Introduction - Ramsey Electronics ICI2 Instruction Manual

ICI2 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the ICI2 kit (and if you don't have the time, wired and tested). We
will give you an overview of IR remote controls and how they typically work and
also how this kit works to help you understand what you're building.
Virtually any modern day consumer audio or video device contains an infrared
remote control unit. Usually our living room contains several of these to control
different appliances. In fact we often have so many of these little gems that it
becomes necessary to obtain an "all in one" remote control that controls all the
functions of your entertainment system. Of course, this leads to having several
remote control units delegated to the junk drawer, and this brought about the
idea for the kit. Let's put the old remotes to use with an easy to build kit that will
control four separate outputs. By toggling a relay for each, we can live the life of
the future by remotely controlling our fans, lamps, and even the coffee pot!
Let's dig into these units a little bit. A typical infrared remote contains a few
functional parts in common with each other; we'll examine them. First, there is
some type of keypad assembly. Nowadays this is typically a large molded sheet
of rubber with the buttons protruding outward. The inside of the button that you
cannot see is typically coated with a carbon "button" that will make contact with
the printed circuit board underneath, complete in the circuit when the button is
depressed (no, it's not sad, it is just making contact!). This switch closure will
cause an Integrated Circuit on the circuit board to repeat a pre-determined
code at the output. This digital signal typically drives an infrared diode to
conduct on the front of the unit "broadcasting" the infrared signal to the
equipment to be controlled.
Our eyes are sensitive detectors in the visible light range, but the wavelength
of the infrared diode falls outside that detection range. So we can't see the
diode performing its function. But rest assured, given a fresh battery, it is
dutifully doing it over and over again. These codes are unique so that the
infrared detector on the equipment can determine what function each of the
buttons should be and perform these functions. These controlling codes are
unique to each manufacturer, so our kit needs to "learn" these codes to perform
the functions we require.
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