(good)
Abbott Electronics, 155 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA, 01801 -------------------------------------------------------------------fair
Bigelow Electronics, PlO. Box 125, Bluffton, OH 45817----------------------------------------------------------------------------------fair
Fair Radio Sales Co., P.O. Box 1105, 1016 E. Eureka St., Lima, Ohio 45802-------------------------------------cool antiques
Edlie Electronics, 2700 Hempstead Turnpike, Levittown, L.I., NY 11756-1443-------------------------------------------------good
Ocean State Electronics, P.O. Box 1458, 6 Industrial Drive, Westerly, RI 02891-------------------------------------------------fair
Digi-Key Electronics Corp., 701 Brooks
Ave. South , P.O. Box 677, Thief River Falls,
MN 56701-0677
(most any electronic part you could want to buy is available)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------excellent
Mouser Electronics, 958 North Main Street,
Mansfield, TX 76063-4827, Call 1-800-346-6873
(most any electronic part you could want to buy is available)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------excellent
MCM Electronics, 650 Congress Park Dr., Centerville, OH 45459-4072-----------------------------------------------------------excellent
DC Electronics, P.O. Box 3203, Scottsdale, AZ 85257-3293---------------------------------------------------------------------------(good)
Circuit Specialists, Inc., P.O. Box 3047, Scottsdale, AZ 85271-3047------------------------------------------------(interesting / good)
Jameco Electronic Components, 1355 Shoreway
Road, Belmont, CA. 94002-4100------------------------------------------(good)