Byadmin•March 29, 2022•Uncategorized•Comments Off on USB irDA Adapter for Medical Applications
The Irdroid USB irDA adapter is a irDA SIR certified irDA adapter with configurable baud rates from 9600 to 115200bps. The adapter is compatible with, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, suitable for Medical applications (communications for Heart Rate monitors, Blood pressure monitors and more. ) . The device is manufactured in the European Union and comes with a Declaration of Comformity. It is available for purchase from Europe / Bulgaria via irdroid.eu website
The Irdroid USB irDA adapter is an alternative for the following irDA adapters:
– ZOLL AED plus IrDA adapter: as an alternative to Actisys ACT-IR2002UL (USB Interface), ACT-IR220L+
Since the release of Linux Kernel version 5.8 the Irdroid USB Infrared Transceiver and the Irtoy driver are automatically loaded as kernel modules, on systems with kernels > 5.8.
How does this work?
The kernel recognizes the device by USB VID/PID
Once the device is inserted, the proper Linux Kernel modules are automatically loaded
A new device is present in /dev/ , called /dev/lirc0 which now allows you to skip any changes to the default /etc/lirc/lirc_options.conf configuration file
Practically the device becomes Plug & Play without any user interaction on the host system.
Byadmin•April 13, 2020•Uncategorized•Comments Off on Meet the CyberMask a DiY poisonous GAS Detection Mask
Our response to the COVID-19 – the CyberMask 🙂 , a DiY toxic / flammable gas detection mask, designed (During the weekend 🙂 @ Ji4ka Coworking.
What is it?
Recently our Government declared emergency state and since 12.04.2020 we are obliged to wear masks in public. Our Prime minister Boyko Borisov declared that those who cant buy a mask can make a DiY mask . I have decided to go further and add some electronics to the mask. I had a several mini Arduino boards based on Attiny85 (Digisparks), SNS-MQ2 Gas Detection Sensor from Olimex, and a RED notification LED. During the weekend I have put all these components together and wrote a program that reads the Sensor input and based on the reading it triggers an Alarm (in this case and SOS morse code message).
Connections Diagram
module connections
The SNS-MQ2 GAS detections sensors can sense LPG, propane, hydrogen, methane and other combustible substances in the air. I even went further and tested whether the sensor can detect Acetone (As when one has Pneumonia , this gas is exhaled from the lungs in the initial stage of the disease) . It turned out that it actually DOES detect Acetone.
The mask didn’t looked very well with all these wires and boards hanging from it, so I made an enclosure design and cut on a black cardboard, by using Ji4ka’s cutting Plotter. (you can download the template vector files at the end of this blog post.)
The CyberMask CardBoard Template
Ok, the enclosure is designed but how do we attach it to the actual mask? The simplest way was to use a dual stick tape, but if so , the mask can not be reusable, so I have decided to use val-crow dots and fix the module to the mask in 6 points
CyberMask Velcrow fixing
The final result once all components were put together into the enclosure was this:
The LoRa Infrared Tranmitter is a long range infrared remote control kit that allows remote control where no Internet connection is available. It provides connectivity to the Things Network. The LoRa Infrared Transmitter uses Arduino shield that provides LoRaWAN connectivity and the Irdroino Shield that provides Infrared Transmission interface. The kit is based on Arduino UNO board, which can be powered via USB or via 2.1mm standard DC jack.
This weekend we are testing the range of the Kit, in dense urban conditions in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where there are several Things Network Gateways available.
LoRa Infrared Transmitter connected to 9dBi gain antenna
Client node specification:
– Based on Arduino UNO
– Powered by USB
– Dragino v1.4 LoRa shield with SX1276 transceiver boosted @ 20dBm output power
– 868MHz 9dBi gain omni directional antenna
– antenna height 4 meters above the ground
LoRa Infrared Transmitter 9dBi gain antenna
Gateway:
– RAK831 based
– 5dBi omni directional antenna
The Client node (the LoRa Infrared Transmitter) is loaded with a version of the LMIC library for Arduino and the OTAA (over the air activation method is used.)
By using the things network console we were able to monitor the device / gateway communication and transmit and receive messages from the device to the Things Network console and from the things network console to the device successfully(UPLINK and DOWNLINK messages).
Now the cool part / measured range distance.
There were five active gateways to The Things Network in Plovdiv. The node managed to connect to the Gateway at the Plovdiv university Paisii Hilendarski, the covered distance between the client node and the gateway was 2,2KM with no direct line of sight. The signal passing through a dense urban city center area. That is amazing!
