#254

[@m3chanist]

Ahh tears of laughter...the pain, so very familiar, so bittersweet. I feel for you Andreas, and I'm delighted your trouble has led to making this video as I'm in the throes of doing something very similar, on purpose even! I felt a thrill of excitement when I read the notification title.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Browsing through the comments we are not alone ;-)

[@springwoodcottage4248]

I don't have a TV or a wife, but the ideas & techniques are super useful for sorting out IR issues. Thanks for sharing!

[@GRBtutorials]

Wait, what? You don't have a TV?

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@noweare1]

@@GRBtutorials LOL , good one

[@markusmohr5470]

I can very much relate to the wife/husband relations described in this video... :) But Andreas: giving a VIP user a device without having tested all(!) functions and then not even doing on-site production support for a few hours is really a beginners error! ;)

[@ZaneDaMagicPufferDragon]

Rookie Mistake… 😞

[@Blockchainfirst]

Hi Andreas, i don‘t wont to destroy your effort and if it work and your wife is happy everything is fine 😊 Have you heard about this product ? Broadlink RM Mini 3 Smart Home Automation WiFi IR Fernbedienung Remote Control Telecommande Universelle for iPhone Android 4.0+ Cellphone www.amazon.de/dp/B06WRXD8TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3wQvCb6Q2T3VV It works great and even with Alexa 😉

[@3dgussner958]

@@Blockchainfirst It might work great BUT the BOSS wants to use the known remote and It is really hard to convince her, I speak from experience, to use another way. We have a Logitech remote I bought, program and works like a charm but It is still laying in the corner after 5 years because It is different to use. So Andreas stick to the wishes (order) he got AND he did the right thing to follow her wish!

[@Conservator.]

3D Gussner Very wise words. And if I may add to this: It might not be a great idea to add another female to your household.

[@AndreasSpiess]

@Markus: You are of course right! @Blockchainfirst: The set-top box is on 2.4GHz. And Alexa does not understand Swiss German. My wife even tried it and was disappointed because it did not understand her favorite radio station. So Alexa sleeps in the deep cellar. Probably as Snowwhite for 100 years ;-)

[@johnhschuster]

Here in the US the phrase "You're the man" means you did a great job so, You're the man. This video helped me as I have an IR issue as well. In my lab, I have two sets of LED lights from different Chinfacturers. In the am I have them both doing white color and highest brightness, in the evening I switch to red at the lowest setting. Turning them on/off also requires two remotes. This means 2 remotes and if I the sequence out of order one set of light goes into blinking and changing colors which are annoying. So I'm going to build a simple box with ON, Off, Day, and Night buttons. Thank you for the Arduino libraries and web link these will be very helpfull. Keep broadcasting!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

In addition you might watch my video where I steer the color temperature of LEDs according sunrise and sunset. Then it would be completely automatic ;-)

[@ZaneDaMagicPufferDragon]

Andreas Spiess That was an Awesome Project!!!!

[@andrewkieran8942]

Andreas, I would never have guessed that you're a fan of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. You are full of surprises. What's not surprising is that you've made another great video in which you defined and solved a problem.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am a curious old man. Not more and not less ;-)

[@RambozoClown]

Your pointer stick needs a tiny white glove.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you will see one in later videos. It is already printed in white, but it needs the black wristband ;-)

[@ELHAUKEZ]

Hi Andreas, ich beschäftige mich gerade mit dem ESP32 und bin dadurch auf deine Videos gestoßen und muss sagen WOW. Echt, der Grad an Details und der Umfang für dein Thema hauen mich echt um. Alle anderen KZbinr sind nicht so präzise oder machen zuviel Entertainment aus dem Thema. Aber nicht beim Typen mit dem schweizer Akzent :D , der brilliert durch Content und sein Hobby! Ich hab das Gefühl egal was ich gerne mit dem ESP32 machen will oder was mich interessiert, du hast das schon einmal durchdacht und nimmst einem dabei viel Mühe und Recherche ab. Also noch einmal: ECHT TOP!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Vielen DAnk für deine netten Worte! Ich versuche nur, Videos zu machen, die ich auch gerne sehen würde...

[@geirthorud6581]

Very useful, Thank you!!! Many years ago I solved the problem by using a Logitech Harmony programmable IR remote. I moved from 4 IR controls to one, but the Harmony is rather complicated to use (not for me, but for others). In general, I use about 5-7 "operations" - i.e. turn everythig on or off, select HDMI input number, listen to radio (and select news or music), select TV channel, TV menue, etc. On the Harmony, some of these may require 2-3 buttons to be pushed - too complicated. My Harmony has no "macro programing" capability - it is made for people that can not program a macro. With your solution I can do the macro programming in the Arduino, and have one button for each of the "operations". I have been thinking about such an arduino solution for a long time, but this video solves a lot of practical problems which I had yet to experience. One question: The leds come in 2 variants, 60 and 120 degrees - and the lenses also have a lot of "degree variants" - Can I assume that since you relay on reflections, that you use the largest possible angle? (And, in the future, what shall we do with the Bluetooth remotes.)

