Using Inexpensive 433 MHz RF Modules with Arduino

[@TinFoot]

Video quality as well as crisp graphics are to die for. I particularly like the way you display hooking up wires. The colored line that starts from one point then seems to run across the screen until it terminates is very clever. Thank you for taking the time to create each project. I know it is time consuming.

[@mrmatias2618]

I wish I could spend my summer internship with you mentor. Indeed, you’re gifted teacher. 🎖🎖🎖All the best from Angola 🇦🇴

[@emylrmm]

**important note** place a 100uF cap between VCC & GND close to the receiver. Any small ripple or noise or small abrupt changes in VCC will be amplified by the RX circuit and will show up as an output transition on the RX pin. This receiver has a lot of gain between VCC and DATA out, and that makes it very sensitive ( very twitchy ) to noise or tiny changes on VCC ) if you run this from the VCC supplied from the Arduino board, then I would still recommend some bypassing right close to the VCC&GND on the receiver board.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Have you tried a 0.01uf ceramic cap in this location? This is the typical value I reach for in such cases.

[@Zerosoul191]

YOUR COMMENT SAVED ME THANKS SO MUCH!!! my coding works after i put 100uF at 5v and GND at the transmitter

[@emylrmm]

@Zerosoul191 I'm happy to hear that!

[@bleakrevel]

Absolutely yes, thank you. People like yourself make it easy for us to build project in a much shorter period of time. In my case I want to use the rf modules to keep two Arduinos in sync whilst controlling two sets of addressable LEDs

[@TeddyB1957]

I tried one of those rx/tx pairs and could get it to work no matter what I did. So I gave up on the project. That was 4 years ago. This is the first video I've seen that explained how to use the rf modules and by watching your video I FINALLY know what was wrong. I saw the little coiled wire on the transmitter and receiver and assumed those were the antenna. Once you explained that an external antenna is required to get more than a couple of centimeters of range I realized that was my problem. My experiments had the two arduino about a foot apart and when it was not working I thought maybe they are too close so I moved the transmitting arduino across the room but that didn't solve the problem so in total frustration I gave up and moved on. Fours years later and I stumble on your video and watched it and thought wow...I can not believe that is all that was wrong. THANK YOU!!!

[@simonmailhot4260]

Did you connect togather 2 GND of 2 Arduinos? I think it ia my problem. Thanks

[@anthonyfudd6040]

This channel is like Mr Roger's Neighborhood for nerds. Love it!! Keep up the good work, Dronebot!

[@royfrenzel1704]

Sir, your videos are like your workshop: Clean, well organized, and full of useful stuff. I have learned a lot from you. Thank you!

[@opalko67]

This is too cool. I bought a 433Mhz set similar but not exactly like the one you used. No documentation with components and I had no idea how to use until today. Thank you for this great teaching video. Hope you're doing well.

[@omskariyazmaraikayer913]

A lot of planning and hard work must have gone in making these videos. I am a little ashamed to just say thank you . Thank you Sir.

[@Ciiads]

❤️👍

[@clixium]

Ive bought these modules a year ago, only difference mine are tiny size, 1cm by 1cm, never had a need to use till now. Your tutorial helped me to connect everything and get it running in just over 5 min, thanks

[@captainpugwash4100]

An excellent guide to the 433MHz modules. The trick with adding a 17.3cm wire to the GND really improved the range. Just one thing is slightly misleading and that is the buffer size. You imply that the buffer size should be equal to the message length, whereas it should be equal to or greater than the expected message length. Just a friendly hint, for those who take things literally!! I have to correct my statement a little. Some buffer sizes, longer than the expected string length, will return the correct string, whereas others seem to add spurious characters. If you use this fixed buffer length, I guess there are going to be problems when the length of the floating point temperature goes under 10 degrees C down to zero or below -9.9 degrees C, as the whole string length changes by one character. It may be better to read the raw data string, i.e. 40 bits, and transmit that to the receiver to do the checksum and conversion work! Just MHO.

[@williamkohl8081]

The SDR (software Defined Radio) is a great tool for working with the transmitter module. You tune the radio to 433mhz and you can see the signal. It will tell you if you are transmitting . I found a dead transmitter this way. Also you can determine the exact frequency it is transmitting on when the radio is calibrated. Also you can see how your body interferes with the radio.

[@NickCornaglia]

I watch your videos and look forward to the next like TV shows. Keep up the hard work! It would be cool to see a series of an ongoing project where each episode teaches a new part of the project.

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Glad you are enjoying them, as long as you are I'll keep making them. I actually was thinking of doing something like you suggested, I have a few robotics projects on the go that would be much too long for a single video (even for me).

