Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsrgv.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!peterr
From: peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Infrared light as a universal interface?
Message-ID: <2391@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Oct-83 01:13:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.2391
Posted: Sun Oct  2 01:13:27 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Oct-83 21:34:29 EDT
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 23

With (I assume) the creation of cheap encoder/decoder chips for infrared remote
control, such devices are popping up in a lot of consumer electronics.  VCR's,
televisions, and convertors are the best examples, but I have even seen a
receiver (by Revox) with IR RC.  I don't know the details of the transmission
schemes used, but I wonder if IR light might be used as a universal interface
of sorts.  Imagine a box with IR emitters mounted on a short pole to provide
good coverage of a room, an IR receiver somewhere on the box itself, and an
RS-232 port, all tied together by a Z8 or similar 1-chip micro, to provide a
Smartmodem-like interface.
  Connect the box to your personal computer, running standard terminal
software.  Enter the name of a device and an operation (e.g. "vcr", "play")
and then point the device's remote control at the box, activating the button
for the operation.  The box records what it sees and can play it back whenever
requested.  You could put a timer and a relay to control your computer in
for good measure, possibly along with something to activate the relay should
your phone ring.  One then has access to the programmability of a PC and
doesn't have to worry about the programming limitations of individual
components.  Better interfaces for programming, say, a VCR, could also be
provided (e.g. schedules displayed on a screen).
  If nothing else, this would make an interesting construction project for
BYTE.  It hinges on an assumed universality of codes used in IR RC.  Anyone
know whether such an assumption is valid?
  p. rowley, U. Toronto  utcsrgv!peterr