[@AndreasSpiess]

1. Concerning Harmony: I also hade an (unaccepted) Pronto remote. It was also too complicated. 2. You have to experiment with the angle. I think it is not very important. 3. Our remote uses 2.4GHz for the control of the set-top box. So I did not have to solve that one :-)

[@geirthorud6581]

Ok, thanks!

[@ZaneDaMagicPufferDragon]

Harmony was anything but what the name was implying, Harmony was definitely not a "Harmonious Experience!" Like they were touting in their marketing of the Harmony!!!!

[@bossunimportantstuff]

Thanks for the great guide. I wish I had seen it earlier as it would have made figuring out my similar solution on an esp8266 easier. I recently managed using a similar sketch that uses "spare" buttons on the TV remote for controlling other devices. I mapped the the green, red, yellow, blue buttons to do useful tasks on the home theatre setup. The red button switches between stereo and surround on the receiver with alternate presses. The green button turns on and off the the subwoofer, the yellow button turns on and off a lamp. Another advantage with this kind of setup is that the AV receiver can be hidden in a cabinet and only the IR receiver photodiode needs to be visible. There are advantages to retaining the TV remote as the base remote including voice search, mouse functionality etc.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad the video helped. Indeed, this is available for quite some time ;-)

[@lelandclayton5462]

Not bad, you pretty much made an IR Blaster with it all in one box. My last custom build I followed the typical layout by having IR Buds going to every device. One of these days I need to slap together a Nano to use for programming URC remotes and use to make backups of the Remote codes since 80% of my clients attend to loose or trash the OEM remotes that come with their equipment. Not fun guessing codes from the URC database or hunting them down on Remote Central. This way I can save it to a SD card and tape it to the bottom of the Media Rack hidden so the client doesn't loose it, trash it or delete it.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea to solve a future problem now when all the info is readily available!

[@norbertschmitz5297]

Great solution. why not think this further? 1) You could move the sending/receiving diodes to a separate box, which is much smaller. this could be hidden below one of the devices, without the white box to be hidden. 2) you could create a website controlling the sending codes, which you could make available via mobile app (don't forget about security) and/or make it available via an app. This would allow you a much broader controlling system, which is also dimming light, switching input channels and so on. just as some ideas.. but at the end it is all about WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor)

[@AndreasSpiess]

The mobile interface would be a horrible idea. I am sure ;-) Not for us, but for her.

[@vincemerlot6046]

Andreas, Thank you so much for your informative and smile inducing videos. I see you have already fixed the issue in code but on the Sony, under Settings | ECO | TV Idle Standby, if turned off the TV will no longer go to standby if an IR code is not received in a set period of time. (The feature is there to save power if you fall asleep and stop pressing buttons.)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the tip!

[@MarionMakarewicz]

What a great video. I remember when I got my first Palm Pilot and turned it into a universal remote. It still works great and every once and a while I pull it out if I need an IR signal for some device that doesn't have a remote. The Babel Fish is genius.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I still remember my Palm Pilot. This was when I stopped buying new paper agendas anymore. Quite a few years since then...

[@hernancoronel]

I have a very cheap universal remote that has a “punch through” feature allows for the cable mode to use the volume of the TV mode without having to change to TV mode again. In any case I loved your excellent videos and the wife story that goes with it! Thank you for the great video!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Every situation is a little different. Here, the set-top box is on 2.4GHz, not in IR

[@angelomores4224]

Hi Andreas, you are the best overall!!! Resuming in few minutes all the relashionships with wife and and technology !!!I was literally rolling on the floor!!!Very nice the sources for the old IR codes. I have a similar problem with an old Sinto-amplifier. Perfect for me. Thanks again !!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@bookoobeans]

Marriage, ha ha. Different priorities, interests, and perspectives naturally result in people having disagreements. You take this as an opportunity to have creative fun and solve a problem, which results in a better final solution for both of you. Your spouse may not understand the "how" but she understands "why" you did this... because you care about her. Kudos to you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

We get along quite well ;-) We know each other for a long time...

[@alexandracrawford800]

As usual, a great translation of an alien topic with a characteristic Swiss accent and with huge positive benefits for your audience, thank you Andreas!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@jenskaa4044]

What! did I see you closing the door by hand? Back to the basement.... Otherwise a great video

[@waltsteinchen]

Solved the same problem by mounting a geared backwheel (typically used in small RC Cars) device to a servo that presses the wheel against the door from the inside. The servo is neccessary because otherwise if opening the door manually you would destroy the gearbox. Added an ESP32 for steering .. works like a charm ;-) And yes .. my wife has no clue regarding the complexity I had to solve ;-)

[@Conservator.]

Jens Kaa But did you notice that the TV switched off automatically when he closed the door?

[@AndreasSpiess]

@ Eduard: I showed the automatic switch in another video ;-) @Walter: Interesting idea. Maybe another project...

[@waltsteinchen]

@@AndreasSpiess photos.app.goo.gl/zbKzQvdZHSAppMaU9 it finally got a nice housing, and a Alexa Interface

[@leglessinoz]

@@@AndreasSpiess do you recall what that video was called? I've gone back 3 years in your videos and couldn't see it.

[@KPTnVAN]

What a glorious error! It brought you a few hours in your most favorite maker room in your house and me a lot of fun watching your video! Thanks a lot.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome! I thought I share success and disappointments ...

[@Bramvanveldhuizen]

There is no more critic customer than the significant other, but is it always a good drive to make projects as 'complete' and easy to use as possible ;-) Nice project though! I've made some similar in the past; we have a Bose Soundtouch in the bedroom and misses B was disappointed that there wasn't a sleep-function. So i've copied the Bose IR signal from the remote (this was unfortunately not in the database, so i've had read the 'raw' code) and made a wall control with 4 pushbuttons (15/30/45 min and on/off). When pressed the Soundtouch goes pause/play for a few seconds to let me know it is in 'IR' range and the arduino starts counting until the desired time. I see you use a high power IR led. During this project one of the issues was indeed the range of the IR-leds. I used 100ma IR leds but was still not impressed with the range, especially considering that de IR leds in the remote have excellend range (pointing on the wall a from a few meters works fine). I've discovered that most IR leds (mainly the higher quality) can be driven up to 1-1,2A (!) for a very short time. (it is stated in the datasheet under 'Peak Forward Current' ) Doing this i can hide the IR-transmitter behind the bed and it works fine without being seen :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Neat idea! Just a remark for the LED: If you connected it directly to the Arduino pin it does not get 100mA. The Arduino is not capable to drive that current (AFAIK).

[@TonySesek]

Another awesome vid! And lucky you that the IR was able to reach the TV from that spot. Keep up the good work, Andreas!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I also was astonished!

[@darktemp_de]

wow. really great video! I think every manager of companies which produce TVs/receivers etc. should watch this and make a system which interconnects everything that this kind of problem can be avoided.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe this is not what they want?

[@northshorepx]

Fabulous project Andreas! The style of the tutorial was very entertaining and you went through the engineering process (with mistakes) very well!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@asiw]

Excellent as usual. I had a similar problem but was able to locate my IR transmitter in a fairly large tree like plant at the back of our room. Just need to keep pruning the leaves around the transmitter occasionally.😊

[@AndreasSpiess]

Interesting and very good idea to hide the transmitter!

[@AB-pb8oo]

It is worth noting that there is such thing as "discrete IR commands" - they either turn TV off or on, or set particular HDMI input. Very useful for automation project when Arduino doesn't know which state TV is in.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, many devices do not use these discrete codes. Which creates a lot of headaches for automatic remote controls...

[@stevegelnett4469]

Great video! I'm thinking of a translator gizmo but I hadn't thought of calling it a Babel Fish. I love it.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@Retro_Care]

thanks, great video. I read comments here to get a universal remote but I understand that its also more fun to make it work with this remote.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Here, a universal remote would have a WAF of close to zero ;-)

[@ErnestGWilsonII]

Instead of using the optical cable to go to your Yamaha, try using one of the newer HDMI cables. The newer standard which is probably supported by both your Yamaha and Sony TV has bi-directional support on the HDMI cable. Turning up the volume on the TV will actually inform the Yamaha to turn the volume up. I have a similar Sony TV and a similar amplifier although mine is Onkyo and the HDMI has some very extremely handy two way communication built into that cable and protocol. In fact even switching inputs on your amplifier will automatically trigger the TV to come on and they communicate about their volume and understand that the Yamaha should be the audio amplifier. I think if you take some time and try out the latest HDMI cable you will find magic happens. There is a feature called HDMI CEC which provides two-way communication thereby only needing a single cable between your amplifier and television. The optical cable is no longer necessary and in fact lacks features the HDMI cable will give you. Certainly the Sony television supports HDMI CEC specifically to fix the situation which your video describes. The Yamaha amplifier most likely supports HDMI CEC and the bidirectional communication as well although it may not be turned on by default on the amplifier, you may need to find the Yamaha amplifier settings and enable automatic CEC. A final warning however, you must have a new or relatively new HDMI cable in order to support this two-way communication, the connector looks the same but I suspect additional wires or connections on the newer cabling makes a difference.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, my Yamaha has no HDMI connector (at least I did not find one). It is maybe too old :-(

[@ErnestGWilsonII]

@@AndreasSpiess that is unfortunate, at some point when you upgrade the amplifier receiver, I would definitely recommend getting one that has the newer HDMI capabilities specifically to address the problems you described. I think Yamaha has a nice new receiver, probably not very cheap, I ended up going with Onkyo to save some money, but any relatively new receiver with the newer HDMI CEC capabilities could solve this. I have a very similar Sony TV and it works like magic with the two-way communication over the HDMI CEC

[@CTCTraining1]

Great video, and I know the feeling about having to work hard to put the world back the way it was before the wife gets get up. My approach would have been to buy a universal remote control and overlay some double codes onto the keys ... but your method was probably better.

[@AndreasSpiess]

A universal remote seems to have a WAF of close to zero :-(

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Interesting idea, and I've done something similar in the past. But for my own entertainment center, I'm using a Logitech Harmony remote. A bit pricey, but they have this ingenious system where you don't have to constantly switch between devices you want to control. They use the concept of "activities" which can involve multiple devices, say a TV, a DVD player and an amplifier. Switching the remote to this activity will control the volume through the amp, the dvd playback through the DVD player, and the TV is simply switched to the DVD's input channel. Say you then want to listen to music, you switch activities and it will shut off the TV and DVD player, turn on the CD player or media player, and select the corresponding input on the amplifier. Volume is again controlled through the amp. And so on...

