IR Remote using IR Helicopter

RaduP

Well, today I was reading some other thread here about someone trying to use a doorbell as a RC, then someone else saying they did the same with a RC car, so that inspired me to make this hack.
Basically, I had one of those very small, IR helicopters that got broken (which is something that will happen to them in a short time). I took the logic board out a long time ago, thinking that maybe I will need it for something in the future.

Well, the hack is simple: Removed the motors, connected a mini USB cable (red and black wires) to the main motor output, and voila, now I have a very small IR remote. I tested it indoors, it works from at least 10 meters away, and it will work even if you are in another room (it doesn't always work, I guess it is because my walls are white). I didn't have time to test it outside yet, but it should work well from a close distance.

Here are some photos for your enjoyment (this thing is really smaller that it looks, the connector is a mini USB connector after all).

cybertooth

Great , what is the silver pack below?

vk2him

cybertooth
Great , what is the silver pack below?

Battery? 😖

RaduP

Yeah, that would be the battery 😀

wontolla

Hi RaduP!

If I buy one of those helicopters and it "accidentally" gets broken I'll blame you. 😀

One question: Does the battery provides 5 volts?

RaduP

It's a LiPoly battery, it provides 3.7 to 4.2V, so it should work with pretty much all the cameras.
But you might want to buy a cheap radio controlled plane, since they have a longer range than IR.

Emiiiiiil

very clever,i guess the usb setup works with any on/off remote port?
on the doorbell its the bells output,or for any remote controlled vehicle the motor,
now how if i got a remote controlled car,i could use the motor output for the shutter,and the
turning output for turning the camera on a motor mount.or am i being optimistic here,
seems there is basis for some cewl rigs.
btw ir will show,on the picture wont it??unless ur behind the camera!

RaduP

Yes, you can do use one motor for triggering, the other for moving the camera left/right (or even up and down, if you have a 3 channel controller).
But make sure you check the motor voltage, it should be around 3.5-4V, and should not go higher than 5.5v or so (or you can burn your camera).
The IR doesn't show in an outdoor scene, because there is much more IR from the sun than from the remote. Cameras have IR cutoff filters, so IR RCs are not an issue unless if you point it directly at the lenses.
Of course, you might want to point the IR receptor in the back of the camera, so you have more control of where you point it at.

vine

RaduP
...
But make sure you check the motor voltage, it should be around 3.5-4V, and should not go higher than 5.5v or so (or you can burn your camera).
...

Depending on your camera you can go up to 10V. Check the attached schematic (RN4983 has 10V max in). This was done on purpose because many cheap PC mainboards are known to have unstable USB voltage. So I would assume that similar tolerance was built into every Canon camera, but check your cameras schematics, or read about peoples experiences with higher voltages on this forum before trying anything potentially risky.

Emiiiiiil

Thx.no remote controlled toy,is safe from now on.
im going to reak havoc on every gadget i can get my hands on.

cybercom

I'm curious what your success has been outside.

Traditionally, IR devices have difficulty in bright sunlight due to the high IR content thereof.

RaduP

I used it outside in full sun, and the results are great.
When the sensor faces the sun, the range is about 10 meters, but the remote needs to point straight at the sensor.
When the sensor is not facing the sun, the range is about 15-20 meters.

cybercom

Excellent! Thanx