Hi, I am currently working on a school assignment, where I have to build a fully working remote control and describe the process of building it and the way it works over about 20 pages. The problem is that I am a complete beginner when it comes to electronics. All I know about my specific subject so far is:
- what infrared light is
- that you need an emitter and an infrared diode or photo transistor as a receiver
- that you might need to modulate the signal and use some kind of coding to be able to have a remote that works at the same range as TV remotes do and have a number of buttons between which the receiver can tell the difference
- basic electronics such as what resistors, capacitors and transistors are, and how they work, but I don't really know how exactly they interact with each other, especially in circuits that are more complex than 2 or 3 components
The end-product musn't be too complex since 12th-graders should be able to understand it, so I can't work with huge schematics. On the other hand it'd be lame to use some kind of high-tech chips who already include all the necessary components and I just have to put some wires to it. After all, I'll have to fill 20 pages. I'd have to find a middle way.
My problem is I don't have any idea what to begin with. Even if I was able to build a remote, I still wouldn't know how to desribe it that detailed.
I thought maybe some of you could help me out in any way, I'd appreciate any guidance, whether it's just an advice, a link to a website that offers instructions on the subject, or whatever...
M. Seifert