Hey there!
I'm working on a simple internet controlled IR Remote, but I ran in a problem I just can't explain.
I'm recording the IR codes and playing them back, and that's working flawlessly - for must stuff. I can control my TV, toys, some remote controlled fans, the car radio, but air conditioners simply won't accept my signals!
First, I was using a single LED connected directly to the arduino and I had to get REAL close to the AC unit sensor for it to work (1 inch/2cm approx.), so I thought I was just not driving the IR LED properly.
I'm now triggering 5 IR LEDs in series using a BC338 and a 3.3ohms resistor on the collector, plus a 560 ohms for the base. It still doesn't trigger the AC! Now it won't work even if I get really close to it. All the other stuff are still working, and using a camera, the LEDs are shining a lot brighter.
Things I've tried:
- Sending the code multiple times
- Sending it in various frequencies (35 to 40khz)
- Using the code from a generic universal remote
- Sending a "blank" (4 bytes of 0xFF) burst right after the signal (some IR codes read that)
Here's an example of data extracted from my IR sensor:
gelado18[BIT_LEN] = 11;
gelado18[BIT_START_H] = 180;
gelado18[BIT_START_L] = 90;
gelado18[BIT_DATA_H] = 11;
gelado18[BIT_DATA_L] = 34;
gelado18[BIT_DATA_LEN] = 6;
gelado18[BIT_DATA + 0] = 193;
gelado18[BIT_DATA + 1] = 96;
gelado18[BIT_DATA + 2] = 0;
gelado18[BIT_DATA + 3] = 64;
gelado18[BIT_DATA + 4] = 0;
gelado18[BIT_DATA + 5] = 0;
I'm using an Arduino Mega 1280 and a random library I've found on the internet (it was the only I could find that would compile and work without having to mess a lot with the code).