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, the set-top box uses 2.4GHz. And I am not sure if my wife would accept the change :-(

[@sirbiggle7748]

Nice to read about this solution. I had a similar Problem after changing a LG TV to a Hisense TV. Surprisingly the IR Codes are partially the same. But of course not the ones I needed. I wanted to switch the input channels by Alexa. So I sended the code for 'input' and got a list of avalable input channels and pressed 'left' or 'right' button via remote code. But the new hisense had a different button for that operation. the code for that was not documented. So i tired to send all possible 65000 codes and looked what happend on the tv. By that i discovered that the new tv had a particular code to switch dircectly to the required input channel. Of course one was missing since my tv was set to that particular input channel. But I found a source code to decode this remote protocol and due to the protocol format there were finally only 256 options to send a valid code. the missing one was quickly found and it works fine now. And i could find some additional features of the tv which are not accessible by menu or remote.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are a real "hacker". Congrats!

[@connecticutaggie]

Thanks for a fun story with some cool technical stuff. I have a similar challenge on both out upstairs and downstairs TVs. So far I have gotten them (mostly) to work with a single remote (the one for the Cable Box). That is not perfect though; so, the other remotes are on the table as well. I guess since it has never worked perfectly my wife has gotten used to the multiple remotes. Maybe I should not mess with that. The limitations are keeping the other remotes around. Your idea actually sounds like it might make a good product. If you changed the processor to an ESP32 you could configure it using a phone app.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope this will be a "make and forget" device which does not need any config in the future...

[@mvadu]

Ultimate aim in every man's life.. A happy wife.. Irrespective of country, culture or race.. One humanity..

[@AndreasSpiess]

Reading the comments: You are right!

[@jurgenmiemer3772]

Unbelievable ! A few days ago I had first thougts on how to get rid of the multiple remotes in my living room. I have a simular volume problem, as my TV-receiver can adjust volume, but the blueray don't, so i have to control volume on the amplifier. I also need to switch the projektor on/off and toggle the inputs on an HDMI-switch and of the amplifier. I was thinking about to use an esp togehther with an app, as we have a family-tablet there. But your idea would be more comfortable and even will get a higher accaptance from my wife. Great ! Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Hopefully, it will be as successful as mine ;-)

[@joinedupjon]

I guess some of the very early IR remotes used more power to transmit than modern ones do - my grandad had one and you could point it in any direction including directly away from the set and it'd still work - even standing outside the room and bouncing the light in off the wall worked. Probably putting the TX diode near the telly pointing back into the room will work pretty well as the inside corners of the room will retro-reflect.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are probably right with the reflections and maybe it would have been better to chose another direction for the IR diode. I did not test where the IR is reflected in my case.

[@lucasfarinhabosio6306]

Loved this idea! I'm doing something kinda similar to solve a problem with the Power button not working anymore on a special remote. I may try using low power modes and a battery instead of a power cable. The logic analyzer and sigrok are working wonders to keep this easy. Sigrok also has IR protocol decoders too.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did not know about the IR decoder of Sigrock. Thanks!

[@alfredschetelig2445]

Hello Andreas, great video! Did you really connect the 3W IR LED without any resistors? I could not find a datasheet... And can I connect the GATE of the MOSFET directly to the Arduino output? Referring to position 07:03.

[@AdityaMehendale]

I was half-expecting you to put a retro-reflector strip on your coffee-table and the Babelfish near the TV, pointing back at the reflector (and user).

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good Idea. But luckily not needed.

[@Conservator.]

आदित्य Aditya मेहेंदळे Mehendale With 3W I think you wouldn’t even need a reflector. The reflection of the wall would probably be enough. Works at my home if I point the standard remote (with new batteries) to the wall.

[@progandy]

I expected two low power IR diodes on long wires that would be hidden near the target devices.

[@crckdns]

Die Idee dahinter ist genial weil es so einfach ist! Klasse Video, vielen Dank für die Infos und Ideen 😸

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bitte, gern geschehen!

[@AlexandreLeone]

At least in my old Sony TV, the "turn of if idle" feature, is programmable in the settings menu, and can be disabled! Thanks for this one, my IO Yoda!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you are right with the TV. So far I did not try...

[@SJ-wn1zy]

A great idea with a very good presentation. It would be nice to see a detailed scheme with the values for the IR diode, FET, etc. (or did I overlook that?). Many Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did other videos about IR communication. Maybe you watch those?

[@roelskiunplugged1134]

Next: use an esp so you can add webpage for smartphone control. Also add sonoff to switch all devices really off (my old denon consumes a lot in standby) and of course automated panel to hide the TV ^^. Excellent video as always!!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

@Roelski: I think you have to watch the video again ;-) My wife set here the standard, not technical feasibility.

[@RichardBronosky]

Andreas Spiess my partner also refuses to use a phone to control the TV. Until the remote was lost for 3 days. I won't mention whose purse I found it in. That would be rude.

