Halloween is the perfect opportunity to create fun special effects. When you want to be able to control props and effects remotely, one good option is to use an infrared remote control. In this project, I’ll show you some simple remote controlled effects that you can set up in your haunted house this year.
Projects from Make: Magazine
Control Halloween Effects with DIY Infrared Remote Controls
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Steps
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Step #1: The Receiver Circuit
- This project uses an infrared receiver module to detect the signal from an infrared remote. This module has two built-in filters. The epoxy housing and lens filter out all light that is outside the infrared range (900nm to 1000nm). The internal pre-amplifier also filters out signals that do not have a 38 kHz carrier frequency. Together, these help to eliminate most forms of interference.
- The infrared receiver module is connected to an Arduino microcontroller. The right lead on the module connects to the 5V pin on the Arduino. The center lead on the module connects to the GND pin on the Arduino. The left lead on the module connects to one of the digital pins on the Arduino. In most cases you will want to connect the receiver module to the Arduino with a set of jumper wires. This will make it easier to mount the parts in their final locations later.
- When no infrared signal is detected the output of the module is HIGH. But when the signal of an IR remote control is detected, the output of the module is LOW. The output of the IR receiver module is monitored using the digitalRead function on the Arduino's digital pins. When the Arduino registers that it has received an appropriate signal, it activates your special effects.