Remote Control Check
 

Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 3:37*pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. *I'm impressed.
*I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
*It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

Remote Control Check
 

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?


---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you can
check that it's still working.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 2:49*pm, "charlie"
wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

...
On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:

Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you can
check that it's still working.

Learn something everyday.

Remote Control Check
 

"jim" wrote in message
...
On Oct 22, 2:49 pm, "charlie"
wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

...
On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:

Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you can
check that it's still working.

Go to RemoteCentral.com, a website that reviews remote controls. They have
photos of the IR beam for a number of brands. Some have a very narrow weak
beam, others spread a strong wide beam.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 2:37*pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. *I'm impressed.
*I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
*It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

Check out a stove burner it should show IR you cant see, some cameras
are more sensitive.

Remote Control Check
 

charlie wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?


---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you can
check that it's still working.


Wouldn't it be simpler to point it at the TV?

--
aem sends...

Remote Control Check
 

aemeijers wrote in
:

charlie wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

... On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?


---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you
can check that it's still working.


Wouldn't it be simpler to point it at the TV?

--
aem sends...


If remote not working is it becasue the romote is broke or is it because
the TV is not responding to a good remote?

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 9:21*pm, Red Green wrote:
aemeijers wrote :





charlie wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

... On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you
can check that it's still working.

Wouldn't it be simpler to point it at the TV?

--
aem sends...

If remote not working is it becasue the romote is broke or is it because
the TV is not responding to a good remote?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I've got so many friggin' remotes that answering that question is easy.

Remote Control Check
 

Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.


This also works using "analog" VHS-type camcorders

Remote Control Check
 

Red Green wrote:
aemeijers wrote in
:

charlie wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

... On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.
And I would want to this...why?


---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you
can check that it's still working.


Wouldn't it be simpler to point it at the TV?

--
aem sends...


If remote not working is it becasue the romote is broke or is it because
the TV is not responding to a good remote?
Other than maybe needing to windex the fingerprints and cigarette smoke
off the little eye on the front, the failure rate of the TV end of the
remote system is close to zero. And if the remote just went flying, the
odds of the TV end failing at that exact same time are too low to even
consider.

--
aem sends...

Remote Control Check
 

I'm waiting for an explanation as to why I can see the IR signal on a
camera screen but not when I look at the remote directly......




On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:37:46 -0500, Duff wrote:

Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 23, 10:34*am, Duff wrote:
I'm waiting for an explanation as to why I can see the IR signal on a
camera screen but not when I look at the remote directly......



On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:37:46 -0500, Duff wrote:
Wow. *I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You never asked for an explanation.

Remote Control Check
 

Duff wrote:
I'm waiting for an explanation as to why I can see the IR signal on a
camera screen but not when I look at the remote directly......
....
Differing sensitivity ranges -- the camera CCD can "see" the IR and
images it onto the display into the visible spectrum. The "raw" IR
isn't in the portion of the spectrum visible directly.

--

Remote Control Check
 

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Oct 23, 10:34 am, Duff wrote:
I'm waiting for an explanation as to why I can see the IR signal on a
camera screen but not when I look at the remote directly......

The camera, whether film or electronic will see the light in an image
differently than the human eye. Even different films and different
electronic imaging chips will see the light spectrum differently which is a
result of the different material that goes into making them. An electronic
camera can "see" the IR energy and records or displays the IR image on the
monitor or preview screen, where this IR part of the spectrum is beyond
human vision. Sometimes the eye can see things that film or electronic chips
cannot see. An example is older black and white film that could not see red,
which is why red lights were used in darkrooms, and why Hollywood used brown
or dark gray lipstick on women so that lips would not appear very pale in
the finished product.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 3:44*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Oct 22, 3:37*pm, Duff wrote:

Wow. *I'm impressed.
*I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
*It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

To make sure a problem remote is working? Just a wild guess.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 6:14*pm, aemeijers wrote:
charlie wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
....
On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you can
check that it's still working.

Wouldn't it be simpler to point it at the TV?


And what if the TV is the problem, and not the remote?

Remote Control Check
 

Duff writes:
I'm waiting for an explanation as to why I can see the IR signal on a
camera screen but not when I look at the remote directly......

If you wanted an explanation, you should have asked for one. Otherwise,
we'll assume the answer is as obvious to you as it is to us.

Why you can't see anything:
Those wavelengths of light are called "infrared" because they are longer
wavelength (lower energy) than visible red. They are used for remote
controls *because* they are not visible to us, yet easily generated and
detected by silicon devices.

Why your camera sees it:
The camera uses a silicon-based detector, either CCD or CMOS. Silicon
is quite sensitive to near-IR, which is one thing that makes near-IR a
good choice for remote control communications. So the camera sensor
naturally sees the IR, unless the camera incorporates a really effective
IR filter to remove those wavelengths before they reach the sensor.

