IR Remote Controlled Blinds

About This Project

This project was inspired by the blinds in my room being very annoying to open and close due to the location of the pull cord. I started working on a a design to automate it but we moved before I could complete it. In our new house, I decided to apply the design to the vertical blinds in our kitchen instead. This project helped me learn a ton about electronics such as stepper motors, drivers, power sources etc. as well as general skills like wiring and soldering.

Design

I considered putting the motors in the top of the blinds but due to lack of space I decided to put them at the bottom of the pull cords. I also had to upgrade to NEMA-17 motors as the blinds required higher torque. The downside to this was increased current consumption which required me to buy a 12V, 7A power supply. I then designed the 3D printed parts which would pull the cords in Fusion360.

Housing

I designed the housing to include ventilation slots as the stepper motor drivers heat up when in use. The back of the housing also has mounting holes in it so it can be fixed to a wall. PLA was used for the housing material as it has IR transparency qualities. Due to this, the IR receiver was able to function while maintaining a sleek outer shell.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse