Hi all,
I'm designing a product which requires an IR remote control with just two functions: "on" and "off". I figured I could simply choose an IR kit (i.e. handset + receiver/decoder) from a local supplier of electronics kits, but to my amazement, I can't find any such kits. Neither Farnell nor Conrad has anything matching my specifications.
Conrad does have 2-channel 433MHz RF remote controls, but I can't use these, as product safety requires that the user must always have the product in sight when operating it. Now I could of course design a remote control circuit myself, but that would easily double my amount of work, involving programming controllers, finding a suitable handset casing with a battery compartment etcetera.
Also, the remote control kit would have to be commercially available for a few years to come at least, so I'm not looking for converted toy car controls or the likes.
Could anyone point me to a solution? Or is there perhaps a company out there, producing remote controls upon specification? And if it turns out to be "roll-your-own" after all, does anyone know of a suitable PIC-based solution (as I can only program PIC controllers at the moment)? That would at least save me the trouble of writing the software.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions, best regards,
Richard Rasker