Thread: using ipod touch to control relays

so i think i figured something out. i'm going to use this thread as a brainstorming thread so please, any constructive input will be appreciated.

so to do this i'm going to need a few things:

control interface:
ipod touch

relay board:
infrared remote relay board
or build it myself:
simerec's sis-7c ic
less expensive sony chip with 14 latching outputs

transmitter to be hooked up to the ipod touch:
transmitter

reciever to be hooked up to your computer in order to record the ir signal:
simerec's ir-w
or
38kHz Infrared (IR) Receiver Module

receiver schematics 1
or
receiver schematics 2


use the following documentation to convert wav files into ir 'commands':
use ipod as a remote

now onto the software side of things and seeing how hard it would be to make an application that can play the sounds based on button presses on the ipod touch. again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

the one issue i see here is how to hook up the ipod to the stereo as well as the ir transmitter. I could hook them both up with a toggle switch but there has to be a cleaner way.


more research that is way over my head:
more research that is way over my head
this looks promising but i think you need web access


i'm going to keep updating this post for future developers... most of what i add here is way out of my scope of hacking, so enjoy:
useful development boards for the ipod

Hiya,

Not read it totally in detail, but you could record a 'command' which is
a high frequency (say 19.5kHz) burst of 50-100msec and a 50-100msec pause, and then repeat a few times. This could be followed by a DTMF tone, which is easily decodable (there are ICs which do this).
The high frequency bursts would be used for detection by a microcontroller, to briefly mute the audio to the amp, so that the subsequent DTMF is not played over the speakers.
The 19.5kHz would not be audible across the speakers, because it is too high (but the line out from the ipod will easily create this frequency, so it is detectable by a circuit).

There are probably other ways of doing this this was just one idea that came to mind.

you know... you just gave me a great idea. i wonder if i take ir the commands that are recorded by the computer, alter them so they are above 18khz and then make a simple x-over to filter out anything below 18k and pipe that to the ir transmitter... hmmm...

if it works it won't need the micro controller and should be inaudible/undetectable/uninterrupted

To change radio frequencies the original Griffin iTunes FM modulator used a series of high pitched beeps that sounded like very fast Morse code, a space of about 2 seconds and then a final 'confirmation' beep that must have been programmed into the modulator.

Each packet of beeps corresponded to an iTunes music track. You'd select artist Griffin and album Frequencies and every FM frequency would show up as a song. You'd scroll to select the frequency you wanted to transmit on and play it. Then, it would play the beeps and switch the fm modulation to that frequency.

I always thought it was a pretty slick solution to the issue of having no way to interface with the device. Later on, they put a small LCD screen on it and I don't think you had to do that anymore.

You seem to know what you are doing, so have a look at the Arduino an open source embedded controller that you program in C. See www.arduino.cc. There is an example on the Arduino playground of controlling an Ipod using opto isolators soldered onto the Ipod buttons. There is also a library for it to control an LCD display so you could mount a 2 or 4 line LCD in your dash. There are motor controller circuits for it as well.

I've had one for a fortnight or so and they are simply amazing. I think it will do everything you want to do and more. There is a bit of preliminary detail on my worklog about the Arduino.(see my signature)

thanks, i checked out the arduino (i think i linked it too) but i can't code I'll research it a bit more.
if you realize, most of my ideas are hacks and smashes of other people ideas


when i get home i'll check out your build, i'm very interested!!

Never too late to learn, you just got to learn how to hack other people's code now

haha... ok ok... i'll take another look at it... it'll probably blow my budget though!

Here, I'll help:

Ipod control: http://www.jonasolson.se/content/arduino_tutorial/

Triggering relays: http://www.arduino.cc/playground/upl...ain/relays.pdf
but using the solid state relays I used is easier