In fact, most digital cameras *do* have an IR filter, because IR is seen
as white light by the sensor (it passes through the RGB filters) which
reduces saturation and shifts colours. So there is an IR-blocking
filter which is effective enough at reducing the effect of IR naturally
present in scenes illuminated by the sun or incandescent lamps. But
it's not effective enough to *completely* block the very bright IR
produced by the LED in the remote control.

BTW, there are video cameras built for security/surveillance that
deliberately have high IR sensitivity so the camera plus a few IR LEDs
make a "see in complete darkness" camera.

Dave

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 22, 11:18*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Red Green wrote:
aemeijers wrote in
:

charlie wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

... On Oct 22, 3:37 pm, Duff wrote:
Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.
And I would want to this...why?

---

when swmbo throws the remote at you and bounces it off the wall, you
can check that it's still working.

Wouldn't it be simpler to point it at the TV?

--
aem sends...

If remote not working is it becasue the romote is broke or is it because
the TV is not responding to a good remote?

Other than maybe needing to windex the fingerprints and cigarette smoke
off the little eye on the front, the failure rate of the TV end of the
remote system is close to zero. And if the remote just went flying, the
odds of the TV end failing at that exact same time are too low to even
consider.


Who said anything about "flying remotes"? It's a simple test for the
remote, period.

Remote Control Check
 

"charlie" writes:

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

One thing I *have* used this for: determining what a film P&S camera is
focusing on. I have a Yashica T4 which has passive IR autofocus, and
it's described as "multi beam". If I aim the camera at a piece of white
paper that fills the field of view and press the shutter release, a beam
of IR light from the camera illuminates several places on the paper -
but I can't see the beam myself. A little B&W security video camera
aimed at the same paper shows clearly just where the IR beams are
hitting the paper.

Looking at the video output on a monitor, I can draw lines on the paper
that show the boundaries of where the IR focus beams hit. Then when I
look at those marks in the camera viewfinder, I can see where the
autofocus spots are relative to the viewfinder markings.

(It should *also* work to simply have the video camera look through the
camera viewfinder, and observe the IR directly. But I didn't try
that.)

Unfortunately, digital P&S camera mostly use the slower but cheaper
contrast-detection autofocus instead of IR autofocus.

Dave

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 23, 3:37*pm, Ron wrote:
On Oct 22, 3:44*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Oct 22, 3:37*pm, Duff wrote:

Wow. *I'm impressed.
*I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
*It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

To make sure a problem remote is working? Just a wild guess.

To make sure a problem remote is working?

Just because I see a bright spot on my cell phone doesn't mean the
remote is "working". It may be transmitting, but it may not be
changing my channels. I'd know it was transmitting, but I wouldn't
know if it was coded correctly for the device or even sending out the
correct codes if it was.

So, while this test could indeed tell me if the batteries and/or
remote itself was dead, it wouldn't really tell me if it was
"working".

For now, I'll consider it a parlor trick, something to share with the
kids, which I did.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 23, 4:01*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Oct 23, 3:37*pm, Ron wrote:



On Oct 22, 3:44*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Oct 22, 3:37*pm, Duff wrote:

Wow. *I'm impressed.
*I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button..
*It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And I would want to this...why?

To make sure a problem remote is working? Just a wild guess.

To make sure a problem remote is working?

Just because I see a bright spot on my cell phone doesn't mean the
remote is "working". It may be transmitting, but it may not be
changing my channels. I'd know it was transmitting, but I wouldn't
know if it was coded correctly for the device or even sending out the
correct codes if it was.

And how would the codes get changed on an original remote for said
device? Chances are, if you can see the IR light through the camera
lens, and your TV (or whatever device) isn't working, the device is
bad. (IMO) Nothing wrong with learning something new, what a killjoy.

Remote Control Check
 

Duff posted for all of us...

Wow. I'm impressed.
I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera.

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.



And then you look in the end of your fiber optic cable with your remaining good
eye.
--
Tekkie - I approve this advertisement/statement/utterance.

Remote Control Check
 

On Oct 23, 9:52*pm, Tekkie® wrote:
Duff posted for all of us...

Wow. *I'm impressed.
*I just learned that you can check your remote controls IR output
using a digital camera. *

You just point your remote control at the digital camera such as a
standard webcam or a standard cell phone camera and push the button.
*It shows up on mine as a white light like an led light when looking
at the image on my viewer screen, yet when I point the remote at my
eyeball, I see nothing.

And then you look in the end of your fiber optic cable with your remaining good
eye.

And then you sister looks at my snake eye.