I used these IR sensors. They work great but I would like to find a more sensitive "plug in" receiver (and maybe a transmitter if needed). I am trying to have more than 10 meters range (max).
They are 940nm and 38Khz
I have looked for a while but have not found any "upgrades"
Any suggestions are welcome.
Thank you
You could:
Operate more transmitters to increase the total power transmitted. This could be done with the tranmitting IR LEDs in series or parallel. Either will require simple additional electronics.
Use transmitting IR LED with a narrower optical transmission bandwidth. This will concentrate the IR energy you have available.
Use a receiving IR LED with a narrower optical bandwidth. This will improve the signal to noise ratio and maximise the IR energy you have available. I think this will be difficult to do.
The issue is two-fold, the IR diode (transmitter) has a power-limit set by the current through the LED ... oftentime, this is a simple resistor but other times it is a "chip" solution internal to the remote control.
The second issue is simply getting enough energy into the IR detector which has both an optical filter and an internal bandpass circuit; the optical filter is primarily the "red" plastic lens.
There does exist range extenders for IR applications:
Sewell Direct BlastIR Wireless Pro IR Repeater, Remote Control Extender Kit (IR Emitter and Receiver) : Electronics (amazon.com)
You could "in theory" build your own IR repeater using an Arduino: receive, decode, validate, encode, transmit. One may be able to bypass intelligence and simply receive and retransmit using simple logic, but I cannot personally guarantee this solution.
Another potential DIY solution is to use a large aperture lens, some fiber optic, and affix to the fiber output to the receiving detector, directly or in close proximity.
You can pull the datasheet on the IR transmitter LED and gather the maximum current figure. Using this maximum, you can perhaps change a current-limiting resistor is a very simple transmitter circuit.
Remember, IR LEDs can be high-energy and potentially hazardous to the human or pet eyes. There are numerous articles that suggest safe-power levels for IR LED energy. Be Safe.
infrared - IR LED power density calculation - Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Ray
The transmitter you posted is the weak link.
To bridge more than 10m you need a powerful constant current driver and several quality narrow beam LEDs in series. Then 50m shouldn't be a problem.
You can try two or three or more of those transmitters in parallel (same Arduino pin).
Leo..
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