Tag Archives: infrared

Un-improving range on the infrared channel

It turned out doing software UART was a terrible idea.  The processor is way too slow to support a reasonable baud rate.  I did figure out how to use a comparator though: the key phrase I was missing was “rail-to-rail.”  That means that inputs can be in the full voltage range from ground to Vcc.  Another handy phrase is “push-pull,” which means that the comparator can output 0 and 1; in contrast, an “open collector” comparator can only output 0, and needs an external resistor to pull the output to 1.

I bought a rail-to-rail push-pull comparator, the MCP6541, and tried it with the receiver circuit, and sure enough it increased the maximum range significantly.  Unfortunately it also increased the minimum range significantly.

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Improving range on the infrared channel

The range on the infrared channel, which I discussed in the last entry, is probably enough; but I’d like to increase it a bit.  With more range I can space modules farther apart if needed, and hopefully be able to have a wider angle between the transmitter and receiver.

Fortunately the signal output by the Darlington transistor pair on the receiver is a pretty clean digital signal.  At full power it ranges from (a little above) 0 V to (a little below) 3.3 V.  As the transmitter gets farther away the digital signal remains but the low voltage increases beyond the UART receiver’s ability to read a 0.  For example, at a large distance the UART signal might range from 2.5 V (logical 0) to 3.3 V (logical 1).

There are several options I’ve considered:

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Poor man’s IrDA for intermodular communication

If all goes extraordinarily well, the AUV will have the following modules sitting in the hull:

  • Acoustic modem
  • Motor control
  • Depth control (buoyancy control and pressure sensing)
  • Master controller

Rather than wiring everything together, I plan to give each module its own power supply and use an optical communication protocol to connect the modules to the master controller.  The inside of the hull will be cleaner and more solid than if everything was wired together, and waterproofing will be easier.  Here’s how it works:

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