Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!seismo!mcnc!ece-csc!ncrcae!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!felix!fritz!dennisg
From: dennisg@fritz.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Infra-Red Receiver?
Message-ID: <3972@fritz.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Mar-87 15:59:30 EST
Article-I.D.: fritz.3972
Posted: Tue Mar 24 15:59:30 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Mar-87 04:26:21 EST
References: <1922@ihlpl.ATT.COM> <562@puff.WISC.EDU>
Sender: root@fritz.UUCP
Reply-To: dennisg@fritz.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 20

In article <562@puff.WISC.EDU> schumann@puff.WISC.EDU (Christopher Schumann) writes:
>Try a phototransistor.  Radio Shack sells an IRED LED, Phototransistor
>pair for less than 3 dollars.

AAARGH!

It's real handy to drop in to Radio Shack and pick up nifty parts for cheap,
but I wish that they would get their act together.

I bought said combo a couple of weeks ago, and just tried to use them last
night.  NO WORKIE until I found out that the data printed on the back of
the blister pack gave the WRONG PIN-OUT FOR THE IR LED!

Since the diode in question emits no light visible to my current set of
peepers - even when the LED is installed properly - this took awhile to
diagnose.

Moral of the story:
	o always put a visible LED in series with the invisible one(s)
	o never trust the data on a blister pack