Making A super long range IR remote with IR laser diode

Hey guys,
I am wanting to make a long range remote for my tesla coil. I have tried radio frequency transmitter/receivers but of course the tesla coil interfiers with them so while I would be able to turn the coil on, it wouldnt turn off...

So I guess my only other option is IR. I have made an IR remote before using a PICAXE. I used 3 IR leds with a flashlight mirror behind them and got decent range, however I want super good range like I would get with an RF remote. The type where I dont even need to point the remote at the ir receiver because the IR pulses are so strong the bounch off walls and what not.
So I was thinking, if I used this IR laser diode
and replaced the typical IR led with it (obviously driving it with more power) would I get much more range? Would it even work at all?

let me know what you think!

plasmaninjaa said:

Hey guys,
I am wanting to make a long range remote for my tesla coil. I have tried radio frequency transmitter/receivers but of course the tesla coil interfiers with them so while I would be able to turn the coil on, it wouldnt turn off...

So I guess my only other option is IR. I have made an IR remote before using a PICAXE. I used 3 IR leds with a flashlight mirror behind them and got decent range, however I want super good range like I would get with an RF remote. The type where I dont even need to point the remote at the ir receiver because the IR pulses are so strong the bounch off walls and what not.
So I was thinking, if I used this IR laser diode
and replaced the typical IR led with it (obviously driving it with more power) would I get much more range? Would it even work at all?

let me know what you think!

Click to expand...

The key to this idea is not the power, but the ability of the collimated beam to cover
far more distance. I have thought of this in the past but just as an idea.

I would start by measuring the voltage and current of the existing LED
then use a NIR 780nm diode from a CD reader mounted with an appropriate lens.

An old CD player or even a non burning CD rom from and old PC should work
fine. Adding more power would only add to the complexity of the mod you are trying.

Id start there and am pretty confident it will work out of the gate. The only thing
you may want to do before mounting it, is get the diode in a aixiz mount and
set the beam to your desired distance. Then wire it to your circuit and move forward.

20-40mA of current at 1.5-2.5v should be approx what a reader IR diode will need to run.

Keep in mind, if you dont have a power meter, IR can be exceptionally dangerous. You may want
to test the diode, use a trimmer to drop the current back to where the diode just begins to lase,
and dont go over. If you have a power meter, 2-3mW should be plenty.

I was thinking of not even using the lens. I might have confused you with the title "long range". I simply want to use a laser diode without a lense as it is more powerfull than an IR led

Interesting project. My suggestion is to consider this seller.

Lot 2 X 808nm 1000 mw high power 1 watt BURNING laser diodes DPSS | eBay

He's inside the US, shipped quick for me, and seems to send everyone 3 diodes instead of 2.

do you have a suggestion as to how I should power it? How many ma and v should I power it with? Also, wondering how I should arrange the circuit with the driver and microprossessor. Should I just put a transistor in series with laser diode to turn it on and off the output of the driver? or should I put the transistor in series with the driver itself so that the driver isnt being powered without a load. Also if I do this, will the driver be able to be switched on and off fast enough when the microprocessor pulses out the IR code?

plasmaninjaa said:

Hey guys,
I am wanting to make a long range remote for my tesla coil. I have tried radio frequency transmitter/receivers but of course the tesla coil interfiers with them so while I would be able to turn the coil on, it wouldnt turn off...

So I guess my only other option is IR. I have made an IR remote before using a PICAXE. I used 3 IR leds with a flashlight mirror behind them and got decent range, however I want super good range like I would get with an RF remote. The type where I dont even need to point the remote at the ir receiver because the IR pulses are so strong the bounch off walls and what not.
So I was thinking, if I used this IR laser diode
and replaced the typical IR led with it (obviously driving it with more power) would I get much more range? Would it even work at all?

let me know what you think!

Click to expand...

A few things to consider...

It is near impossible to hit a small target (receiver) with
a colimated INVISIBLE 808nm IR Laser beam over a
long distance.

