I've set up a recycled IR sensor from an old VCR with my Arduino. I heavily modified a sketch and used the library from http://www.arcfn.com/2009/08/multi-protocol-infrared-remote-library.html to display number values from keypresses, documented a value for each key, and used a switch / case statement to activate different pins based on keypresses.
I used a samsung remote, but this will work with any TV remote, and could work with any device that can output IR at 38kHz, AFAIK.
Use a SSR instead of the LED to control line voltage ac devices, and a MOSFET or BJT for DC devices. A neat adaptation would be changing a variable with the vol up/down for a thermostat or Light dimming. The TV channel buttons would work for this as well. Better yet, if one could select a device with the number pad, and use a button to on / off, and the volume to change levels. My simple code does not implement that. I'd be interested it seeing it done though.
Full details, including video at http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com/2012/11/arduino-ir-receiver-part-2.html
/*
* IRremote: IRrecvDump - dump details of IR codes with IRrecv
* An IR detector/demodulator must be connected to the input RECV_PIN.
* Version 0.1 July, 2009
* Copyright 2009 Ken Shirriff
* http://arcfn.com
* JVC and Panasonic protocol added by Kristian Lauszus (Thanks to zenwheel and other people at the original blog post)
* Heavily modified by Steve Spence, http://arduinotronics.blogspot.com
*/
#include
int RECV_PIN = 19;
int reversePin = 4; // LED connected to digital pin 4
int forwardPin = 5; // LED connected to digital pin 5
int playPin = 6; // LED connected to digital pin 6
int pausePin = 7; // LED connected to digital pin 7
IRrecv irrecv(RECV_PIN);
decode_results results;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
irrecv.enableIRIn(); // Start the receiver
pinMode(reversePin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
pinMode(forwardPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
pinMode(playPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
pinMode(pausePin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
}
void loop() {
if (irrecv.decode(&results)) {
long int decCode = results.value;
Serial.println(decCode);
switch (results.value) {
case 1431986946:
Serial.println("Forward");
digitalWrite(forwardPin, HIGH); // sets the LED on
break;
case -11780576:
Serial.println("Reverse");
digitalWrite(reversePin, HIGH); // sets the LED on
break;
case -873913272:
Serial.println("Play");
digitalWrite(playPin, HIGH); // sets the LED on
break;
case -1025287420:
Serial.println("Pause");
digitalWrite(pausePin, HIGH); // sets the LED on
break;
case 1791365666:
Serial.println("Stop");
digitalWrite(forwardPin, LOW); // sets the LED off
digitalWrite(reversePin, LOW); // sets the LED off
digitalWrite(playPin, LOW); // sets the LED off
digitalWrite(pausePin, LOW); // sets the LED off
break;
default:
Serial.println("Waiting ...");
}
irrecv.resume(); // Receive the next value
}
}