LoRa-Infrared-node-signal-path
Below are some screenshots for the measured signal levels RSSI and SNR and AirTime measured at the Gateway
Byadmin•July 12, 2019•IR Extenders•Comments Off on Multi-Room Infrared Extender solution
In this Blog post we will share our experience with multi-room infrared remote control solutions.
When a multi-room infrared remote control extender solution is needed?
In case you are designing a home automation system that needs to be able to control TVs, STBs , music or any other IR controlled equipment in different rooms then you will need a solution for extending the infrared range of your controller IR transmitter and sending the signal wirelessly in different rooms where the ir controlled equipment is situated. The solution is the Multi-Room Infrared Extender, offered by Irdroid.
The Multi-Room Infrared Extender solution not only allows you to send the Infrared Signal wirelessly but it also allows you to split and send the signal in different rooms. In addition to that it provides a 200 Meters wireless range between the transmitter and the receiver.
Another possible application is for big stores, where multiple TVs has to be controlled and switched on or off at once and where the distances are bigger, such as in halls, Malls etc.
How it works?
The minimum system consist of one transmitter and one receiver. The IR signal is captured by the transmitter and converted to wireless signal, that travels toward the receiver and then is converted again in infrared signal. the Irdroid Multi-Room Infrared extender solution can also be configured with 1 Transmitter and multiple Receivers. The receivers are installed in the rooms where the target IR controlled equipment is situated.
Byadmin•April 12, 2019•Irdroid•Comments Off on How to set Irdroid USB irDA SIR baud rate
Option 1 ( Software Baud Rate selection )
This Blog post explains how to set Irdroid USB irDA module baud rates. The mcp2120 used in Irdroid USB irDA module allows for setting the Baud rate in software when the controller is in command mode. The is a small switch under the module that can switch the unit in command mode for changing the baud rate in Software. Below are the steps for accomplishing this.
Use a terminal program that can send HEX chars. In my case I am using RealTerm to do the job. Insert the Irdroid USB irDA module in a free USB port of your PC or MAC, then start realterm identify the com port number of the Irdroid USB Irda module and set the baud rate to 9600 then click “Open” and then click on the “Send” Tab
The available HEX commands for switching the Irdroid USB Irda module SIR baud rate are:
– 0x87 9600bps (Default)
– 0x8B 19200bps
– 0x85 38400bps
– 0x83 57600bps
– 0x81 115200bps
0x11 a command that has to be sent after the command for baud rate selection. This command is for confirming the new baud rate.
Choose the command from the list above and write the respective HEX code in the “Send” field see the image below. Then click on “Numbers” . The command will be sent to the module and echoed back. To confirm the new Baud rate send the 0x11 HEX command in the same field. then flip back the switch of the module and reopen the com port with the new baud rate (The above should be done every time the module is plugged)
When in command mode you can receive IR data at the newly selected baud rate, but if the switch is flipped you can not send IR data as you communicate with the controller and it expects commands for changing the baud rate
Option 2 ( Hardware Baud Rate Selection )
The Hardware Baud Rate selection requires opening the module enclosure and soldering skills. MCP2120 has three Baud Rate configuration pins that allow for Baud rate selection in Hardaware (The benefit of using hardware selection of baud rate is for systems with a fixed baud rate that rarely changes and also the baud rate is selected after power-on reset. In software selection mode the baud rate needs to be configured every time the module is powered ). The combination is show in the table below:
Below is example configuration for 115200 Baud rate selection made in Hardware:
Byadmin•April 5, 2019•Uncategorized•Comments Off on Extending Infrared Range
Extending Infrared range can be done in two ways – wired or wireless. Depending on what you need to achieve you will have to select wired or wireless connection for extending the IR range of your remote control. The wired infrared extenders takes power supply usually via usb, the extenders have a infrared receiver and infrared transmitter,connected via a cable. The IR receiver is positioned next to the TV, so that it can “capture” IR codes, and the IR transmitter is positioned next to the target equipment to be controlled that is not visible (e.g in a cupboard, behind walls etc).
An example of using a wired infrared extender is when your STB, music receiver is behind the TV, mounted behind the wall or inside a cupboard. In this case a suitable solution would be a wired infrared extender, such as the Irdroid IR extender cable.
The above solution is suitable for short distances. When longer distances (up to 200 meters) are required then a Wireless Infrared Extender need to be used, such as the Irdroid Wireless Infrared Extender. The wireless infrared extenders are useful for covering bigger distances, when you need to control ir receivers situated in other rooms, or in big halls, shops , or other public places.
Below is a sample diagram of a wireless IR extender:
The benefit of using a wireless ir extender is that you can cover greater distances (up to 200 meters) .