I would use a visible Laser such as a Red 650nm or Green
532nm so that I could more easily aim and hit the target
with the Laser.


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

I think you should use a dedicated receiver which is not completely local to the tesla coil, but is rather connected via fiber. If you keep the receiver away from the TC, you may have a better chance of reaching the receiver - with either a beam of light of a radio signal.

lasersbee said:

A few things to consider...

It is near impossible to hit a small target (receiver) with
a colimated INVISIBLE 808nm IR Laser beam over a
long distance.

I would use a visible Laser such as a Red 650nm or Green
532nm so that I could more easily aim and hit the target
with the Laser.


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

Click to expand...

The only problem with visible light is you have a harder time filtering out 'noise'.
With IR or NIR, you can add a filter to the receiver. Perhaps a visible used to aim
but not to activate...

I suggested to the OP a 780nm from a CD reader as they for the most part, are single mode
and have good range. Im not quite sure why he would want to use uncollimated IR, it kind of
defeats the purpose.. Though I may be missing something :thinking:

I think what he is wondering is would an IR LD work (uncollimated) at a farther range than a standard IR LED. Since an LD can produce more powerful output than a standard LED, would his range increase.
The OP also mentioned not wanting to have to point it directly, bouncing the IR. That could be dangerous if you go above 5mW.

ChaosLord said:

I think what he is wondering is would an IR LD work (uncollimated) at a farther range than a standard IR LED. Since an LD can produce more powerful output than a standard LED, would his range increase.
The OP also mentioned not wanting to have to point it directly, bouncing the IR. That could be dangerous if you go above 5mW.

Click to expand...

Then it would make sense to keep with a less dangerous LED, would it not?
You could open up the 'dot' so at the given range, it is 10ft or so in dia. You would
only have to point in the general direction without worry of specular reflection.
Even at 5mW, it would be effective and safe.

Laser carries the unique quality of a low diverging collimated beam. Without
a lens, you limit the range.

Is it possible with an uncollimated NIR, probably, practical without a lens? I
would say definitely not.

This is a video I did about 5 years ago. It was a CD burner single mode 780nm near IR.

As you can see, the range is phenomenal. Why else use laser to get crazy range?
Spewing hazardous IR all over the place is not my idea of improving the existing LED
setup. Just my opinion...

Get a "high power" single-die IR LED. 1W chinese ones are like $5. Put a ~1 inch aspheric lens in front of it. Or maybe even a TIR lens. Either are $2 from china.

High range, safe, cheap, and simple.

lasersbee said:

A few things to consider...

It is near impossible to hit a small target (receiver) with
a colimated INVISIBLE 808nm IR Laser beam over a
long distance.

I would use a visible Laser such as a Red 650nm or Green
532nm so that I could more easily aim and hit the target
with the Laser.


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

Click to expand...

Wrong, IR lasers have very shitty beam, only a meter away its already an inch wide, it would be perfect for long range, and would not require any lenses to disperse the beam, it could also be a good long range night vision "flashlight"

I would go with the lowest power laser diode you can and that way maybe you will not have to change out or add to any of the circuitry.

Sounds like some testing in in order :thinking:

Krane said:

only a meter away its already an inch wide.

Click to expand...

You're focusing it wrong. They're bad, but they're not >20mRad bad. They can be defocused, but they're still more dangerous, more sensitive, and more expensive than an LED setup.

Below is a rough schematic of how to build this. You may want to use your own remote instead of programming an ATtiny. As for the laser a 5mw should do.

HctiMitcH said:

Below is a rough schematic of how to build this. You may want to use your own remote instead of programming an ATtiny. As for the laser a 5mw should do.

Click to expand...

I resized your pic closer to the 800 X 600 standard for
posting pics on the Forum...



There is no way that circuit will work. You can not have
the load go to ground through a 1uF cap. It is essentially
an open circuit.

BTW... I agree with what CYP stated in post #14 above
about the safety concerns.


Jerry