Remote Control
In my EE230 class, my lab partner and I built an infrared transmitter and receiver. This circuit functioned as a simple example of wireless communication. By using our knowledge of circuitry we had acquired over the course of the semester, we were able to build transmitter circuitry to emit a signal from an IR LED. This signal was received by a photodiode on a separate breadboard, which produced an electrical signal which passed through filter circuitry to indicate which receive LED would light up. In effect, this is a proof-of-concept analog communication system. It could even be considered a precursor to a television remote or similar device.
My partner and I shared the tasks pretty evenly. Between theory, design, and building, we used previous knowledge and recently learned material to create something we had not been able to make previously. This project showcases how we were able to learn new information and then apply it to a task and produce a functional result.
In particular, we used a newly gained understanding of op-amp technology, filter circuitry, transistor information, and related domains. Prior to this, I had only a passing familiarity with semiconductor technology, being much more comfortable with passive circuit elements like resistors, capacitors, inductors, and similar components. In the process of doing this project, I continued to learn as well. For instance, I got a better intuition of the possibilities of wireless communication. In fact, in some ways it encouraged me to take an antennas course later in my degree program. With that said, I also came to appreciate the limitations of IR communication. I observed that in our device at least, there was a limited range and angle at which it would work at all.
Although I had worked closely with this lab partner in the past, I got to know her even better through this project. It was a commitment which required long hours in lab, sometimes late at night. I would say that it taught me a new degree of patience: one which had a dimension of sensitivity.
We drew on a number of resources for this endeavor. For one, we relied on lecture slides posted by our instructor. For another, we used the course textbook. We also discussed and brainstormed with classmates to troubleshoot issues we encountered. Our lab TAs were helpful as well. I understand there is a parallelism to the workforce there; where one uses various resources at their disposal to accomplish their goal.