Example usage with our modules is when for example you are using the irdroid usb irda transceiver / irdroid usb ir transceiver inside of a cabinet. In this case you can use the irdroid usb ir extender to reach the target equipment and extend the IR range
You can find a link to our shop below, where you can find our range of IR extenders:
The first module- the USB irDA transceiver works with Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Linux, Mac OS X, Android. It covers irDA SIR specification 1.3 for SIR serial communication with baud rates from 9600 to 115200 baud, which makes it compatible with any irDA SIR device. The unit enumerates on the host system as serial port, thus allows easy access. There is a demo code / App for Android and on most modern systems it does not require drivers. The unit. may also be purchased with a usb A to micro USB or USB C connector so that it can be directly plugged into Android Smartphone or Tablet. The unit is compatible with most of the serial terminals for Android, available from Google Play.
The modules below are open source hardware, you can download design files and documentation from the respective GitHub repository.
The second module in our product range is the irDA piHAT module for raspberry Pi. it is a HAT that can be attached to the raspberry Pi and it allows serial irDA communication on raspberry Pi without the need of drivers. Only the RPI serial port need to be enabled. The unit may be purchased with semi transparent blue or clear enclosure.
The third module – Irdroino irDA shield targets Arduino and it allows serial irDA SIR data communication for Arduino. it is a small shield that attaches to Arduino UNO compatible boards. The unit comes with a demo sketch for sending irDA message in a loop.
The fourth module – Irdroid irDA proto board is for experimenting with the irDA transceiver TFDU 4101. it allows for easy connection to prototype boards.
The irDA piHAT, irdroino irDA shield and the irDA proto board are open source hardware and you can use the design files to develop your own modules.
Byadmin•June 19, 2018•Home Security, Uncategorized•Comments Off on Turn your old phone into a security Alarm System for Android
If you are an Android fan like me, you probably have several old Android Smartphones collecting dust in your drawer. In this post I will present to you the Irdroid AlarmBug – Electromagnetic Alarm Sensor Accessory for Android that will turn your OLD Android Smartphone into a Security Alarm System which will notify you every time someone opens / closes the door where the Irdroid AlarmBug is installed.
The Irdroid AlarmBug comes with a free and open source app for Android that will detect the Irdroid AlarmBug accessory and act in accordance with the door state – opened or closed. It also has a tamper protection – in case someone disconnects the Accessory it will send alarm to the email that you have specified for alarm reception.
The Irdroid AlarmBug accessory has two parts – a magnet and a sensor unit with cable, both equipped with a sticker band thus allowing you to easily fix the magnet and the sensor unit to the door that need to be monitored. The magnet is to be fixed on the movable part of the door – the wing and the sensor unit somewhere near the magnet, so that when the door is closed the distance between the magnet and the sensor unit is not more that 2.5 cm. The sensor unit connects to your Android device via a 4 Pole 3.5mm Audio Jack.
The Irdroid AlarmBug accessory is designed in accordance with the AOSP 3.5 mm Headset: Accessory Specification . The specification defines Functional, Mechanical and Electrical characteristics for the 3.5mm headset accessory.
fig.1
In our case the magnetic sensor that we use has a reed relay inside. When a magnet is close to the reed relay its state becomes closed and it acts like a simple switch. When the magnet is away, the circuit is open. Considering the above we can use one of the buttons defined in the AOSP 3.5mm headset specification and represent its state by connecting the magnetic sensor to the Android device in accordance with the above schematic.
The Irdroid AlarmBug is using function / button “C” shown on figure 1
If we comply with the connection shown on fig 1 then in Android we can listen in our App for a keypress that correspond to the relevant function (in our case function C / Volume Down and take action – trigger and Alarm or send message, once the action is performed.
The Irdroid AlarmBug Open Source Software Application has a simple user interface. It will indicate the magnetic sensor states – open / close
The Irdroid AlarmBug App is available from Google Play. Once downloaded you need to setup your email notification address in the App Settings. Once you set your email address for notification , connect the Irdroid AlarmBug to your smartphone and tap the magnet to the sensor unit several times in order to activate it.
If the sensor unit is close to the magnet < 2 cm the App screen turns Green with indication “System Armed” , if the magnet is at a distance greater than 2 cm from the sensor unit the screen turns Red with indication “Security Breach Police are on their way!”. In both cases an email is sent to the target email address configured in the app with information about the last state and date / time timestamp in the email. There is also a tamper protection feature which notifies the owner if the sensor unit cable is unplugged from the smartphone.
The Irdroid AlarmBug App is Open Source Software , you can freely modify it to fit for your particular purpose, add more features or whatever you decide to do.
