Make Dumb Electronics Smart for $3

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Make Dumb Electronics Smart for $3

I Like To Make Stuff

[JCWren]

The only reason those remotes use a 12V is for the range. The RF transmitter section gets the 12V., and the RF IC internally regulates it down to whatever it needs. The quiescent current on these parts are usually is in the sub-microamp range and sometimes zero, as the push button applies power to the IC, and based on which pin has power as it turns on determines what the remote is supposed to do. The 12V battery allows it to operate at lower temperatures, where the battery current starts dropping. Lastly, since the transmitter operates over a wide voltage range (albeit at a diminishing range), the battery life is exceptional, since it can drop down to a few volts before it stops working.

[KaurH]

For controlling IR remove devices, I've made a few ESPs around the house with IR emitters. That way instead of hooking up an arduino to existing remotes, I have one arduino control tons of devices in a room.

[RandomBogey]

4:05 I actually enjoy seeing the code. It doesn’t need a line-by-line walkthrough of what and how every little bit works because I get how that would be overwhelming/boring for someone who doesn’t understand code at all. But, I like even a quick scroll through of the code, that I can pause and look through, because, like watching someone’s physical build process, I enjoy seeing how someone else solved a problem, compared to how I might do it, and seeing what tidbits I could potentially use to solve problems in my own projects.

[Weavermicro]

This is extremely similar to how a garage door works. There was a class I took in college about PLCs. One of the assignments was to make a garage door works. There was a switch at the top to stop it from going too far up and a switch at the bottom to stop it from going too far down. One of the objectives in that assignment was also allowing it to stop in the middle and allow it to go to the top or bottom from any position.

[jzupancic]

6:53 Transformers are for AC voltage conversion, while buck-boost converters are for DC voltage regulation

[charetjc]

The wheel on the limit switch is so the trigger mechanism can slide by the switch instead of crashing into it, because 13:05 can crush the switch and cause a malfunction. Use a mechanical switch along side the path of motion, not in the path of motion.

[craigjsanderson]

How on earth are we supposed to know who this guy is, and whether or not he likes to make stuff??

[Unbreathless]

Those remote screens usually have a manual setting in them to tell them where to stop. There’s a yellow hex key spot on the left side where the power enters. You can turn that to adjust the stopping point.

[sf-studio]

I've got the same screen and it's adjustable, it's a little screw-turn limiter in the screen housing on the side with the power cable. It's not really obvious just looking at the screen or in the instructions IIRC.

Pushing up on the remote when the screen is going down will stop the screen as well. You could set your routine on a timer and tell it "After 10 seconds, Screen Up" and not need the physical limiter, or have to wire up the stop button.

[_pixelpicnic]

I like the video and enjoyed the process, but 2 things come to mind:
1) using the limit screw on the screen's motor assembly reduces a lot of the complexity of this project
2) Modifying the operation buttons attached to the wall would have made more sense, as you wouldn't have signal issues, and you would still have a useful remote.

no shade though, I always appreciate project sharing. cheers!

[michaelw]

Me and my son did something similar with an air conditioner and a heater and a generator. We just used an esp32 IR and RF receiver to get the code then used transmitter to emit it. Works perfectly from anywhere and we still have the remotes in tact.

[Photokapi]

I love how you simplify seemingly ultra complex systems into components. It's something I sometimes struggle with, but I enjoy watching your videos, because they remind me I can do more complicated things if I break them down into smaller tasks.

[connecticutaggie]

Hi Bob, I am a Maker, Engineer, and a Professor on the side. I have way more Arduinos than I am willing to admit to and have several projects that I REALLY wanted to control from my phone but I was really not excited about writing an Android App (though I have done one once). Thanks for pointing me to the WeMo emulation SW. My mind just exploded with ideas on how to use this. THANK YOU!!

[xlerb]

Those little ESP-32 boards are amazing. I remember working with much larger, more expensive, and much, much less capable microcomputer boards. There was a little Z-80 board I did a lot with back in the day. It cost ~$60, ran at 4MHz, had 32K ROM, 8K RAM, a couple serial ports and 24 bits of parallel I/O, and that was it.

[GamenBros]

U could also just use a smart IR blaster or RF blaster to just emulate the remote.. use the app or automate it with home assistant & motion sensors

[zrig]

For those not familiar. ESP32 dev boards are not Arduinos. Yes Arduino has an ESP32 based board. Just pointing this out because when you choose your editor you will need to know what board you have because GPIO pins are not always the same from one board to another.

[stoneobscurity]

esphome is the software/firmware you want.

[mvdwetering]

Maybe the switch blocking the antenna is more of an issue now that it is running on 3.3V instead of 12V?
It might have reduced the transmit power/range.

[jareddilley]

Another possible solution is to use an IR RF smart hub which can mimic the signal sent from the remote

[prozacgodretro]

As you've discovered - I've also found that a lot of those remotes that use 12v batteries just do so to increase range, often the chips can/will run on 5v (or I guess less) just with a really reduced range, so if you're going to store it somewhere in a nearby location to the blinds... just power it with 5v!

Well done video, thanks!