What is Remote control: Definition and 34 Discussions

In electronics, a remote control or clicker is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as a television set, DVD player or other home appliance. A remote control can allow operation of devices that are out of convenient reach for direct operation of controls. They function best when used from a short distance. This is primarily a convenience feature for the user. In some cases, remote controls allow a person to operate a device that they otherwise would not be able to reach, as when a garage door opener is triggered from outside.

Early television remote controls (1956–1977) used ultrasonic tones. Present-day remote controls are commonly consumer infrared devices which send digitally-coded pulses of infrared radiation. They control functions such as power, volume, channels, playback, track change, heat, fan speed, and various other features. Remote controls for these devices are usually small wireless handheld objects with an array of buttons. They are used to adjust various settings such as television channel, track number, and volume. The remote control code, and thus the required remote control device, is usually specific to a product line. However, there are universal remotes, which emulate the remote control made for most major brand devices.
Remote controls in the 2000s include Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity, motion sensor-enabled capabilities and voice control.

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  1. A

    Sliding doors operated by a remote control device

    Attached are some Sliding doors images. Can they be operated with a remote control device? The remote control device will have buttons for opening & closing the left and right door. What will be the design & construction changes in the sliding doors so that they can be operated using a remote...
  2. Quantum Alchemy

    I A question about Many Worlds and my Remote Control

    I get so many different answers to this question so maybe here someone can pin this down. When I get up in the morning and I turn on my TV, I have over 3,000 channels so is there a universe with a version of me going to each channel? If not, how do I go to one channel over the other? Can my...
  3. S

    Effect of time dilation on a satellite

    I've got the start of a plot forming in my mind, and I'm wondering if it's likely to be supported by physics at all. My basic understanding: when astronauts go to the International Space Station, due to the speed at which it is travelling, time passes ever-so-slightly slower for them. This...
  4. ajohns2000

    Remote control of a Walker Scientific Magnet & Power Supply

    Hello and good day. I am currently involved in research that seeks to utilized a Walker Scientific power supply and magnetic. The system is old but functional. We seek to utilize the magnet in order to conduct some low temperature experiments. We need information on this power supply, of which...
  5. Alex Schmitt

    How to make a short range, remote-controlled electromagnet?

    I am currently working on my high school's upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast. In the musical, there is a rose which loses petals at specific moments in the script that represent the castle's inhabitants slowly becoming less human. I figured that one of the best ways to do this remotely...
  6. anandzoom

    How a remote controlled car know which button is pressed?

    Let us assume a remote controlled car which operates at 2.4GHz frequency band. When the accelerate or left or right turn button is pressed what value changes so that the car detects which button was pressed?
  7. C

    Understanding an RF remote control

    Hello! This question may be a little too specific but if there are any drone enthusiasts out there they might be able to help me out! I'm trying to understand the transmitted signals from a remote control to an air drone. When the user of a remote control, let's say, pushes up on the joystick...
  8. Metals

    Propellers on an RC Quadcopter?

    Hey forum, So I plan on creating a remote controlled quadcopter and I have a query regarding its propellers' sizes. I read that small propellers require motors with a high KV (RPM per volt), and large propellers need motors with a lower KV. There seems to be a way of determining how to match...
  9. T

    Remote Control Car Specifications

    Homework Statement [/B] You are building a remote control car. The car has 50 mm tire diameter, and you want the car to travel on level ground at a speed of 9 mph. You need to select a single motor and gear head for the project. Provide hand written calculations and answers to the following...
  10. NaughtyBear

    Creating a Remote Control Car with Arduino and Raspberry Pi

    So I have looked over a few other posts and do not feel like they are covering what I would like done. So I am currently using an Arduino Uno for the controller and am wanting to use an onboard Raspberry Pi in order to run the code and will be attached to my schools wifi in order to have a...
  11. Nietzsche_Keen

    Possible to turn Android phone into Wii style remote?

    I can find instructions and videos everyone for how to control a remote control car with buttons on a smartphone screen. However, what I'M hoping to do is control an arduino equipped motorized car using the gyroscope and accelerometer contained within the phone. I have found the Wireless IMU...
  12. X

    Troubleshooting Infrared Wavelength Estimation Experiment

    1. Homework Statement Hi, I have to do lab experiment - estimating infrared wavelength (from remote control). My experimental setup includes CD, remote control, webcam (without IR filter, so I can see the infrared radiation), sheet of paper (I will see diffracted light spots on it) with hole...
  13. B

    How does a remote control work?

    I'm specifically interested in television remote controls, garage door opener remote controls, and car door remote controls. I know that the remote control must send a signal somehow to the television, garage door, or car door respectively. But what type of signal does each type of remote...
  14. S

    Very short infrared remote control question

    Hello I asked a question about infrared and UV a while back for which I got some very informative responses: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=676881 This is in a sense a very short follow up question: Is the reason that we don't feel 'heat' from an infrared remote...
  15. F

    Can a voltmeter help troubleshoot a ceiling fan remote control battery issue?

