Idea

Have some sort of toy or singing fish or dancing teddy bear that sings or dances or lights up when you push a button? Use this to add the capability to remotely push the button with any IR remote!

Instructions

I used:

• Pro Nano 5v Tiny Arduino from Jaycon Systems
• 5V Reed Relay switch
• IR Reciever from Jaycon
• On off switch
• 3 AA battery holder form Jaycon
• perf board
• right angle headers
• 3 way header plug and wires

The Pro Nano requires a special version of the Arduino IDE and its own libraries. You can find everything you need for it here. Then program the Pro Nano with the source code below. Don’t forget to unplug the Nano, hit upload in the IDE, wait for it to say to plug it up, then plug the Nano back in to program it. Then solder the following:

Add the switch to the red wire of the battery holder by cutting it in half and soldering the wire from the battery to one leg of the switch then the other half of the wire from the other leg of the switch to the positive power rail of the perf board.
Solder the black wire of the battery to the negative power rail.
Solder the VCC of the Pro Nano to the positive power rail.
Solder the GND of the Pro Nano to the negative power rail.
B0 of the Pro Nano to the OUT leg of the IR sensor.
B1 of the Pro Nano to the positive trigger pin of the reed relay.
The other leg of the trigger pins to the negative rail.
The GND leg of the IR sensor to the negative rail.
The VCC leg of the IR sensor to the positive rail.
Then solder the two main switch pins of the reed relay to the right angle headers with the outside pins on one and the center pin on the other. Finally, you have to open up the toy and find where the existing button is connected to its circuit board and connect the two wires from your relay switch to those same two spots.

Source Code

int irPin=0;
int LEDPin = 1;
 
void setup()
{
 pinMode(irPin,INPUT);
 pinMode(LEDPin,OUTPUT);
 //Serial.begin(9600);
 //digitalWrite(LEDPin,HIGH);
 //Serial.println("You pressed a button");
 //delay(1000);
 //digitalWrite(LEDPin,LOW);
}
 
void loop()
{
 
  if(pulseIn(irPin,LOW))
  {
     //button pressed 
     delay(100);
     digitalWrite(LEDPin,HIGH);
     //Serial.println("You pressed a button");
     delay(1000);
     digitalWrite(LEDPin,LOW);
  }
  
}

Pictures

The Jaycon Systems Pro Nano Arduino. Switching from quick prototype wires to actual soldered wires.

The blue thing is a relay switch that does the job of the toy’s button. The IR sensor is poking out the side.

Using the projector remote as a test, it works!

Nothing like a good Altoids can to hold everything in place!

You have to solder the wires from the trigger to the same places the wires from the toy’s button is connected.

The pirate dances and tells jokes any time you point a remote at the trigger sensor and press any button!