[@poclab]

What a story. Andreas, really pleasure to watching your videos.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@DougHanchard]

Bloody brilliant! The lesson for me is simple, if integration of analog and rich vacuum tube stereo equipment is desired with digital equipment, contact Andreas! It would be cheaper and more less stressful than buying all the bits and pieces along with the 3D Printer, diodes, more arduino boards (I've only been fooling around with the traditional arduino boards not the newer versions) and test gear, let alone programming that I would never have figured out. Though I am tempted to do so everytime you have a mailbag video... Well done Sir. At least, now we know, you will be a happy man with a happy wife that will not shut down your KZbin channel. Bye!!!! :-)

[@AndreasSpiess]

For the moment the channel will continue to run. And you see, there are always ideas for new projects ;-)

[@fuzzie4755]

What a great fun. Had a similar problem just a year ago. Maybe your wife and mine are sisters... Because of a more complex setup, the Receiver needs a replacement with ARC Return channel. Additional invest. Now we are back, that the TV control can do it all. Additionally switching ON/OFF the receiver and change to the right input. Nowadays you can skip the "remote send" topic, because most components like ONKYO and LG reacts quite well on RESTful requests. No line of sight required.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The other comments show that this topic, in addition to technical challenges, also has a strong human side. My wife laughed about her "sister". Maybe we find some more "sisters" when the video is public ;-)

[@ZaneDaMagicPufferDragon]

Andreas Spiess Definitely, if my wife isn't your wife's sister then she must surely be her Cousin!!! 😉😉😉

[@muppetpaster]

You CAN program this Horizon remote for use with other brand TVs. Just not for the amplifier.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right.

[@UnrealVideoDuke]

Next is to automate the opening and closing the front panel and timing of turning on and off each device when the power button is pressed.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe another project. But not easy to get the signal behind the door when it is closed :-(

[@ZaneDaMagicPufferDragon]

Happy Wife, Happy Life!!!! ;) I can't wait to get back home from my vacation and go to work with fixing my multiple remote setup and getting down to using one remote for the TV, BluRay, DVR, Stereo, Apple TV, and Cable Box and now thanks to your AWESOME VIDEO I can see that as a realistic possibility that didn't exist in my eyes 👀 and now my eyes were just opened up 👀 to the potential of ARDUINO AND IR DIODES!!!!!! Thank You for all of the great work that you have done and I can't wait 😊 for whatever is next!!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Enjoy your holiday! And good luck with your project.

[@gadjetsvideo]

I know this was a long time ago but if you need something similar you can use a Blitzwolf BW-RC1. Flash it with Tasmota and you can set-up a rule that triggers on a received IR message and sends another IR message and you can set-up multiple rules.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Also a good idea. The Tasmota rules are not simple (at least for me)...

[@gadjetsvideo]

@@AndreasSpiess I used MQTT to receive the two IR signals to get the correct structure then the rule is typed into the web console Rule1 ON IrReceived#Data=0xE0E040BF DO IRsend {"Protocol":"RC5","Bits":12,"Data":"0x40C","DataLSB":"0x2030","Repeat":0} ENDON and it worked, no need for Node Red, which was how I thought I was going to do it and it's much more wife friendly ;-)

[@chrisw1462]

But for at most $50 US, you could buy a universal remote, and just program it for your setup.. lol. As you have said, the codes are fairly standardized across a brand. The universal remote usually comes with a list (or a link to a list) where you look up your brand and model, and it gives you a code to punch into the remote. Sometimes you have to try a few different codes, but it works well for common brands like Yamaha and Samsung.

[@AndreasSpiess]

1. Our set-top box is at 2.4GHz 2. Here, a universal remote control has a WAF o close to zero.

[@PhG1961]

Interesting, really interesting. Btw, I was wondering, I think I heard the expression 'investment not really necessary' before... About the conclusion near the end of the video... 'a few happy hours in the basement'... Hours in the basement/lab/workshop are always happy ! Anyway, great entertainment and usefull information. Real life situations we all face on a regular base...

[@AndreasSpiess]

That is why I thought I share the project with you!

[@PhG1961]

@@AndreasSpiess We clearly understand each other...

[@RoterFruchtZwerg]

Hey, I made the same few years ago ;) Since I only use HDMI1 to HDMI4 on my Samsung TV but the remote has no convenient way to switch inputs, I made an IR transceiver that switches to HDMI1 when I press "1" on my remote, HDMI2 on "2" etc... I used a ProMini and powered it with an 18650. It runs for more than a year. You can use the pin change interrupt to wake the arduino when a signal is received. The IR receiver itself draws almost no current. However, the IR library has to be patched, because the timing of the first pulse will be reduced by the arduino taking time to wake up.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Interesting concept with interrupts. Would have been a solution for the "under the table" location. Did you document your project?