Playing with Arduino for controlling your IR controlled Robot, your TV or just to adjust your Air conditioner temperature setting had always been Fun ! The Irdroino shield is a good start if you want to start experimenting with Infrared (IR) remote control on Arduino. The Irdroino Infrared (IR) Shield has a high quality Infrared Receiver IC that support wide range of IR carrier frequencies, and it provides almost universal infrared reception in the range between 36 and 40 Khz. The Irdroino Infrared (IR) Shield is a open source hardware and open source software project. All the production files, schematics and Documentation is available for free from Irdroid’s GitHub repository
The unit is equipped also with 2 powerful IR LEDs that provide a wide infrared transmit angle and also IR light amplification. The Irdroino Infrared (IR) Shield for Arduino is specially designed for Arduino but it can also be used for any of the Arduino-like boards such as the Olimex Olimexino 328. The Irdroino Infrared (IR) Shield has two buttons that are used to switch between transmission of IR / Reception of IR (IR Learning) when used with the Demo application. The unit is designed with long headers so that when you attach it to your Arduino it will expose all Arduino pins on its female pin headers.
The Irdroino Infrared (IR) Shield comes with a demo Open Source Software Application that will allow you to record and then reproduce infrared signals from your favorite remote control. The Application is free and open source and it can be downloaded from the Irdroid’s GitHub repository mentioned above.
Below is a short video , that demonstrates how to use the Irdroino Infrared (IR) Shield with your Arduino, to control a TV Set with the Open Source Software Demo application that comes with the unit.
We have a new product in stock – The IR Blaster for Android. It turns your smartphone into fully featured infrared remote control for Android. The module comes with a free app for Android which supports most of the home appliance manufacturers and their remote control codes. The IR Blaster for Android has a extended remote control range 5-8 meters and it does not need batteries to operate. It uses power and signal from the 3.5mm power jack of your Android Smartphone.
Windows Server 2012 requires that all drivers need to be signed, The USB Infrared Transceiver can work with Windows 8 but the workaround is that you need to turn off the signed driver requirement.
You can deactivate the forcing of signed drivers by using following Settings. Open a Command Prompt (cmd) as Administrator and type in following two commands. bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON With bcdedit you´re configurating the bootmenu of windows, so be careful. If something goes wrong you´ll need a windows dvd to repair the bootmanager. After a restart you can install the driver normally. You just have to confirm to install the unsigned driver, just like in older versions of Windows.
The Irdroid USB IR Trasnceiver working with Raspberry Pi
There is a Blog post @ the Irdroid Blog , that describes in detail how to make the Irdroid USB Infrared Transceiver work on the Raspberry Pi and in particular the recommended and official Raspbian. If you wish to follow that tutorial, and purchase a Irdroid USB Infrared transceiver module , please note that for Raspberry Pi owners you can get one with a significant discount – 20% (use the “raspberry” coupon code during checkout.) You can purchase the Irdroid USB Infrared Transceiver modules by clicking on the link below:
Byadmin•March 14, 2016•Irdroid, Irdroid-Rpi•Comments Off on Irdroid-Rpi infrared transceiver for Raspberry Pi
The latest gadget that we are working on is the Irdroid-Rpi Infrared Transceiver HAT / Add-on board for Raspberry Pi. The board provides Infrared Transmitter , Infrared Receiver and UEXT interconnect for Olimex sensors and boards designed with the UEXT connector. The board can be stacked on top of the Rpi board and you could turn your Rpi into a fully functional Infrared remote control for you home infrared consumer electronics. The Irdroid-Rpi is compatible with the LIRC/ Lirc GPIO driver for raspberry Pi and the LIRC utilities for recording and transmitting infrared signals can be used. The Irdroid-Rpi uses a optical IR amplification technique that allows to transmit high power IR signal by signal amplification after the IR light is emitted.
Irdroid-Rpi transmitter section
Irdroid-Rpi receiver section
Irdroid-Rpi Olimex UEXT section
Irdroid-Rpi connector and eeprom section
Irdroid-Rpi General
Irdroid-Rpi board features:
Infrared Transceiver add-on / HAT for Raspberry Pi
Infrared Transmitter @940nm with 10+ meters range
Infrared Receiver up to 40khz and 10+ meters of receive range
On-board UEXT Interconnect for connecting Olimex sensors and boards.
Open source hardware.
The Irdroid-Rpi infrared transceiver for Raspberry Pi is also designed with the possibility to connect sensors and boards from Olimex (https://www.olimex.com) by using the on-board UEXT connector, designed by Olimex. You can check here what sensors are supported http://www.olimex.com/Products/Components/Sensors/ .