[@lunatik9696]

@@Dronebotworkshop I think there is a lot to be said for viewership and shorter videos overall. Maybe a multi-part sequence on a series of related topics. Just started watching your vids. Really like them. Just a little long for one sitting.

[@vishaltaneja2976]

I like your channel the way you are teaching is good..you are not showing off anything ..you are just doing your job unlike many other people....

[@roberto660260]

thanks bill for how you explain the topics from time to time. for the truth from my point of view I have to thank you twice .. The first for the way in which it presents the topics, complete, simply and in their essentiality. the second .. your pronunciation in English, for someone like me (Italian) who does not know English perfectly, I can follow the words and understand almost perfectly. I think you have a "gift" .. know how to explain complex things in a simple way but with a great experiencer behind. Many thanks BILL

[@colepdx187]

I'm so envious of your workshop. Very impressive and great lessons. You've been a huge help in my quest to learn micro-controller programming. Thank you.

[@scottsmith6658]

Impeccable video. One thing I noticed is that you are sizing your receive buffers to the exact length of the expected string, without accounting for a terminating null character ('\0'). Since you're passing in buffer length to the ASK library receive function, I expect that it's not writing a 25th null byte at the end. Later down in the code, you're using things like strlen() and println(), which depend upon a properly null-terminating string. Your code appears to work fine, but I suspect it's due to the compiler adding zero-padding between the 'buf' and 'buflen' variables for word-alignment, or maybe just uninitialized stack being full of zeroes. I mention this because it's somewhat delicate... reorder your variables or change some seemingly arbitrary detail (like length of the message), and it may stop working properly.

[@eideticgoone7035]

Agreed. I looked at :recv() in RH_ASK.cpp. It copies at most len, or less depending. Then it returns the actual number of bytes copied into len. It doesn't null terminate the string. It doesn't really consider it a c-string, just a uint8_t buffer. Then in the code above, this buffer is cast to a (char*) for printing. No one is adding a NULL at the end of the c-string. He must be getting lucky. Perhaps as you say because the compiler is padding out the stack with zeros. It doesn't seem necessary to do this, as the declaration of buflen comes immediately after the declaration of buf, and is also 8-bits long. I'm not sure, but looks like luck.

[@alibayati5704]

Bill ... you and your workshop are fantastic. One of the best educational channel for Arduino, on youtube! Keep going dude ! :-)

[@ufohunter3688]

You have the best crash courses on the planet.

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Wow, the whole planet? Thank you so much, you made my day!

[@EagleClawPK]

Planet? I would say, in known universe :)

[@adlapl]

Nice joke or "marketing" ...

[@hadireg]

@@Dronebotworkshop Indeed! ;-)

[@madhurideshpande8631]

@@Dronebotworkshop sir I have just started with these modules so this video is like a guide to me. Thank u very much sir loves from India

[@marian20012]

I have tried it and it works. I tried another libraries and examples but nothing worked but your tutorial did. Thank you very much.

[@YvesQuemener]

This video made me realize I inverted data and Vcc on my transmitter and yet it worked. A testament at how simple the circuit actually is I guess.

[@randydrennen6084]

Exceptional! Yours is the first channel I have ever subscribed to. And I am a technician/engineer with almost 40 years experience. It is that good.

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Wow Randy, I am honored. Thank you so much for subscribing, I'll do my best to make it worth your subscription.

[@ferdiefajardo2255]

One of the best if not the best tutorial for RF module and arduino.... Thank you for sharing, it will help us newbies in this world of arduino.

[@kimharkins8017]

HUGE help!!! After watching this video, was able to help my son build a transmitter that sends an alert message after tripping a tilt switch. Thank you!

[@hemong_edits12]

This was really helpful, since I am starting a youtube channel like you. Awsome work. Got yourself another subscriber. :) Keep it up.

[@carlossolorzano8530]

This video literally saved my life right now... This channel is amazing, very clean video, very well explained, thank you so much

[@DisgruntledPigumon]

Carlos Solórzano and by literally you mean figuratively. 🤦‍♂️

[@DougHanchard]

A few comments on a very good video presentation on 433 spectrum radio usage. In Canada, the CRTC is the regulatory affairs organization for Commerical Radio and Television operators. Actual spectrum management and technical compliance standards are managed and regulated by Industry Canada, a Federal Government Agency. My second point for users wanting to use this spectrum is to be aware 433 MHz is the frequency range allocated for RFID use in many countries. I'm not sure what the latest FCC Regulations are for the U.S. Here is a link to Industry Canada 433 MHz and other ISM bands; www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01320.html

[@sal_peter]

Very well-explained. I like how you point to other resources if one wants to expand the project or learn more

[@jackredig6924]

Thank you very much for the interesting and neat lessons. For me it is like a gift - I learn a lot each time I watch one of your videos, as if I had a personal teacher. You must spend hours and hours to prepare, record and edit the lessons. I fear a lot of people think you choose a subject, play a little with the idea and record what you do - DONE ! But I can imagine you spend a lot of time, just to give us means to understand and explore electronics. Thank you !