    Hello forum, I have a ceiling fan with a remote control. The battery dies too quickly. There is only one IC in the little circuit board. I would like to understand where the issue is. Can I do that with a voltmeter? But where would I look? What approach? Where would I measure the voltage to...
  16. A

    Infrared Remote Control Watch Used to Unlock Your Car?

    Hello, I have purchased a Casio CMD-40B watch. It functions as a remote control for your TV and Cable boxes. How it works is, you look up the specific TV's "code", tell it to the watch, and your watch now acts as the TV's remote control. Here is the Watch Manual...
  17. P

    Jump into the Field of Remote Control (RC): How Difficult?

    Since I last posted here, I've experimented with small DC motors, parallel and series circuits, messed with my electronic-building kit, and even did a little Job Shadowing (temporary internship) at a local electrical engineering place for school. I definitely want to make this into a profession...
  18. P

    How do IR remote controls use frequency modulation to avoid interference?

    Hi guys, my first post on these forums. I am learning electronics and am still very new to this all. My current tinker project is to learn how regular tv remote controls work. So far I have understood that the remote sends blinking IR pulses through an 940 nm LED. The remote uses...
  19. J

    Bluetooth Remote Control Car

    I am designing a bluetooth remote control car using the pic16f628A. any suggestion of how I should start designing my program?
  20. Math Is Hard

    What's the Secret to Training Cats with the Control-A-Cat Remote Control?

    Ooh! A cat remote control! I want this for Christmas... http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder10/b640
  21. J

    How to make a remote control on / off switch

    Hi all, I would like to make a simple remote control on / off switch. It is for a string of LV leds. 12 V and 0.24 amp running from a battery supply. I would simply like remote switch instead of a toggle so no one else can fiddle with it. Can anyone help me, I have been scouring the...
  22. Y

    Digital Remote Control: Can I Replace the Antenna?

    Hey guys, I understand remote control cars and such use their little antennas and shoot radio waves to the car and control it... My question is can I make some kind of device such that I can remove the antenna on the car and instead hook up to the reciever a digital input processor which will...
  23. K

    How to measure crash impact of a remote control car?

    I want to mount some type of measuring device on a remote control car, and then crash it into a wall. As a result of the impact, I want to look at the speed the car was traveling at point of impact, as well as the rate of decelleration that occurred after impact (using various bumpers). I think...
  24. W

    I want 2 build a remote control circuit

    I want 2 build a remote control circuit , but don't know how ! Who can teach me?
  25. K

    Remote Control Car:H-Bridge Vs Simple Switch DPD

    Hello everybody! I am a beginner in electronics and mechanical but i really want to know more in that field. Now, i want to make a remote control car with a high speed possible. I have already made one with a 3Volts DC MOTOR controlled by a PWM (LM555) and potential-meters, the power supply...
  26. N

    Infrared laser - remote control

    Hey guys, I'm not exactly sure on which forum I should be posting this topic but I decided to post it here. Any mod can move it if deemed necessary. Anyway, I have been wondering about the infrared wavelengths that a remote control emits when trying to control, say, a TV or VCR/DVD player...
  27. P

    Remote Control Overhanging Table

    Homework Statement A 0.090 kg remote control 24.2 cm long rests on a table, as shown in the figure below, with a length L overhanging its edge. To operate the power button on this remote requires a force of 0.460 N. How far can the remote control extend beyond the edge of the table and still...
  28. H

    Can You Control Your Appliances with Just a Bluetooth-Enabled Cell Phone?

    Is it possible to remote control electric appliances directly using a bluetooth enabled cell phone (without PC and laptops as intermediate)?
  29. H

    Designing a Remote Control: Beginner's Guide

    Has anyone here happened to design a remote control... I am just into it...so i am looking for information to understand how can we go about doing it..
  30. F

    Building an IR Remote Control for Senior Design Project

    I am trying to figure out the best way to build an IR remote control. I was going to use momentary switches on the remote and need 18 switches. The remote is going to eventually control a preamplifier I am building for a senior design project which is still a few semsters away. I figure it is...
  31. M

    Human Remote Control: Experience It Yourself

    http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/10/25/human.remote.control.ap/index.html Thoughts? I want to try it out on myself to see what it's like... but ehhh
  32. J

    Remote Control + Head = further distance?

    Remote Control + Head = further distance? huh? has anyone else noticed this? I'm sure you have? has anyone got an explanation for it? like... when you put your car remote, you get about 10ft more range from it... or a garage door remote, about another 30ft when you put it against your...
  33. T

    Remote control pingpong collecting robot help

    Hi guys, my friend and I are creating a remote control pingpong collecting robot and so far we have the basics to make it move forward and backward; however, I have no clue in how to clean up this mess of the wires flowing from the motors to the remote. Any help is appreciated and I'll include...
  34. S

    Adding remote control volume to old amplifier.

    Found the site doing a Google search. Just need to know if this is possible. I have an old amplifier that does not have any remote control. I wondered if it would be possible to do something that will alow me to at least control the volume remotely. Any ideas. Thanx.
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