Master Blaster

Want to control a plethora of electronics with your mobile device?

Here's How..!

The Master Blaster is an IR blaster/ transmitter that fits into the headphone jack of any mobile device. The intended purpose of this was to control an IR receiver for an LED light strip. In addition to that, this IR blaster can be used for a variety of applications and devices. With this transmitter and the right software you can control anything from a TV to a Camera! (Or anything else with an IR receiver)

Inspiration/ Resources

https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Infrared-transmitter-for-iPhone-iPod/

http://wiki.samygo.tv/index.php5?title=Build_your_own_IR_transmitter

Materials:

• 3.5mm (1/8") Audio/ Mp3 plug (old headphones or any audio jack will suffice)
• IR LED (x1)
• Solder
• Hot Glue
• Electrical Tape
• Signal Amplifier (I used a compact headphone amp)
• LED light strip
• LED IR receiver (Used with my LED light strip)

Tools:

• Soldering Iron
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wire cutters
• Multimeter (To test for voltage)
• Smart Phone (I used an iPhone)
• *IR Transmitter Software (I used ZaZaRemote (iOS & Android))

Construction

1. Identify the negative (-) and positive (+) terminals on the Audio plug
2. Identity the negative (-) and positive (+) terminals on the IR LED, [longer terminal = positive (+) and shorter terminal = negative (-)]
3. Cut the terminals to the proper length before soldering them onto the plug
4. Solder the LED onto the Audio plug
   1. Solder the negative (-) terminal of the LED onto the negative (-) terminal of the Audio plug
   2. Solder the positive (+) terminal of the LED onto the positive (+) terminal of the Audio plug
5. Hot glue space between the 2 terminals to prevent them from touching each other
6. Wrap the leads/ terminals with electrical tape

**After construction, plug the amplifier into the headphone jack of the mobile device and then plug the IR Transmitter into the 'Output' port of the amplifier. Make sure the device's volume is turned all the way up and amplifier is turned 'On' and all the way up.

In order to utilize the IR Transmitter you need software to control the specific frequencies to send.

*I used ZaZa Remote. It's free and compatible with iOS and Android

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zazaremote-univers...

1. Download the Application for your respective platform
2. Open the Application
3. Click the Menu button and Add a Device "+"
4. Choose the device you want to control. (Most likely "IR Remote")
5. Follow the instructions within the app to acquire the specific frequencies required for your device

Troubleshooting

• Make sure the volume on your mobile device is turned all the way up
• Make sure you are within 10 feet of the device being paired/ tested
• Check for a signal being transmitted by the IR LED. By using a mobile phone camera (I used Photo Booth on Mac) when running an ir code you can see the LED blinking a purple/ pink light flashing at various intervals
  • If you see it blinking, then your signal is most likely strong enough. Try running different IR codes through software for your respective device