[@northshorepx]

Roter - what an excellent project. That seems to be a brilliant solution to making Andreas' solution even better. If you don't mind I have a few questions please? What kind of latency do you find on the power up process? And what are you using to manage the battery under and over charge protection? Thanks

[@RoterFruchtZwerg]

@@northshorepx I should still have the code... I'll have a look at it at the weekend and publish it somewhere. The wakeup delay is not much, but it is enough to shorten the first IR pulse so that the regular IR library won't read it anymore

[@RoterFruchtZwerg]

@@AndreasSpiess Sorry, no documentation... But I found the old code and uploaded it github.com/xsrf/ir-remapper

[@RoterFruchtZwerg]

@@northshorepx just posted the link to the code... The latency is about 2ms. I read the input voltage and when it gets too low I toggle MUTE as an indicator to recharge the battery.

[@renelefebvre53]

Très bonne vidéo qui me renseigne bien sur les codes IR et le moyen de les recevoir/émettre . Je vais étudier votre code dans le détail . Merci

[@AndreasSpiess]

The code is very simple. Fortunately.

[@TheRainHarvester]

This is a great idea! I wonder if smart phone IR will ever become more popular. Samsung s5 had IR.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I like smartphones. But not for all purposes.

[@noweare1]

I likes it ! Tough customers make us better makers! Great story.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@akj7]

Haha nice Video. Idea: Creating own remote using the Arduino Pro mini (3.3v) or ESP32 with deep sleep. It should have dedicated buttons to control the volumes. Advantages: Own design, no need for an external device. Disadvantages: Time consuming to build.

[@AndreasSpiess]

As mentioned: My wife does not want to have another remote :-(

[@pefu512]

Just curious: About 7:56 you refered to some other logic analyzer software and said it would have been illegal. What software and why?

[@AndreasSpiess]

The Salae Software which runs with these cheap devices. But you are not allowed to do it.

[@santopino2546]

Very nice, it's many years I was wanting to do something like that, but I have too many hobbies, I wanted to control my Daiken Ururu Sarara Air conditioner through a weekly timer. Unfortunately it only has a delay off right now. I have only one button for ON/OFF, hence the same code for both. I could read the multicolor status led or check the flap position as feedback. The IR remote is bidirectional, the remote has an LCD which shows the actual temperature and internal humidity, so it might be possible to use the receive IR as a feedback. Danke schoen.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Sounds like an interesting project. Maybe somebody else did it already and you find it with Google?

[@jafinch78]

I learned as "Happy Wife, Happy Life". :-) Great detail with iterations of design testing and correcting deviations from user requirements & spec.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Many others also referred to the slogan "Happy Wife, happy life". Seems to be the right one...

[@freeyourinnertube]

I use an ir hat for a d1 mini, got this linked to an mqtt server so that I can press one button and it will turn to my chromecast and change the av volume. Similarly it will turn multiple devices on or off and set the channels/volumes correctly. Not as powerful as yours, but works well.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea!

[@lmamakos]

Maybe parallel up a few more 3W IR LEDs and you can use the to make popcorn for movie night. I've found that painted walls in my home seem to do a wonderful job of reflecting IR remote signals!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Interesting idea!

[@AndersJackson]

You might want to consider putting many transmitters near the devices they want to control. They don't need to be as strong, so they can be connected in parallel.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. But I do not like cables :-(

[@janbernhardt2886]

Great stuff as always! Which lens angle did you use?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do no more remember. I bought a few and just used one.

[@kwazar6725]

I liked the arduino integration. You can expand on this concept. Perhaps integrate it into smarthome as a ir gateway etc... alexa? Or similar.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe another project...

[@gte24v]

Nice! And there was me thinking you were going to get into HDMI-CEC or something like that. Useful to know about the IR codes library, that will probably come in useful someday. Thanks. I wish I could more often convert complaints from She Who Must Be Obeyed into lab time, though when we upgraded, we stuck with the Samsung. :-)

[@AndreasSpiess]

It needs a sensitive ear to convert "female wishes" to lab time. And it does not happen too often :-(

[@martincerny9866]

There are universal remote controlers which you can set TV or manualy enter hex codes, but yeah, this is a solution too and pretty good one where you don't have to get use to another controler

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, the remote of the set-top box works on 2.4GHz...

[@martincerny9866]

@@AndreasSpiess That's unusual. So your own solution was the only option. Good work Andreas.

[@mikebrown7366]

Happy wife, happy life. Wife Acceptance Testing has driven my projects far beyond what I found to be acceptable. I certainly understand that their is a serious lack of appreciation for the amazing (IMO) accomplishments that we achieve as makers. My wife loves our home theater, Kodi, MythTV setup, but just doesn't understand why there are so many wires.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Even as a maker I do not understand a lot of things I use every day as a modern car.So we are not different, maybe we just understand different things ;-)

[@MrJamesbowen]

I would like to have seen more of the powerful IR emitter. I’ve been trying for years to build a powerful IR emitter without luck. Where did you get a 3watt Ir

[@Dust599]

Ebay, like everything else

[@ralfjahns3777]

This question came to my mind immediately also. Would be nice to have the exact product name or a link to it.

[@Conservator.]

James Bowen 3W? Do you want to control the neighbors TV too?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Usually, you find all the links in the video description.

[@christosmoutevelis4896]

Andreas has put all the links under the video , as usually . Please have a look

[@cyrusdadgar3370]

Did you use the 120 degree IR led? (vs. the 60 degree one) I'd imagine you'd want the widest pattern possible.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, I do no more remember which lens I used.

