StarBoard Orange : "Application example No.2 : Add many buttons to your application with IR remote!"

Page last updated 10 Sep 2010, by Shinichiro Nakamura. 1 reply IR, remote

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日本語版はこちら : ☆ボードオレンジ：「活用事例２：赤外線リモコンで楽々操作しよう！」

Overview

StarBoard Orange have no buttons. Because some users don't need any buttons for their applications.

So, The board designer didn't add any buttons to StarBoard Orange. It's good choice for the versatility.

But... sometime we need buttons for a application. We can add a button to unused pin on mbed.

This is a not so good choice for StarBoard Orange. Because a good point of StarBoard Orange is its compactness.

I recommend you to add an IR receiver to your StarBoard Orange.

By this solution, You can be use many buttons without wasting much spaces and many pins of mbed.

You can control your mbed and your applications by remote controller like a TV!

And you can use IR class library in another applications you designed.

Setup

Necessary parts

  1. StarBoard Orange
  2. mbed NXP LPC1768
  3. IR sensor (PL-IRM2121-A538 or PL-IRM0101-3 or CRVP1738)

Environments

  1. IR remote commander (e.g. : SONY RM-PZ1FD)

Programs

Import following program to your compiler

http://mbed.org/users/shintamainjp/programs/StarBoardOrangeExample2/latest

Equipments

You need IR remote controllers

You may have many remote controllers in your house, probably I think. Find it! :)

Put on a IR sensor to your StarBoard Orange

Put on a IR sensor to your StarBoard Orange. In my case, I used PL-IRM2121-A538.

You can use a breadboard to connect an IR sensor with wires.

It is easy to setup for this solution.

Start the program

The example application supports 3 IR remote controller protocols, NEC, AEHA, and SONY.

Compile the application example on your compiler page, and run it on your mbed with your StarBoard Orange.

  • The application display a message "Press a button on a controller" after reset.
  • Press a button on a remote controller.
  • Then the data will be appear in LCD.
  • The pattern of LED changed per a sample.

Example movie

Movie

A following movies show how example applications look like. The remote controller is RM-PZ1FD made by SONY.

The remote controller can change output signal mode. It have so many configurations.

Here is the configurations in this movie.

Configuration number TV Maker Protocol
412 Hitachi NEC
411 Panasonic AEHA
211 SONY SONY

In this sample application, the following data will be displayed on the LCD.

From upper left: State, Received bit count, Protocol type.

Bottom of line: Received data.

Example display

Example display for NEC protocol

Example display for AEHA protocol

Example display for SONY protocol

To use class of IR receiver

Overview of the class

It's easy to use the class of IR receiver.

The constructor needs a pin for the input.

ReceiverIR ir(p17);

And check the state, if the state is ReceiverIR::Received, then you can read the data.

if (ReceiverIR::Received == ir.getState()) {
    ReceiverIR::Format format;
    uint8_t buf[32];
    int bc = ir.getData(&format, buf, sizeof(buf));
}

The return value bc is bit count of received data.

Example codes

Here is the example codes.

    while (1) {
        static int latest_bits = 0;
        static ReceiverIR::State prev = ReceiverIR::Idle;
        
        /*
         * Get a current state.
         */
        ReceiverIR::State curr = ir.getState();
        if (prev != curr) {
            lcd.locate(0, 0);
            switch (curr) {
                case ReceiverIR::Idle:
                    lcd.printf("Idle (%2d) \n", latest_bits);
                    break;
                case ReceiverIR::Receiving:
                    lcd.printf("Receiving \n");
                    break;
                case ReceiverIR::Received:
                    lcd.printf("Received  \n");
                    break;
            }
        }
        prev = curr;

        /*
         * Update statuses if it updated.
         */
        if (ReceiverIR::Received == curr) {
            led = led + 1;
            ReceiverIR::Format format;
            uint8_t buf[32];
            int bc = ir.getData(&format, buf, sizeof(buf));
            latest_bits = bc;
            lcd.locate(10, 0);
            switch (format) {
                case ReceiverIR::UNKNOWN:
                    lcd.printf(": ????");
                    break;
                case ReceiverIR::NEC:
                    lcd.printf(": NEC ");
                    break;
                case ReceiverIR::AEHA:
                    lcd.printf(": AEHA");
                    break;
                case ReceiverIR::SONY:
                    lcd.printf(": SONY");
                    break;
                default:
                    break;
            }
            lcd.locate(0, 1);
            for (int i = 0; i < (bc / 8); i++) {
                lcd.printf("%02X", buf[i]);
            }
            for (int i = 0; i < 8 - (bc / 8); i++) {
                lcd.printf("--");
            }
        }
    }

Summary

  • You can use many buttons of IR remote controllers.
  • This solution provides a user control from a distance.
  • The classes for IR remote receiver can re-use in your applications.

References

Basic information

Application examples

Related documents

Update history

Version Date Description
1.0.0 2010/08/13 First version.
1.0.1 2010/08/14 Added application examples to references.
1.0.2 2010/08/16
 Fixed name of StarBoard Orange.
1.0.3 2010/08/16 Translated.
1.0.4 2010/08/22 Added checked model PL-IRM0101-3.
Added related documents to references.
1.0.5 2010/09/09 Updated english words.
1.0.6 2010/09/10 Updated links of application examples.
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1 comment

Hubert Müller
17 Aug 2016
I need only the IR-Receiver. I tried so much, for example different controllers, but the Receiver detects nothing. I tried it with the Arduino and an Arduino libary and it works at once. I use a Nucleo-Development-Board STM32F302R8. I would be very glad, if someone can help me.

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