Built-in project · ESP32-DevKitC V4

MicroPython infrared remote codes on GPIO 15, on an ESP32-DevKitC V4

MicroPython on an ESP32: an IR receiver on GPIO 15 and a small NEC decoder print the code of each button pressed on the remote. The whole build, an ESP32-DevKitC V4 and 3 more parts, runs here in your browser on the firmware below; open it in the editor to change the wiring or the code and run it again.

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Intermediate About 20 minutes to build and run. Runs in your browser. Free, and no account needed.

The parts retail for about $11.55. On Mokxi they're free.

The circuit runs here once the page has loaded.

What you'll learn

  • How an infrared receiver turns light bursts into a digital signal
  • How the NEC protocol sends bits as timed gaps
  • Using a pin interrupt to catch edges as they happen
  • Checking a command against its inverse to catch errors
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Time: About 20 minutes
  • Board: ESP32-DevKitC V4
  • Parts: 6

How it works

The VS1838B receiver picks up the remote's infrared light and turns it into a clean signal on its OUT pin. That pin idles high and goes low during each burst. A 10k resistor pulls it up, and it goes to GPIO 15.

A small decoder in nec.py counts the time between falling edges. An NEC frame is a long header burst, then 32 bits. A gap around 2.25 ms means a 1, and a shorter gap means a 0.

The decoder checks that the command and its inverse agree, then main.py prints the code in hex every time you press a button, starting with 0xff.

Parts list

6 parts, plus the jumper wires. They retail for about $11.55; on Mokxi they're free.

Kits that can build it

These 3 starter kits have every part in the circuit. Each kit's page lists what else it can build.

Wiring table

Every connection, pin by pin, read from the circuit itself. Each row joins the pin on the left to the pin on the right, by a jumper wire or a breadboard strip.

Part and pinConnects to
Infrared receiver, VS1838B pin OUTESP32-DevKitC V4 pin 15
Resistor, 10k Ω pin 2ESP32-DevKitC V4 pin 15
Infrared receiver, VS1838B pin IRInfrared remote, 21 buttons pin IR
Infrared receiver, VS1838B pin GNDGround
Infrared receiver, VS1838B pin VCC3.3 V
Resistor, 10k Ω pin 13.3 V

The code

The MicroPython code exactly as the editor opens it. Change a line there and press Run: the board runs it on the official MicroPython firmware, with nothing to compile.

main.py · ESP32-DevKitC V4
# Infrared remote: press a button on the remote and its code is
# printed. The receiver's output is on GPIO 15 with a 10k pull-up.
from nec import NEC
import time

remote = NEC(15)
print("Point the remote and press a button")

while True:
    code = remote.read()
    if code is not None:
        print("0x%06x" % code)
    time.sleep_ms(20)
nec.py · ESP32-DevKitC V4
# nec.py: read an NEC infrared remote through a VS1838B-style receiver.
# The receiver's output idles high and goes low during each burst. A
# frame is a 9 ms burst, a 4.5 ms gap, then 32 bits, least significant
# first: a bit is a short burst and a short gap (0) or a long gap (1).
from machine import Pin
import time

class NEC:
    def __init__(self, gpio):
        self.pin = Pin(gpio, Pin.IN)
        self.edges = []
        self.last = 0
        self.code = None
        self.pin.irq(trigger=Pin.IRQ_FALLING, handler=self._edge)

    def _edge(self, pin):
        now = time.ticks_us()
        gap = time.ticks_diff(now, self.last)
        self.last = now
        if gap > 20000:                # a long quiet: a new frame starts
            self.edges = []
            return
        self.edges.append(gap)
        if len(self.edges) == 33:      # the header and 32 bits
            bits = 0
            for i, t in enumerate(self.edges[1:]):
                if t > 1700:           # 2.25 ms between edges is a 1
                    bits |= 1 << i
            self.code = bits
            self.edges = []

    def read(self):
        """The last frame as 0xff then the address and command, MSB first, or None."""
        bits, self.code = self.code, None
        if bits is None:
            return None
        command = (bits >> 16) & 0xff
        if command ^ ((bits >> 24) & 0xff) != 0xff:
            return None                 # the command and its inverse disagree
        # the way most tutorials print it: each byte bit-reversed, 0xff first
        return 0xff0000 | _reverse(command) << 8 | _reverse(command ^ 0xff)


def _reverse(byte):
    out = 0
    for i in range(8):
        out = out << 1 | (byte >> i) & 1
    return out

Code walkthrough

The key functions of the sketch, and what each one does.

_reverse nec.py

Flips the eight bits of a byte end to end. NEC sends the least significant bit first, but most tutorials print each byte the other way around. read uses this to print the codes in the form you will see online, with 0xff first.

def _reverse(byte):
    out = 0
    for i in range(8):
        out = out << 1 | (byte >> i) & 1
    return out

Troubleshooting

The usual mistakes with this circuit, and the fix for each.

  • Nothing prints when you press a button. This project
    Check that the receiver's OUT goes to GPIO 15, and that it has 3.3 V on VCC and ground on GND.
  • The code is the same for every button. This project
    Check the 10k pull-up resistor from OUT to 3.3 V.
  • Button codes come out wrong or do not match another sketch. Infrared remote
    Remotes differ. Print the raw codes for your buttons first, then compare against those values. A repeat while you hold a button is a special repeat code, not a new press.
  • Nothing is received at all. Infrared remote
    Check the receiver pin order of OUT, GND and VCC, which varies by module. Use the pin your IR library expects. Keep the receiver away from bright light and aim the remote at it.
  • No signal is seen, or the module gets hot, because the three legs are in the wrong order. Infrared receiver
    On the VS1838B, with the dome facing you, the legs are usually OUT, GND, VCC from left to right. Check your module's marking before powering it. Supply is 2.7 to 5.5 V.
  • A plain LED blinking at the receiver is never detected. Infrared receiver
    The receiver only responds to light modulated at about 38 kHz. Send with a library such as IRremote, which makes the carrier. OUT idles high and goes low during a burst, so decode that inverted signal.
  • The LED is dim, burns out, or the pin reads wrong because the resistor value is off. Resistor
    Read the color bands again. A 220 ohm to 330 ohm resistor suits a typical LED on 5 V. 10k is a common pull-up or pull-down value. Check with a multimeter if unsure.
  • A pull-up or pull-down resistor is missing, so the input floats and reads random values. Resistor
    Tie the input to 5 V or ground through about 10k. Or use INPUT_PULLUP and wire the switch to ground.

Change it and keep it

Open it in the editor, change the circuit or the code, and keep your version in a free account.