[@richardgrier4721]

I took a somewhat simpler approach with my new Sony 65" OLED TV. I connected to the amplifier analog R and L input to the headphone jack output on the TV. The TV remote controls volume as expected and the speaker amplifier level needed to be set manually only once to match the output level from the TV. OK, I admit, I still have three remote controls, because I couldn't figure out how to program the Sony remote to control the cable box ( it should have worked, but didn't) and my old DVR needs its own remote, though I use the DVR so infrequently that its remote would gather dust and spider webs -- except for a diligent house cleaner. I use Alexa to control the audio amplifier power. I could have used a babel, but sloth took over. I change the TV channel input only once or twice each week. My viewing is prosaic. I either watch sports, news, or I stream something from the internet using one of the built-in TV apps. The TV remote does 90% of the heavy lifting. Arguably, not so heavy. I didn't have a TV with a remote control until the 1970's, about the same time I started to have gray hair.

[@AndreasSpiess]

It seems the usage of TV is very different in each household. And here it is even very different between me and my wife. She still uses it the "conventional way" and I rarely watch TV anymore...

[@kubasienkiewicz7320]

you can reprogram remote :) hold vol - and tv off then input code and accept with rec

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, it does not work with the old Yamaha volume control.

A Logitech harmony would be too easy right? Sure that your box not controlled the TV via CEC?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Two problems to be solved: The set-top box works on 2.4 GHz and the famous WAF. The second being much harder.

[@lelandclayton5462]

Depends on how old the Samsung devices are, chances are since they were both Samsung they used the same codes. Newer Samsung devices that uses the "Smart Remotes" uses CEC or ARC. Lately the smart remotes are more bluetooth like as well making my job harder when trying to deploy a URC system. Not to mention AT&T switching to the ArrisVIP62232 boxes that use a faster RX/TX for the remotes.

[@muppetpaster]

@@AndreasSpiess Remote is programmable for other TV brands....For sure....I have the same and reprogrammed it.

[@andresleonphoto]

Thank you for the wonderful video, Andreas! Would you be able to share the circuit diagram you ultimately used for this project? Thank you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

It is the one shown plus a capacitor across VCC and GND

[@xces81]

Andreas, i have exactly the same remote, is there a map of all buttons you can share? e.g. the IR codes? I am especially interested to know if all buttons have an IR counterpart, or some are for example FM(?) only.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I only used the TV and the volume button. Most other buttons are on 2.4GHz

[@xces81]

@@AndreasSpiess That is unfortunate, can you hook up your test setup to see if the "A" or "RETURN" codes on the back of the Horizon remote actually send IR codes? A simple yes or no would be enough, since that would save me from making this exact same thing.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately I do not have the time to do that as everything is already in the boxes to have the lab available for the next video :-(

[@georgelewisray]

TECHNO-FUN:: great information both detailed and complete, presented with humor . . . THANKS!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@sledgeHammerRulez]

tx for your life experience and wisdom. I will make something similar but then as a IR proxy where I can send commands with the remote or with ethernet (smartphone wifi, home-assistant, ...) and this will "translate" it to the setopbox and/or tv.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Also a good idea!

[@kwazar6725]

Fun for sunday. No harmony? Did same thing in the pronto days. Ir blaster diy is cool especially babelfish multicore translator

[@AndreasSpiess]

I also once had a Pronto. RIP ;-)

[@tbavister]

Well done Andreas; tough audience!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@idogendel]

Just yesterday I was working on an Arduino clone for a ceiling fan remote control. Didn't use any libraries, the signal was simple enough to figure out. My signal came out identical to the original, but still didn't work. Only after a lot of debugging I realized that the fan remote was sending an *even* number of repeating commands, while my setup was sending three (I thought I was playing it safe, repeating the command three times!). Two worked, but one or three didn't. To be honest it's probably a matter of noise-reducing comparison of packets by the receiver, but who knows what goes on inside there.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good to know. My Sony also did not accept a single packet. But it did not care about even or odd ;-)

[@ggriner8203]

Sir, in all you do, you continue to be my hero! Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@meinsda5983]

Very Nice Andreas. I use them very Long time ago to switch on or of the analog Decoder from telekabel. But i used a self lern Code. But great work!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@gersonfer]

That's a real solution for a real life. Great job !

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@Numian]

Hello, you linked 850 nm LEDs but should't RC LEDs be 940 nm ones? Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not know. But another viewer asked the same question. An 850nm diode still sends some energy on 940 and a 940 receiver still receivers something on 850. I have visualization of IR on my list. Maybe this will be part of that video.

[@KennyMacDermid]

Is there any easy way to determine the carrier frequency without a scope? I suppose they're cheap enough to just try a few.

[@AndreasSpiess]

No, I do not think so. But most are on 38kHz

[@5s4l1p1fcw]

I used an Arduino Uno with a Vishay TSOP4838 IR receiver to capture raw IR codes using the IRLib2 library, for a Vizio TV. The problem is for every press of the same button (example: Volume up), I get different set of IR codes. And the funny part is I took all of those codes and embedded them in my Android app, and they all work. I was expected the same set of IR codes for a certain button every time I pressed it. Do you know why this happens? Thanks.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not know :-(

[@xbipins]

im in desperate need to build this as i have the same issue, can you kindly let me know what nm LED with what angle, 60 or 120 degrees was used and what degree lens was used?