You can order now (external link) a board below. We will ship within 2 days from placing the order. All the orders are shipped via registered Airmail with a tracking number @ fixed $6
Byadmin•February 8, 2016•Irdroid, Irdroid Apps•Comments Off on Develop custom infrared remote control Apps with Irdroid
Last two months we have digitized a number of remote controls from Vendors like Tesy, Lasko and Samsung and we have designed a nice looking custom designed Apps for them. The Apps are designed for Smartphones with builtin infrared blasters like HTC One m8,m9,m9+ , LG G2,G3,G4 , Samsung S5, S6
We have developed this remote for TESY panel heater mode TESY MC2014. The remote is a exact copy of the original TESY MC2014 remote and offers exactly the same functions. We have also tested it on HTC One M9, Xiaomi mi4c, LG G2, LG G3 . The App uses Android Api level 19 consumer IR manager.
We have developed this remote for LASKO FANs . The remote is a exact copy of the original LASKO Fan remote and offers exactly the same functions. We have also tested it on HTC One M9, Xiaomi mi4c, LG G2, LG G3 . The App uses Android Api level 19 consumer IR manager.
We have developed this remote for LASKO Air Purifier . The remote is a exact copy of the originalLASKO Air Purifier and offers exactly the same functions. We have also tested it on HTC One M9, Xiaomi mi4c, LG G2, LG G3 . The App uses Android Api level 19 consumer IR manager.
We have developed this remote for LASKO FANs model 4890 . The remote is a exact copy of the original LASKO Fan model4890 remote and offers exactly the same functions. We have also tested it on HTC One M9, Xiaomi mi4c, LG G2, LG G3 . The App uses Android Api level 19 consumer IR manager.
We have decided to push all our apps and sources to GitHub – https://www.github.com/Irdroid . The apps and firmware sources that we currently maintain are as follows:
The First presentation of our new product Irdroid Wifi Relay board was carried out at the premises of the hackafe hackerspace in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The Idea of that event was to inspire young people to start working with embeeded hardware and embedded systems programming. The Irdroid Wifi Relay board allows you to control and monitor 5 250V / 5A relays via a Smartphone with Android or IOS or via PC. The Irdroid Wifi Relay board also features a Internet router, working as an Access Point in its default mode. The Irdroid Wifi Relay board can be configured to set ON/OFF schedules , so you can setup a switch ON / switch OFF timer for every single relay thanks to the build in realtime clock.
At the event we have presented the control and monitor of the Irdroid Wifi Relay board via a Android smartphone and the Irdroid Wifi Relays application for Android.
We have designed the board to use the HLK-RM04 Wifi To Serial Module .The module is based on the RT5350 SoC it has a 16MB RAM and it runs Linux. We have also used a Atmega168 MCU and a DS1307 RTC to communicate with the WiFi module as the initial requirement was that the board should be able to set ON / OFF schedules for every single Relay. The WiFi to serial module assures the WIFI to Serial connectivity and the ATMEGA168 MCU runs a port of the FreeModbus protocol stack that assures control and monitoring of the 5 Relays.
Below is a Block Diagram that shows the actual nodes and interfaces of the Irdroid Wifi Relay board
The Irdroid Wifi to Infrared Adapter (Irdroid WIFI) provides Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity to infrared (IR) devices in a small and slick enclosure that fits in the palm of your hand. It includes both a receiver and emitters to control all of your components.
The main features of the Irdroid Wifi to Infrared Adapter are:
Universal Wifi infrared remote control for Android and PC
Extended remote control range (10+ meters )
User friendly remotes database browser
Compatibility with many LIRC clients for Android & windows/Linux
Wide operating angle (no need to point the device to the TV )
KISS design (Keep it simple)
Home automation via IR controllable devices.
Wifi 802.11n 150mbps Router
1800maH power bank
Open source software & *hardware
The Irdroid Wifi to Infrared Adapter consist of two modules the Wifi to Infrared Adapter main unit which is actually running Openwrt Linux 3.10 and a USB Infrared transceiver unit , which assures the Infrared (IR) connectivity. The Wifi to Infrared Adapter main unit is based on RT5350 SoC which runs at 350MHz, 32MB SDRAM and 4 Megabytes of flash memory for the Linux Kernel and for the user level applications.
USB 7 Segment Display 
TVState USB Cable for reading current TV State 
Irdroid IR Receiver for STBs 
WiFi to Infrared adapter 
Brickz Bluetooth Infrared Transmitter 
USB Infrared Transceiver for Digital Signage