The Remote Cloner

This is still in the design phase, I don't have a full schematic yet. My next post will talk about technical details like what processor and enclosure I am going to use. By now, you can guess how it works and comment about it. That way I also learn alternatives to my design decisions. I want to manufacture this someday.

I am going to make an infrared remote control cloner. Why would anybody want to clone a remote control? For various reasons. Let's say I work in a hospital and I often have to turn off the various TVs and air conditioning units all along the hospital. Let's say there are many brands of both things. I don't want to bring 6 different remote controls with me or 2 universal remotes with functions I won't use. So I bring my Cloner and clone all the remotes used in the hospital into a single unit.

The Cloner will have 12 buttons, enough to turn two TVs on and off, change their volume and channels and even mute it. But that doesn't solve the problem. That's why it also has a switch to change the button's functions. It goes from page A to D. If you program your buttons to clone two TV remotes with the switch on A, you switch it to B and you can program in more devices, say some air conditioners. When you switch back to A, you can use the Cloner as the remote of those two TVs. If you switch to B, you can control the air conditioners.

That way the remote can learn 48 commands with just 12 buttons. It also allows you to organize them more into categories. The front of the remote will be textured so you can write with a marker (non-permanent is recommended), or you can print a sheet with the functions, if you like.

It also has potential as a prank device. Clone a friend's remote when he or she is not there and have fun!

Basically, programming works like this:
You set the switch to the right page (move the switch to the letter you want).
You press the program button and the button you want to program at the same time.
At this point your Cloner will wait for a command from a normal remote.
When it detects a command, it starts to memorize the pattern. The cloning LED light will blink red.
When the OK LED light goes green, the command has been is saved.
If you press the button you have just programmed, it should work just like the original remote.