[@AndreasSpiess]

940 nm and 60 degrees should be ok

[@xbipins]

@@AndreasSpiess ok so the link in the description to that ir led is incorrect for aliexpress. I'm assuming your running the ir led over 5v vcc and 0.5a or else without a resistor wouldn't it burn it?

[@GeertGoossens]

would this be easy with an esp8266 or 32? I just want to turn my tv on with my domoticz home automation (so would want to send a signal via wifi that the tv can turn on... )

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did this in another video. Here I desperately needed a Babel Fish ;-)

[@plouf1969]

Probably your best video. And I've seen many of them, big fan :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@xbipins]

i built a similar board, just wanted to know whats the power supply voltage and current that you supplying the board with?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not remember, but usually I use 5 volts

[@xbipins]

@@AndreasSpiess I used USB port which gives 5v and 500ma and if I don't use resistor the ir led burns

[@AndreasSpiess]

You always have to limit the current in the LEDs. If I remember right I referred to other videos talking about that.

[@NivagSwerdna]

and Happy Viewers. Nice project realisation.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@lydiakrifka-dobes3710]

Vielen Dank fuer deine tollen Videos! This video was very clear yet I am a little stuck with trying to build something like this for my usecase. I have built a tripple pendulum for an artist a few years ago. Now I want to repurpose this project and add two IR receivers on the lower most pendulum arms and four emitters on the base of the pendulum. I want user to swing, the program detect and specify when the receiver "detects" so that I can play a different sound and can differentiate between IR led1, IR led2, IR led3.. First though was to program different short bursts for led1, led2, led3, led4. Then there is the issue of delay, etc. I could maybe use IR remote lib and change code for "Sender" like the below and have for each a different sCommand = something. // led1 uint16_t sAddress = 0x0102; uint8_t sCommand = 0x34; uint8_t sRepeats = 0; // led2 uint16_t sAddress = 0x0102; uint8_t sCommand = 0x35; uint8_t sRepeats = 0; ... Maybe with the 0x102 (too much delay for my project). What do you think?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not know because I do not know the exact requirements. But keep in mind that the light of two LEDs can add and therefore make it impossible for the receiver to decode one particular signal.

[@mihaiignat8429]

Hello, Andreas. Do you have a link for the logic analyzer (affiliate maybe)? I would like to buy one and it would be helpful if you could point out the one you bought so I know that it is a tested product. Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I added a link in the description.

[@stepkaf]

Dear Andreas, we have same kind of remote from UPC and I'm pretty sure u can just change it communication mode for different TV brand. Unfortunately those steps are described in Czech so I'll do my best to translate it. 1. Turn on your sep-top-box 2. Aim remote to STB and simultaneously press and hold volume up and signal source (top-middle button). After 5 Seconds TV power button should indicate red. Release those button 3. Now using numbers enter code based on brand LG 1628 Panasonic 2153 Philips 2195 Samsung 2448 Sharp 2550 Sony 2679 Toshiba 3021 TCL 2856 Thomson 2972 4. Now you should be able to turn off tv using TV power button on remote. If not, according to manual you should try step 2 again. 5. Press REC button to save configuration Source: www.upc.cz/pdf/pece-o-zakazniky/navody/digitalni-televize/HD_DVR_Mediabox_prirucka_pro_samoinstalaci.pdf page 5 Hope this will be somehow useful. Cheers

[@AndreasSpiess]

A few other viewers said the same thing. It was new to me. But I am also not sure if it would work with this old Yamaha amplifier which was not made for that purpose...

[@markusrohner9452]

Can someone post the schematic please (what kind of resistor?, on Andreas' breadboard was also a capacitor?) How to find the Anode on the IR LED? Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

You find the anode by trying. Reverse polarity does not kill an LED.

[@manickn6819]

This was a great video. I enjoyed this one more than usual.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you! I enjoyed it also during creation.

[@mheys1]

I thought Sony and Samsung used different carrier frequencies, isn't it something like 38khz and 45khz? How does one module decode both?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did not care about it. It just worked. And I am also not sure if they really use 45kHz. Maybe somebody else knows more.

[@mheys1]

@@AndreasSpiess I've just checked and it's 38 and 40 so I guess its close enough to just work.

[@Hasitier]

Really nice story. I could imagine my wife reacting in a similar way.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@SurajGrewal]

Can an attiny85 be used with same babble fish code?

[@northshorepx]

That's what I was thinking. Perhaps it's worth having a go?

[@AndreasSpiess]

It should be possible. But the price difference is not huge...

[@georgekot6377]

Absolutely great video in more ways than one :) Thank you Andreas.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@josedourado3747]

I have a Sony remote needing a 960khz ceramic resonator. I can't find it anywhere......murata doesn't produce them anymore

[@NiHaoMike64]

A 1MHz crystal would probably be close enough to work - remote controls aren't exactly precision instruments.

[@josedourado3747]

@@NiHaoMike64 never tried it but people say it doesn't work