Hi, I am totally new here, and I should make it clear that I am total newbie when it comes to electronics, though I do build rc tanks etc which are quite complex beasts.
I have a problem and I am wondering whether anyone can shed some light on it.
RC tanks use an infra red emitter to fire a shot, the standard is 38khz modulated.
There are various systems on the market, ranging in price from £60-£250. I have several of each, but its the £60 one that is giving me a headache. The IR range of most systems is 25-30 meters. The range of the cheap board is about 3 meters.
The IR emitter is a Maplins YH70M, this is a standard issue IR emitter that most people use as it matches the Tamiya standard. In most systems it is a perfect replacement.
The only information that I can provide regarding the power to the emitter on the £65 board is that there is a surface mounted resistor in the circuit. With the resistor in place the voltage to the IR emitter is around 3.3v. If the resistor is bridged the voltage is around 7v.
7v will blow the emitter, and does not seem to increase the range before it does so.
With my limited knowledge of IR's, forward voltage etc, I am wondering whether there is a solution to this dilemma. After reading various articles on the web, I am making an assumption that the current to the emitter is low on amps and that it is this which is reducing the range.
Due to the microscopic design of this board, is there any way that I can increase the range? The only options that I have are to bridge the existing resistor (spec unknown but it does drop the volts by 50%) and fit another one inline to the emitter + leg. But I have no idea whether this would work, or even if it would, what the spec of the replacement resistor would need to be.
If anyone has a solution, I would really appreciate it.
Rob
I have a problem and I am wondering whether anyone can shed some light on it.
RC tanks use an infra red emitter to fire a shot, the standard is 38khz modulated.
There are various systems on the market, ranging in price from £60-£250. I have several of each, but its the £60 one that is giving me a headache. The IR range of most systems is 25-30 meters. The range of the cheap board is about 3 meters.
The IR emitter is a Maplins YH70M, this is a standard issue IR emitter that most people use as it matches the Tamiya standard. In most systems it is a perfect replacement.
The only information that I can provide regarding the power to the emitter on the £65 board is that there is a surface mounted resistor in the circuit. With the resistor in place the voltage to the IR emitter is around 3.3v. If the resistor is bridged the voltage is around 7v.
7v will blow the emitter, and does not seem to increase the range before it does so.
With my limited knowledge of IR's, forward voltage etc, I am wondering whether there is a solution to this dilemma. After reading various articles on the web, I am making an assumption that the current to the emitter is low on amps and that it is this which is reducing the range.
Due to the microscopic design of this board, is there any way that I can increase the range? The only options that I have are to bridge the existing resistor (spec unknown but it does drop the volts by 50%) and fit another one inline to the emitter + leg. But I have no idea whether this would work, or even if it would, what the spec of the replacement resistor would need to be.
If anyone has a solution, I would really appreciate it.
Rob