
PROJECTS: Amateur Scientist
IR REMOTE CONTROL TESTER
Have you ever pressed a button on a TV
near-infrared remote controller and nothing
happened? Figure
E
is a simple op amp circuit
that will allow you to quickly determine if an IR
remote is working.
In operation, a small silicon solar cell or
photodiode is connected to the non-inverting
input of an op amp through C1, a capacitor that
blocks steady light while passing pulses of near
IR from a working remote controller. R1 is a 100K
resistor that amplifies the signal from the solar
cell 100,000 times. If your IR remote control is
working, the piezo element will emit an audible
tone that matches ...