Sequential Device Control using TV Remote Control
With this circuit, you can turn on and off up to nine devices at the same time with your TV remote. The circuit is made up of a TSOP1738 IR sensor module, which is the same as a TSOP1238.…
Know the mission before touching a wire.
Understand what you are making, prepare the right tools, and make the workbench safe.
Project details
Sequential Device Control using TV Remote Control is a electronics project. With this circuit, you can turn on and off up to nine devices at the same time with your TV remote. The circuit is made up of a TSOP1738 IR sensor module, which is the same as a TSOP1238.…
- Source pages
- 415-416
- Named parts
- 4
- Build goal
- Working, tested prototype
Tools you need
- Digital multimeter
- Wire stripper and side cutters
- Soldering iron with a fine tip
- Current-limited bench supply
Use eye protection, good lighting, and a clean insulated surface throughout the build.
Safety precautions
- Disconnect every power source before changing a connection.
- Check component polarity, pinout, and supply voltage twice.
- Use a current limit for the first power-up.
- Keep liquids, loose metal, and uninsulated wires away from the bench.
Gather, identify, and understand every part.
Use the standardized inventory, then open What's this? to learn each part's role, advantages, limitations, handling, and specifications.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
SEMICONDUCTOR LEARNING VIEWNE555
A semiconductor stage performs switching, amplification, regulation, rectification, or logic.
What it does hereIt controls current or signal flow at a defined point in the circuit.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Fast and efficient
- Compact
- Can control larger loads from smaller signals
Limitations
- Pin order varies
- Sensitive to overvoltage and reverse polarity
- May need cooling or bias components
Handling
- Verify the datasheet pinout
- Avoid static and soldering heat
- Check notch, stripe, or flat-face orientation
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for NE555; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm pinout, maximum voltage/current, dissipation, gain or forward voltage, and package.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
SEMICONDUCTOR LEARNING VIEWCD4017
A semiconductor stage performs switching, amplification, regulation, rectification, or logic.
What it does hereIt controls current or signal flow at a defined point in the circuit.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Fast and efficient
- Compact
- Can control larger loads from smaller signals
Limitations
- Pin order varies
- Sensitive to overvoltage and reverse polarity
- May need cooling or bias components
Handling
- Verify the datasheet pinout
- Avoid static and soldering heat
- Check notch, stripe, or flat-face orientation
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for CD4017; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm pinout, maximum voltage/current, dissipation, gain or forward voltage, and package.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
T1, T9 - transistor stages identified in the circuit
A semiconductor stage performs switching, amplification, regulation, rectification, or logic.
What it does hereIt controls current or signal flow at a defined point in the circuit.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Fast and efficient
- Compact
- Can control larger loads from smaller signals
Limitations
- Pin order varies
- Sensitive to overvoltage and reverse polarity
- May need cooling or bias components
Handling
- Verify the datasheet pinout
- Avoid static and soldering heat
- Check notch, stripe, or flat-face orientation
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for T1, T9 - transistor stages identified in the circuit; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm pinout, maximum voltage/current, dissipation, gain or forward voltage, and package.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
LED1, LED2 - indicator LEDs identified in the circuit
A named project component whose exact role is defined by the source circuit and build guide.
What it does hereIt performs a documented electrical, control, interface, or construction function in this project.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Selected for this project
- Can be checked independently
- Supports modular troubleshooting
Limitations
- Substitutes may differ
- Generic names can hide variants
- Pinouts and ratings vary
Handling
- Compare the received part with the source
- Keep it labelled
- Do not force connectors or adjusters
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for LED1, LED2 - indicator LEDs identified in the circuit; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm dimensions, ratings, connection method, polarity, and environmental limits.
Connect one verified path at a time.
Explore the named components and standardized signal flow, then use Source Check to verify exact physical pins, values, and topology before applying power.
Trace this circuit.
Sequential Device Control using TV Remote Control: interactive parts, standardized terminals, responsive anchored wires, student explanations, and the original circuit reference in one shared system.
Trace before wiring
Follow power, ground, inputs, processing, and outputs in that order. Never guess a pin from package shape alone.
Connect with power off
Make short, labelled connections and share a common ground only where the schematic requires it.
Inspect every joint
Check continuity, polarity, adjacent shorts, and loose connections before the first power-up.
Open all source diagrams and build views 1 visuals
Confirm the hardware-only control path.
This project does not include firmware in the source. The circuit itself provides the required behaviour.
How to connect
- Match every controller label to the circuit view and source pin map.
- Join grounds before signal wires when separate low-voltage supplies are used.
- Keep motors, relays, pumps, and other loads on a suitable driver and external supply.
Common mistakes
Reversed VCC/GND, board-label versus GPIO-number confusion, missing common ground, and charge-only USB cables.
Troubleshoot
Disconnect loads, continuity-test one path at a time, then test with a current limit.
Software preparation
No IDE, board package, library, or firmware upload is required for this project.
If you add a programmable controller as an extension, document its pin map separately.
How to upload code
The original design is implemented entirely in hardware, so proceed after verifying the circuit and supply.
Assemble, deploy, test, and troubleshoot.
Use the complete source notes in build order, then pass the final checks before calling the project finished.
Build in functional stages
- Power and regulation
- Controller or processing stage
- Inputs and sensors
- Outputs and loads
- Enclosure and strain relief
Power up safely
- Inspect unpowered continuity first
- Apply the lowest safe current limit
- Measure supply rails before signals
- Add one load at a time
- Record expected and actual results
Work from simple to complex
- Confirm power, ground, polarity, and orientation
- Compare each pin with the source
- Test inputs separately from outputs
- Replace only one variable at a time
- Power off before every correction
Follow the documented instructions.
These notes come from this project's source and remain in their original order.
Project overview
Project build noteWith this circuit, you can turn on and off up to nine devices at the same time with your TV remote. The circuit is made up of a TSOP1738 IR sensor module, which is the same as a TSOP1238. LED1 connects the output of TSOP1738 to the trigger input of IC NE555 (IC1) at pin 2. The output of IC1's monostable mode is sent to the clock input of IC CD4017 (IC2). Resistors R7 through R15 are used to connect each of the nine outputs of IC2 to the bases of relay-driver transistors T1 through T9, respectively. The positive end of 12V is connected to the collectors of RL1 through RL9, which are relays. A 12V battery or a 12V adaptor is used to power the
circuit. Since TSOP1738 only needs up to 5 volts, a zener diode with 5.1V is used. How the circuit works is easy to understand. When the power is turned on, LED2 lights up to show that the circuit is ready to be used. Now, use the TV remote to turn on the first device by pressing any button. When you press any button on the remote a second time, the first device turns off and the second device turns on. As you press the button on the remote, the devices turn on and off one by one. When the ninth button is pressed, the eighth device will turn off and the ninth one will turn on. When you press any button on the remote again, IC2 is reset, which makes all of its outputs except for Q0 go low. On the other hand, switch S1 can be used at any time to reset IC2. Keep in mind that only one of the nine devices can be turned on at a time. Put the circuit together on a PCB that can be used for many things and put it in a suitable cabinet. Install the sensor in the middle of the cabinet's front panel. Finish making all the connections for the relays on the back of the cabinet.
You built Sequential Device Control using TV Remote Control.
You followed the full workflow from understanding the mission to testing the finished project. That is a real engineering achievement - well done.
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