One added suggestion here;  Set the remote so it doesn't resemble,
code-wise, any current remote in your house.  You don't want
interactions!

I have 3 VCR's (legacy of having a poor ex-Girlfriend without a VCR;
long story.)  Apparently, there are pretty much just 3 VCR IR code
styles, these 3 don't interact in any way (which is a GOOD thing!)  Took
some looking to find these 3 (Sony, Magnavox, Symphonic) - I'm sure
there are other combinations.  I didn't have Web access years ago when I
got these (It's been a while!)

You don't want to hit the button for "Play" on your VCR, and set off the
house-wide Panic Alarm or something on that order, for example.  Using
the codes for a brand of VCR or TV that you don't have and don't plan to
have, and that do not interact with your current electronics, should
work great.

(Ex-GF's remotes for the VCR would turn the TV on when you turned the
VCR on or off - so you could turn the VCR on, turning the TV on;  Turn
the TV off, then turn the VCR of, turning the TV back on, if you weren't
thinking.  That unintended interaction was a pain if I wasn't awake
yet!)

  Mark

Richard Martin wrote:
>
> A good place to start if, it fits your design scheme, is to use a
> 'standard' universal TV remote control transmitter, <$US10
> hereabouts, and just use the PIC to Rx and decode. You can have
> several Tx devices and they are easily replaceable when lost or when
> eaten by the dog (or would it be a lion in .ZA?). Place Rx (IR
> photodevices) about the house, OR-ed together, so you can
> turn on the lawn sprinklers from the bathroom, etc..
>
> Most of the encodings used in U.S. and Europe are on the Web
> but it's pretty easy to 'milk' the codes of a variant Tx widget.
> You get as many numeric 'channels' as you choose and can, e.g.
> use the special "Record" key to turn everything on at once.
> Completely impressing the neighbors.
>
> R.Martin
>
> John De Villiers wrote:
>
> > Hi Folks,
> >
> > I want to build a pic based IR transmitter / receiver for a Home security
> > project.
> >
> > Basically i want as many "buttons" as possible on the transmitter and a
> > receiver capable of decoding al those into relay actions for switching on
> > electic gates and garages etc.
> >
> > Any ideas on where i can start?
> >
> > John