[@skeatz1]

Great tutorial! Very clear explanation with just the right amount of details. Love the code examples and the accompanying write-up too. Thanks.

[@ThomasWassa]

I really enjoy Dronebot Workshop videos! Great job!

[@RahulJain-rj6jw]

You are seriously amazing. You explain so well that anyone can understand. Really helped me

[@JerryEricsson]

Thanks a million. I have had several of these little sets in my parts box now for several years, never really sat down to figure out exactly how to use them though. My need is for an outdoor thermometer mounted under the hood of my Class A Motor Home. She is an 03 but the makers never saw fit to put that system in the rig. I would like to have the output to an LCD display and combine it with an electronic compass that is also missing in the rig. Since we travel all winter, in the American South West, both devices are almost necessary, as of yet we are depending on our cell phone apps for compasses and have one of those home indoor-outdoor thermometers mounted on the Drivers Side wall but it is back in the dining area next to the booth, so not viewable while traveling, and is not wireless, it has a sensor that goes out one window and I have glued to the exterior wall of the rig. This tutorial should get me running with my system, I have may arduino's available in several types so building the devices should be a breeze, it is just the software that had me stumped this far, you have shown me the way, so thanks again!

[@bryanst.martin7134]

Fix it yet?

[@CXensation]

Great video ! It demonstrates the basic setup needed for a remote temperature sensor, which can be used for your central heating systems climate correction curve. You just need to fiddle with the correct choise of components and arduino code, to have the sender use as little current as possible, thus making the battery last for a couple of years.

[@oladunk9986]

For better results try a different and better receiver called RXB6, a little more expensive. The transmitter can be powered with up to 12 Volts. The maximum datarate is about 2000 bits per second. Enough to transmit small messages from temp and humidity sensors like DHT11 or DHT22, or LM35, TMP36 temp only. For even longer range you can try nRF24L01. Range here is about 1km in open air with a good antenna using 2.4GHz. Very good tutorial as usual. Thanks.

[@codebeat4192]

Very well explained, the antenna length of 17,3 cm is a great advise. You said something like there is no split function, maybe it is a good idea to stimulate to create one, a function, and put into your toolbox (a library - toolbox.h|toolbox.cpp) so you don't have to invent the wheel next time you need such function. In the arduino community I dicovered people repeat similar steps over and over again, they using libraries of others however don't create libraries themselfs. As result, you will notice large sketch files with just a few changes (copy-paste) and horrible to maintain. People must start/must learn to create functions to split the problem into reusable parts/snippets, especially when project starts small and extend over time (it usually does). Supporting this method of developing a solution will be a great addition to your channel and the very clear explained content. Keep up the good work ;-)

[@apostoloschatzopoulos9256]

i can say the only guide out there that helped me to establish a simple communication!

[@venkatyalamati3285]

Sir, Your channel is awesome... Very good quality content with clear explanations... I just have read your article given in the description... It's really amazing 🙏

[@AlistairMcKinnon]

Great Video. Just a note, you can have two instances of the Arduino IDE going connected to two Arduinos each with their own Port, so you can have transmit in one and receive in the other and monitor both Serial streams.

[@pyromaniac1695]

"So for less than a cup of coffee, you can add radio communications capabilities to your arduino projects" but how do i do the project without my cup of coffee :'(

[@johanfer]

Pyromaniac, I can enjoy a good cup of coffee, but do you really mean that it is difficult for you to work without an infuse of coffee in your system or you just said it for the comical aspect of the comment?

[@omar10wahab]

@@johanfer you're a dumbass. If you ever thought you were smart, think again

[@yadusolparterre]

wrong teacher ;)

[@jeffjefferson2676]

You want to use it as a way to set things off from a distance. Lets say for a rocket, or some fireworks? Your name actually implies something along those lines. Am i right?

[@JonnyLee]

@@johanfer ugh

[@jameswang6714]

One of the best tutorials I ever saw. Thanks for your great effort.

[@felipegutierrezrojas2212]

Wow, before i have seen you, i thought you were young, you have a young clear voice! Perfect for people who don't speak english just like me.

