Infrared Remote Receiver

Sparki has one infrared remote receiver that can receive commands by rapidly blinking infrared lights, like those with Sparki’s remote, or TV remotes. Remote_Top

How It Works

Infrared remotes work by sending codes via flashing lights. These lights flash really fast; Sparki’s remote flashes 38,000 times a second. By measuring the amount of time between each flashing, Sparki can tell if each burst is meant to be a 1 or a 0, known as bits: Signal Diagram Sparki counts these flashes until 32bits have been counted, then turns this into a number. Specifically, Sparki uses the NEC infrared code protocol.  

Using the Part

With the basic Sparki code in place, you can measure an infrared sensor by using this command: This command returns the last code that was sent to Sparki. It returns this number in the form of an integer. If there has not been a code sent since the last time Sparki ran this command, it will send back a -1. SparkiDuino already has code examples for you to use: File > Examples > Remote

Finally, you can try more complex programs using this receiver, such as Sparki’s Default Program.