[Swansea Hackspace] Minimal and bespoke TV remote control

[Gerrit Niezen]

*The problem*
I have three different remote controls that I use to control my TV, Tivo
and NowTV, and I only use a few buttons on each one of these remotes. What
I would like is a minimal, customisable remote control that can replace the
other three for most tasks.

*Existing solutions*
Universal remotes are cheap but mostly crap and have too many buttons. The
Logitech Harmony remotes seem the easiest to use, but they're in the £100
range and still have a lot of buttons.

*My suggested solution*
An open-source hardware remote where you can customise the buttons
depending on your needs, for example by milling your own based on a button
template. The remote should be easy to program, by pointing existing
remotes at infrared receiver on the custom remote.

*Possible improvements*
- LEDs inside buttons that light up when they can be used (that is,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161666687066). For example, if I'm in TV mode,
the "back" button isn't going to work, but the up/down buttons should light
up so that I can change channels.
- Using bamboo for the enclosure - a piece of 50cm-wide bamboo can be
halved to make a semi-circular shape that fits in your hand.

*What I've done so far*
- Got the infrared diode and receiver working on an Arduino
- Recorded infrared signals from my three different remotes and
successfully sent them again
- Cut some bamboo to see if the shape will work
- Drew some crude pictures of what it will look like (attached)

*Next steps*
- Is anyone at Swansea Hackspace interested in helping me develop this
further?
- Would anyone be interested in buying one of these if we make more than
one?

Cheers,
Gerrit


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