[@sumedhburbure4173]

Your explainations are on point. Thank you for sharing your knowlegde with the electronics community. It helps specially for the beginners like me. Love from India :)

[@Dronebotworkshop]

And love back to you from Canada! My father was from India so I'm half-Indian myself.

[@sumedhburbure4173]

This is awesome!

[@jimweatherhead7154]

Excellent. Just what I was hoping to achieve with my temperature, pressure and humidity weather station as the British weather can be a little unpredictable. I may even expand it to include wind speed. Thank you very much for a detailed and well explained video. Keep up the good work.

[@alexvonbosse5090]

Thank you for this informative video! I have several projects where I want to make use of Arduino's capabilities, but I got a long way to go to figure out the proper way to make everything to talk to each other and write the proper sketch! Thanks for sharing and keep up your great work!

[@MShahbazKharal]

I love this man, he really gives details about what he is doing.

[@jdga375]

Thank you so much for making this. This information will really help me with my EE capstone project!!!

[@lunatik9696]

One of the best parts of these viedeos are all the real world devices one can use.

[@venkatyalamati3285]

And your workshop looks great and clean 🙂

[@sylwiachaber9667]

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation of this difficult topic in a simple example. This is the best movie on this subject I've ever seen. You are so great - Full professionalism. Thank you very much for creating a great channel. I'm glad I discovered your channel. Best Regards.

[@MrBobWareham]

That is the problem when you are so good you will be in great demand it's your own fault for being so good!! love the channel keep up the work your awesome and you smiled nice Bob in the UK

[@daddy3d1972]

That is the cleanest most organised electrical desk I have ever seen!

[@ehvway]

I really love your video's sir! I really love the neatness of your workshop! A real feast for the eyes and mind!

[@Osmanity]

Were have you been all my life. VERY VERY good explanation and detail in every aspect. Love the way you explan, THANK YOU!!!

[@davidhawkins3820]

First, let me say that I thoroughly enjoy the quality and content of your videos. I am working on a project that enables me to have a remote throttle for a 25hp 2 stroke engine. The distance will ALWAYS be less than 4 feet. Of the various transmitter and receiver types I've seen you and others present, which would be best for this. I also need to consider wire shielding from the noise created by the spark generation for the motor. It is my intention to use some type of servo at the throttle and a hand held, remote throttle.

[@youpattube1]

I have been kicking around this same idea for a couple of years. How is your project coming along ?

[@bernardwells9549]

Brilliant videos. Am looking at the IR controller section. Extremely well described! Thank you so much.

[@jaimelopez7486]

Another excellent video, I admire your commitement to quality, appreciate very much your contributions. Thank you so much,

[@bluehornet6752]

The c_str() function converts a String (class) object into a C-style array of characters. Specifically, it returns a constant char pointer, which is used to point to array of characters that are null-terminated to make them a (C style) "string".

What a great video, thank you for your samples and especially great comented codes! :) It make me happy

[@mikekendig6781]

I really like all of your videos. Your method of teaching is great. Keep up the great work.

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Thai is very kind of you to say, thank you Mike.

[@bernardbritton3925]

Good tutorial! would like to see the sketch for adding a dip switch on each board to pair the TX & RX boards.

[@shingabiss]

Top notch high quality video! Very well presented and quite helpful to me, thanks.

[@toms4123]

Very helpful. Clear and easy to understand

[@paultrgnp]

A well prepared and crafted piece of education. Thanks for your time and effort.

[@ehsanrezaei1512]

amazing project and perfect presenting. I love your work desk!

[@picapupxy8949]

Why is this guy's voice so likable?

[@rwitriol]

Very nice production values. Content well presented. Thank you.

[@clairsmyers3571]

Thank you! I have an extra class Ham Radio license! This is interesting. Thanks for the video!

[@PakiNewsNetwork]

I've learned a lot from you. Thank you, Sir.

[@oatlord]

Your workshop is the type of shop I imagine God used while creating things.

[@EduardoAvelar]

Thanks for the amazing job. The way you explain and the calm of your speech is like a music for us. I would also to see some tutorial about power rf transmitter for an application like a remote weather station located in a mountain transmitting weather data about the location over a period of time for research purpose for example. Thanks.

[@abd-elrahmanmohamed9839]

You are great in explaining things in awesome style

[@h4tt3n]

This is really great! Very, very detailed and thorough tutorial.

