Repurposing an Old TV Clicker as a Universal Remote

Televisions and other such equipment have, for the last few decades, primarily been controlled with infrared (IR) remotes and receivers. Cheap and reliable, there’s a lot to love about this type of user interface. The downside is that when you add on more devices, perhaps a cable box or an extra audio system, you’re left with multiple remotes.

The obvious solution is to use a universal remote that can work with multiple protocols. Hacker “RiYa” instead decided to intercept electrical signals from an existing remote using an ATtiny13, then spit out a new sequence to the actual IR LED. This method enables one "original" clicker to control whatever is needed.

The neat thing here is that it uses the existing remote and buttons without external alteration, just the addition of new hardware inside. The ATtiny13 microcontroller was chosen in part as a challenge to see if the whole setup could be done in its limited 1,024 bytes of flash and 64 bytes of memory, somewhat restricting control options.

If you wanted to try it yourself, code is available here and the project could be done with an ATtiny85, ATmega328, or other more capable chip to allow for macros and useful functionality.