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[on:]

I have a 940nm infrared LED emitter, an infrared receiver (phototrans clear, whatever that means), and all of the necessary components for a standalone Arduino... 16 mhz resonator, a few resistors, 9v battery, +5 v regulator, and a 3v LED.  What I want to do is use the infrared emitter and receiver together to create an interactive LED.  Simply, when I wave an object over the infrared receiver I want the LED to light up, and to stay off when nothing is within a certain distance of the receiver ( preferably 20cm or so).  So I believe I have it all hooked up correctly.  The infrared LED is hooked up to digital pin 13 to emit a constant infrared light.  Right next to it on the breadboard I have the infrared receiver which is hooked up to ground and analog pin 2, to receive the infrared signal bouncing off of something.  Finally, I have the regular LED attached to digital pin 12, to emit light when the receiver receives infrared.  There is a barrier between the infrared LED and receiver.  Here is my code....  I think I just need a better way of stating what the input actually is and communicating that with code. 

void setup()

{
pinMode(13,OUTPUT);
pinMode(12,OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(13,HIGH);
digitalWrite(12,LOW);
}

void loop()

{

val = analogRead(2);

if(val > 0)
{
digitalWrite(12,HIGH);
}
}


Now, I think my problem is with the if (val > 0)..... I'm not sure if the receiver would input information like that..... PLEASE HELP!!

[Reply #1 on:]

Well, you haven't declared "val", so we'll assume it is an "int".
If you read an analogue pin, unless it is nailed to ground, it will almost certainly read > 0, so that might need some attention too.

The infrared LED is hooked up to digital pin 13

...via a suitable resistor, I assume?

I have the regular LED attached to digital pin 12

...ditto.

I think you may be a little optimistic expecting a 20cm range.

[Reply #2 on:]

Sorry, yes I have declared it as

int val = analogRead(2)... just forgot it in the post.

the LED to pin 13 is via a 220 ohm resistor, as well as with the LED in pin 12. 

Do you believe my code should work?  .. (adding int val = analogRead(2)...)???
Also, How could I test the input using the serial() function??


Thanks.

[Reply #3 on:]

You could print the value read from the analogue input.

[Reply #4 on:]

You might get better results if you flash the LED on and off and check the input for a change between those two states.  That will help filter out background light.

Code:

int onVal = 0;
int offVal = 0;

// Take 10 samples with the light ON and OFF
for (i=0; i<10; i++)
    {
    digitalWrite(IRLED, HIGH);
    onVal += analogRead(IRTRANS);
    digitalWrite(IRLED, LOW);
    offVal += analogRead(IRTRANS);
    }

if ((offVal - onVal) > THRESHOLD)  // Value to be determined experimantally
   {
   //  Light up the LED
   }
else
   {
   // Turn off the LED
   }

   

[Reply #5 on:]

What is pulse in and would that help me here? 

[Reply #6 on:]

What is pulse in and would that help me here? 

PulseIn() measures the length of a pulse on an input pin.

No, that would not help you here.

[Reply #7 on:]

Your best bet would be to flash the LED at 38kHz, and use a 38kHz IR remote receiver to detect it - as johnwasser has pointed, it will give you better immunity to noise.

[Reply #8 on:]

OK thanks, new question though.  I got it to work fairly well by pulsing the infrared LED, but only while everything is attached to the arduino.  When I put everything on a breadboard for a standalone, it does not work the same, even though I have a 9v battery hooked up and a +5 voltage regulator??? Why would it not work the same? The only difference is the power?  My only thought is that the arduino uses a 16 mhz crystal with 2 capacitors while the stand alone uses a 16 mhz resonator.  Could that be it?

[Reply #9 on:]

OK thanks, new question though.  I got it to work fairly well by pulsing the infrared LED, but only while everything is attached to the arduino.  When I put everything on a breadboard for a standalone, it does not work the same, even though I have a 9v battery hooked up and a +5 voltage regulator??? Why would it not work the same? The only difference is the power?  My only thought is that the arduino uses a 16 mhz crystal with 2 capacitors while the stand alone uses a 16 mhz resonator.  Could that be it?

Does the stand-alone unit run a simple sketch like Blink?  Is it blinking at the right rate?  If so, your standalone system is in pretty good shape.

Could it be that you forgot to connect +5v to the AVCC (Analog VCC) pin?  The A/D converter gets a separate voltage input so it can be better isolated from electrical noise.  That would keep your analog inputs from working.

[Reply #10 on:]

Yes that is definitely connected.  I got it to work with my hand above the sensor at about 15 cm when connected to the arduino, but not even when I touch the receiver when on the breadboard.  The weird thing is, if I bring the breadboard setup into the pitch black bathroom, my LED will turn on and I can interfere a little with my hand above the sensor???? I know the IR led is emitting because I can see it with my phone's camera.  Any other suggestions?  I am pretty sure everything is set up correctly on the breadboard.  The LED does do a simple blink perfectly if I program it to do that.  Here is my code btw....  it works beautifully with the arduino... but not at all with the standalone.


void setup()

{
 
  pinMode(13,OUTPUT);
  pinMode(12,OUTPUT);
 
}

void loop()

{
  int receiverVal = analogRead(A0);
  digitalWrite(12,HIGH);
  delayMicroseconds(5);
  digitalWrite(12,LOW);
  delayMicroseconds(5);
 
 
  if ( receiverVal > 1)
  {
  digitalWrite(13,HIGH);
  }
  else
  {
  digitalWrite(13,LOW);
  }
 
}

[Reply #11 on:]

No wonder you aren't getting results...  You are taking a reading before you turn on the IR LED.

[Reply #12 on:]

If only it were that simple.  Putting the int receiverVal = analogRead(A0) after the digital pin output does not change anything.  It at least did not change the results.

[Reply #13 on:]

Hint: take a reading when the LED is ON, and take a reading when the LED is OFF.

[Reply #14 on:]

Try this code with Serial Monitor running.  If the average onVal and average offVal don't change when you put a hand over the sensor you probably have a wiring error.  If the values shift as you move toward and away, publish the output and we can advise you what to do with the data.

Code:

const int IRLED = 12;
const int LED = 13;
const int IRInput = A0;
const int SampleSize = 10;
const int CompareThreshold = 17;

void setup()
{
  pinMode(13,OUTPUT);
  pinMode(12,OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop()
{
  int onVal = 0;
  int offVal = 0;

  // Take 10 samples with the light ON and OFF
  for (int i=0; i<SampleSize; i++)
  {
    digitalWrite(IRLED, HIGH);
    onVal += analogRead(IRInput);
    digitalWrite(IRLED, LOW);
    offVal += analogRead(IRInput);
  }
 
  Serial.print("average onVal=");
  Serial.print(onVal/SampleSize);
  Serial.print(", average offVal=");
  Serial.println(offVal/SampleSize);


  if ((offVal - onVal) > CompareThreshold)  // Value to be determined experimantally
  {
    digitalWrite(LED,HIGH);
  }
  else
  {
    digitalWrite(LED,LOW);
  }

}