Here is a list of everything you will need for this project.

Raspberry Pi Items

Although this project can use any Raspberry Pi that has Wi-Fi capability which includes the various varieties of models 3 and 4, we recommend the Raspberry Pi Zero W or Raspberry Pi Zero WH. The "WH" is identical to the "W" model except that it has the headers pre-soldered. If you already have 2 x 20 pin headers available you can save $4 and solder them yourself.

Angled shot of Raspberry Pi Zero W computer with headers.
NOTE: Due to stock limitations we may only be able to offer refunds or store credit for Pis that are defective, damaged or lost in transit.If you...
Out of Stock

You will need a 5V power supply. We recommend this 2.5 amp supply with a micro USB cable already attached.

5V 2.5A Switching Power Supply with 20AWG MicroUSB Cable
Our all-in-one 5V 2.5 Amp + MicroUSB cable power adapter is the perfect choice for powering single-board computers like Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, or anything else that's...
$8.25
In Stock

You will need a microSD card for the operating system. It should be at least 8Gb. You will need the capability of reading and writing information to this card from your PC or laptop. Although you can purchase an SD card with the NOOBS operating system preinstalled, we have not used that method and so the procedures we outline here will not exactly be the same. So we recommend getting a plain card and downloading NOOBS yourself.

Micro SD card
Add speedy mega-storage in a jiffy using this 16 GB Class 10 micro-SD card. It comes with a SD adapter so you can use it with any of our shields or adapters! Preformatted to FAT so it...
$19.95
In Stock

We will be configuring the Raspberry Pi Zero W as a "headless" device. That means it will not need a monitor, keyboard or mouse. If you intend to use the Pi Zero W for other purposes you might want to consider getting an HDMI cable, Mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter, USB OTG cable, and USB Console cable as recommended on the Raspberry Pi Zero W product page.

QT Py and Accessories

This project is designed to work with the Adafruit QT Py-SAMD21.  In addition to the board itself, you will also need a USB C cable for programming it.

Note that the QT Py Hat has been designed with the upcoming RP 2040 version of the QT Py board in mind however, the software included in this tutorial is not compatible with the RP 2040 because it uses the Arduino IDE C++ as well as IRLib2 neither of which currently support the RP 2040. The IRLib2 library may eventually support the RP 2040 processor and we will update the software when that capability is available.

Animation of Adafruit QT Py with onboard NeoPixel in a rainbow swirl.
What a cutie pie! Or is it... a QT Py? This diminutive dev board comes with our favorite lil chip, the SAMD21 (as made famous in our GEMMA M0 and Trinket M0 boards).This time it...
$7.50
In Stock
USB Type A to Type C Cable - approx 1 meter / 3 ft long
As technology changes and adapts, so does Adafruit. This  USB Type A to Type C cable will help you with the transition to USB C, even if you're still...
$4.95
In Stock

Although not necessary for this project, you might also want to consider getting the 2 MB SPI 8 pin add-on memory chip. The QT Py Hat board has a hole in it to accommodate this chip which might be useful for future projects.

Angled shot of a 2MB SPI Flash in 8-Pin SOIC package.
These little chips are like miniature SSD drives for your electronics. When you don't need something with as much storage as a micro SD card, but an EEPROM is too small, SPI (or...
$1.25
In Stock

QT Py Hat Board and Components

The QT Py circuit board is an open-source board. The Eagle CAD files for the board are available in a GitHub repository that you can download at the button below. The same repository also contains all of the software necessary for the project as well as STL files for a 3D printed case. You should download it now for later use.

You can submit the board files to your favorite board manufacturer, make the board yourself or you can also order the board directly from the following vendors

Here are images of the board and schematics.

You will also need a number of through-hole components. Most of the parts you will need are available from Adafruit. Some that are not available at Adafruit are available from a variety of suppliers. At the end of this list will give you a complete list of through-hole parts available from Digi-Key.

First, we will need 2 IR LEDs. We prefer to use a combination of wide-angle and narrow-angle LEDs. This narrow 20° angle LED is available from Adafruit. A 40° wide-angle LED is available from Digi-Key. See the Digi-Key parts list at the end.

Unlit blue-tinted LED
Infrared LEDs are used for remote controls (they're the little LED in the part you point at your TV) and 'night-vision' cameras, and these little blue guys are high powered...
$0.75
In Stock

You will also need an NPN transistor and 2 PNP transistors. Here Adafruit has a combo pack of five of each or you can buy them separately in packs of 10.

Bipolar Transistor Kit - 5 x PN2222 NPN and 5 x PN2907 PNP
Transistors are powerful little electronic switches, and we really like these NPN and PNP transistors whenever we need to control medium-power electronics, such as small motors,...
Out of Stock

You will need a 1K ohm resistor and optionally you may need two 33 ohm resistors. Adafruit carries the 1K variety but if you need the 33 ohm see the Digi-Key parts list at the end of the page. We will explain later why you may or may not need the 33 ohm resistors.

Angled shot of 25 Through-Hole Resistors - 1.0K ohm 5% 1/4W.
ΩMG! You're not going to be able to resist these handy resistor packs! Well, axially, they do all of the resisting for you!This is a 25 Pack of...
$0.75
In Stock

You will need an infrared receiver such as this TSOP38238 from Adafruit. In the Digi-Key parts list, we specify a TSOP38438 which has a slightly better automatic gain control circuit however the 38238 from Adafruit will work fine under most every circumstance. You may also need an infrared learner device the TSMP 58000 from Digi-Key. We will explain later why you might need a TSMP58000.

IR (Infrared) Receiver Sensor plugged into breadboard
IR sensor tuned to 38KHz, perfect for receiving commands from a TV remote control. Runs at 3V to 5V so it's great for any microcontroller.To use, connect pin 3 (all the...
$1.95
In Stock

The board requires a 2x20 pin female header to connect it to the Raspberry Pi.

Side shot GPIO Header for Raspberry Pi A+/B+/Pi 2/Pi 3/Pi 4/Zero
Connect your own PCB to a Raspberry Pi with this normal-height female header.  The female header part is about 8.5mm tall, good for small HATs that do not to clear the...
$1.50
In Stock

Other items

You will need a soldering iron, solder, and diagonal cutters to install the through-hole components and clip the leads. A small vice for holding the PCB while you solder it will be useful as well.

This guide was first published on Apr 17, 2021. It was last updated on Mar 29, 2021.

This page (Parts Required) was last updated on Mar 31, 2021.

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