Auto Signal Control: IR LED transmitter / Receiver Problems

[Brian]

Hi
What happens if you make C2 Low? Keeping the same Yes/No outputs.

[Itch45]

can you also post the values box for the c1 command. This should be set to off, also check the c1 value in your sub routine.I take it the C2 box is the override switch?

[Itch45]

After watching your video I think the problem is the infra red leds. I had some like that and they did not work unless you point them directly at each other. In other words the beam is not good enough to reflect back to the receiver. I changed to these http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/qrd1114-object-sensor and all was good. To test this point both the infra red led and the receiver at each other to see if the circuit then works. Let us know, also look at the infra red led via your mobile phone camera to see if it is lit. I will show as purple.

[Tricky Dicky]

Paul have you tried the obvious and tried the IR LED both ways. It could be just the angle of the photo but the small flat that appears on the bottom rim of 5mm LEDs indicating the leg nearest being the cathode is towards the positive side from what I can discern?

Edit: The leg of the 220R resistor is not in the positive rail, most bread boards do not have those two sets of holes down each side of the breadboard interconnected!

Richard

[paul1066]

OK everyone, many thanks once again for the help. Well this is kind of embarrassing! I had the IR receiver in the wrong way round! I'd claim to be an idiot, but having the long pin in first seemed to be correct orientation according to my googles. Strangely having the IR receiver in the wrong way still seemed to work as long as I shone a IR transmitter directly into it but now it is reversed I can easily trigger it with a piece of silver paper!

Duh, sorry folks, I didn't think to try that first of all...

Regards

Paul

[paul1066]

Paul have you tried the obvious and tried the IR LED both ways. It could be just the angle of the photo but the small flat that appears on the bottom rim of 5mm LEDs indicating the leg nearest being the cathode is towards the positive side from what I can discern?

Edit: The leg of the 220R resistor is not in the positive rail, most bread boards do not have those two sets of holes down each side of the breadboard interconnected!

Richard

Richard, re the 220R, ah yes good spot, that was just me faffing about and putting it back on the wrong channel...

[Tricky Dicky]

Now that the breadboard circuit works it suggests the program is correct and it is PCB that is the problem. It could be you had the IR LED orientated wrongly there too? Since using a IR LED and coin cell got the right response would suggest it might be something that simple although I would tend to test the PCB. I must say I would not have assembled it that way with surface soldering as there is a lot of potential for solder bridging. A more traditional approach of drilling holes through with components on one side and soldering on the other unless there was a reason you could not do that?

Richard

[paul1066]

Now that the breadboard circuit works it suggests the program is correct and it is PCB that is the problem. It could be you had the IR LED orientated wrongly there too? Since using a IR LED and coin cell got the right response would suggest it might be something that simple although I would tend to test the PCB. I must say I would not have assembled it that way with surface soldering as there is a lot of potential for solder bridging. A more traditional approach of drilling holes through with components on one side and soldering on the other unless there was a reason you could not do that?

Richard

Hi Richard, yes I reversed the IR receiver on the PCB version and that works fine too - a real d'oh moment. I wanted to try copper board etching as I'd never done it before which is why the PCB boards look like they do - I've only made two like that and with the IR receiver "swap" they're both working perfectly now.

Regards

Paul

[Itch45]

Glad it is all working now.

[Itch45]

Also on ebay, or else where, you can get self adhesive foil tape make sticking to the bottom of Locos very easy