[@randywetzler5976]

Great job as always Bill! Thanks for sharing all these wonderful videos. As a newbie to programming I'm stumped on the proper way to convert the temperature string line to Fahrenheit. I played around with different variations of ...( - Temperature * 1.8) + 32) but can't quite get there when compiling. In addition, it would be neat to add the Date and Time to each line print out.

[@abbagang3844]

You would need an RTC module for date and time

[@MrMarkatgrc]

Congrantulations! We Thank you very much !

[@salimsaddaquzzaman6794]

Happy little transmitter has a friend named receiver. Great. Subscribed

[@magiceireann]

Caffeinated viewers may need to use 1.4x to feel comfortable but thank you Bill for the videos

[@ingemargrip3073]

Super informative and really educational! I am going to build my first DIY rc car for my kids and know I think I now how to, thanks to you.

[@lyleengelbrecht4119]

Very well presented with Authority just started and find it very int but lots of FINE detail, diff to Remember it all Esp if you have multi interests and busy with lots of hobbies Otherwise a First Class Presentation

[@martinthall3669]

The Canadian counterpart to the FCC is Industry Canada which is responsible for the enforcement of the Radio Communications Act in Canada. This was the responsibility of the Department of Communications. The CRTC regulates the big broadcasters and large telecommunication companies such as Bell Canada and Rogers Communications .

[@piratewhoisquiet]

Excellent explanation and demonstration. Concise and informative. Love it, thank you so much

[@cliffordhallam3270]

Great video. Simple steps and easy to take in. Especially like the script explanation.

[@chandrurn]

, I would say you are the organised man ever I have come across, to keep the work place so neat and perfect, awesome, and what a crisp and clear explanations, wonderful, love to listen

[@saltzliu]

You are doing a very good job

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Thank you, very kind of you to say.

[@jon_raymond]

No, thank you for sharing this information with us! I learn so much from your videos. Keep up the great work.

[@yossrysawaby3447]

Thank you so much for detailed and beautiful explanation. You are a talented teacher! ( I also like so much your workshop!)

[@lukedwornik7535]

Awsome job! Very well explained. I learnt a lot and that helps my project. Thank you. Keep doing such videos, thats amazing.

[@clarkso65]

So far the most concise explanation, Thank you!

[@omsingharjit]

Can we make received signal analogy by Removing or bypassing the comparator ?

[@jeffjefferson2676]

Cool project! I ordered some BME 280 chips for arduino, those have pretty sensitive humidity, temperature, and pressure meters build in them. These modules you are using might be neat to use for building a weather station! Greetings, Jeff

[@tpobrienjr]

Thanks for another excellent explanatory video and demo.

[@sritamroy4430]

Great teaching technique.Thank you Sir.Waiting for more and more.

[@madhurideshpande8631]

Hello Sir can I use an arduino uno and nano for making this as both are arduino boards?? Plz doo help sir...

[@KommaAchtKommaEins]

Terrific. I've started tinkering with Arduinos yesterday with a Hall effect sensor and LEDs. And I'm sure that RF communication is simple enough so that even I can handle that. Thanks for your calm and relaxed explanation, the good audio and a prime example of how cleaned up a workshop can look like. :)

[@leoponce82ponce]

best videos ever.. please never stop posting!

[@markkennard861]

Man when you getting old learning C is hard. Best I could do is blink a led in Morse code. Now Analog I get !

[@campanariodiademaadbsetor2607]

meu amigo, adimirei de ver sua bancada e sua super organizacao desses potinhos guarda-componente, igual um conglomerado de formigas se organizando para um bom trabalho, ta de parabens.

[@typingcat]

The module's name was difficult to discover. It was in the description, "bRF24L01", but searching Google with that did not give much information or where to buy. It seems that 433Mhz is not the feature of that particular hardware. Just search Google for "433Mhz Arduino" instead. I have found a $1 module that looks similar to the ones in the video, on an online store in my country. That module was named "DM2146".

[@TerryD15]

I like your excellent style of teaching, easy and relaxed, very much like a college lecturer - clear, concise and very understandable making the access to such knowledge open and straightforward. I have subscribed to your excellent series and look forward to enjoying your company in future videos. As a newcomer to Arduino I have a question which I hope you can answer. Once I have tested the system on the uno as you suggest could I substitute a nano for the uno? Thanks for your effort in making these videos, it must involve much work.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

Interesting and useful. I need to look to see if you have done a video on controlling a stepper motor using rf type modules. I'm working on a small antenna rotator for the loft.

[@allenpitts1]

Transmitting between the two modules 'manually' that is without the Arduino is mentioned at about ten minutes into the video. Where could one find more info on a single channel transmission without the Arduino? Thanks. Allen in Dallas