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Problems with Panasonic PNA4601M Infrared Receivers — Parallax Forums

Problems with Panasonic PNA4601M Infrared Receivers

azclawsonazclawson Posts: 10
edited 2010-05-07 15:20 in Accessories
Hello, everybody! As you may have guessed, I've been having problems with the PNA4601M IR receivers. The thing is, I've been using the metal-shielded IR receivers that I got in my Boe-Bot box, and they've served me well! But when I wanted to order replacements, I found the Panasonic receivers (which are not metal-shielded). I ordered them anyway because the product page claimed them to be a direct replacement for the ones in the Boe-Bot kit. When I plugged them into the circuit from Chapter 7, Activity #1 of "Robotics with the Boe-Bot," they didn't work! The circuit worked with the metal-shielded receivers, but they weren't to be found on the internet! I would very much appreciate some help with this problem.

Comments

  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2010-05-01 21:18
    Are you sending them a 36.7KHz signal?

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    - Stephen
  • azclawsonazclawson Posts: 10
    edited 2010-05-01 23:59
    I'm sending a 38.5 KHz signal. Should I be sending a 36.7 KHz signal?
  • azclawsonazclawson Posts: 10
    edited 2010-05-03 23:13
    ...because I just tried it and it didn't work. Once again: suggestions are more than welcome wink.gif
  • Steph LindsaySteph Lindsay Posts: 767
    edited 2010-05-04 00:24
    Hi azclawson,

    If you ordered your replacements from Parallax (stock code 350-00014) you received the PNA4602M, which is also described in the datasheet linked to that product page, and they should work just fine with the activities in the Robotics with the Boe-Bot text. The book was in fact developed with that device.·

    You can try the activities in the Robotics text Appendix G, which allow you to step through a frequency sweep, to see what frequencies your device responds to best (assuming you bought the PNA4601 instead, elsewhere).

    If you are getting no response at all, I would look for coding or wiring errors, or burnt-out IR leds. You can make sure your IR LEDs are emitting light by looking at them through a digital camera - they will show up white when they are on.

    -Stephanie
  • azclawsonazclawson Posts: 10
    edited 2010-05-04 21:48
    I probably fried them while I wasn't paying attention @_@. This wouldn't be the first time!
  • PrettybirdPrettybird Posts: 269
    edited 2010-05-07 15:20
    I have been playing with similar sensors and found that freq. is very important. Some are 38 to 40 khz and by reading data sheets some are lower. They are very picky. They do fry easily too. I learned the hard way. I have reciently develpoed a circuit that uses 2 555 timers to free up a few I/O pins. I may post it in the near future. I was impressed how well they worked, but using 3 I/O pins ( counting the LED ) per sensor mabe good for learning but a bit overkill.
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