Download the Software

The software for this project is available on GitHub at the following link. It also contains board files for the open-source circuit board and STL files for a 3D printing case. If you have not already done so, download it and unzip it to your computer. We will describe later what to do with the various programs and folders.

The repository contains 4 folders. The folder arduino_files contains files that we will upload to the QT Py Board using the Arduino IDE. The folder raspberry_pi_files contains files that will be copied to your Raspberry Pi. The folder CAD_files contains the STL files for the 3D printed case. The folder board_files contains the Eagle CAD files for the circuit board.

Installing IRLib2

We will also be using IRLib2 which is an open-source library for transmitting, receiving, and decoding infrared signals. The library is available on GitHub at the following link…

That library cannot be installed using the Arduino Library Manager. You have to install it manually. Installation of the IRLib2 library is as follows:

  1. Visit the IRLib2 page on GitHib.
  2. Select the “Download ZIP” button, or simply click this link to download directly.
  3. Uncompress the ZIP file after it’s finished downloading.
  4. The resulting folder should be named "IRLib2-master" and will contain 5 separate folders. That is because IRLib 2.x is actually a collection of 5 libraries that work together. Sometimes, you’ll get an intermediate-level folder and need to move things around.
  5. Copy all five folders into your Arduino library folder alongside your other Arduino libraries, typically in your (home folder)/Documents/Arduino/Libraries/ folder. Libraries should not be installed alongside the Arduino application itself.
  6. Re-start the Arduino IDE if it’s currently running

This repository consists of a total of five libraries each of which must be in your arduino/libraries/ folder. So for example it should be installed as follows…

  • arduino/libraries/IRLib2
  • arduino/libraries/IRLibFreq
  • arduino/libraries/IRLibProtocols
  • arduino/libraries/IRLibRecv
  • arduino/libraries/IRLibRecvPCI

Do not install them in a single folder such as this…

  • arduino/libraries/IRLib2_master
    • IRLib2
    • IRLibFreq
    • IRLibProtocols
    • IRLibRecv
    • IRLibRecvPCI

Here is a tutorial that walks through the process of manually installing libraries that are not available through the library manager.

After you have installed the library, look in the IRLib2/manuals folder. You will find an extensive set of documentation for the library in EPUB e-book format, PDF format, and Microsoft Word .docx format. Section 2 of that manual is a tutorial on the basic use of the library. Below you will find some brief explanation of how to use a board but for complete details, you should really use the examples in section 2 of the IRLib manual.

The IR transmitter and receiver circuits in this board are based on an IR circuit that has its own tutorial here in the Adafruit Learning System. There is also a learning guide for IRLib2 itself. See the following links.

If you are not familiar with how to upload programs written in C++ to the QT Py SAMD21, see the learning guide for that board, especially this section on using the Arduino IDE.

This guide was first published on Apr 17, 2021. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (QT Py Software) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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