We received a V2 USB IR Toy last week from Dangerous Prototypes via Seedstudio.
(See early access note for backers below)

After some initial teething problems we set about playing with this new device. Then we went about trying to integrate it into AnalysIR. We found that operating the IR Toy in ‘Sampling Mode’ worked best for our needs. There are several other modes available which are described on the website below.

As we have supported Arduino and of course Raspberry Pi  we felt that adding a new device as a source for IR signals, warranted the introduction of a new Menu feature called Source. From our next release (hopefully) users will be able to select the source from the main menu and use Arduinos, RPi & now the IR toy with AnalysIR.

The benefits of the IR Toy include:

• Affordable price @ $20 ($22.50 incl Postage)
• Single system with MCU, USB & IR receiver already on board.
• Can be re-programmed to operate as a TV-B-Gone device or as a PIC.
• IO pins are made available at the edge of the board along with the ICSP programming header.
• Small & compact – could be easily embedded into other projects
• IR sending is also supported by this unit and V2 has a better driver circuit for the IR LED compared to the previous hardware release.

One area for improvement would be a better IR receiver and IR frequency learner (QSE159). The IR receiver appears to be a cheaper one than originally specified(TSOP34838). We are big fans of Vishay IR components, but unfortunately the specified Vishay component may have been swapped out for a cheaper one. Similarly we would prefer to have a VISHAY IR learner (TSMP58000) to get the demodulated IR signal instead of the one specified. We did notice some spurious IR signals when the sun was shining outside (not directly on the unit).

Coming Soon: Look out for more sources being added for AnalysIR – we have ordered a TI Launchpad @ $12.99 including delivery (MSP-EXP430F5529LP). This relatively powerful board looks like it could be the winner of all Sources . Delivery is expected before the end of Nov’13. At this price plus the cost of a quality Vishay IR Receiver plus Learner, its likely to come in as the cheapest platform for an AnalysIR source. We have already compiled our Arduino firmware on the TI Energia IDE (which is also a fork of Wiring/Arduino IDE) and it all looks good for when the Launchpad arrives.

USB IR Toy Early Access: Backers who already have a USB IR Toy V2 are welcome to try out this new source with an interim release. Just email us via the contact menu above or (support@….) for instructions.

You can get AnalysIR by clicking here.

More details on the USB IR Toy can be found on the Dangerous Prototypes website

http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/USB_Infrared_Toy

The USB IR Toy can be purchased here for circa US$20 ($22.50 including worldwide delivery).

For a limited time, AnalysIR is still available directly from us at the original crowd funding perk rates – see the campaign page for details on all the perks: http://igg.me/at/AnalysIR

Then just email us for PayPal details for your contribution. (support@….) or via our contact form

You can also check out our forum post on the DP forum, which covers a bug fix for the IR Toy when reporting IR modulation frequency with AnalysIR and other tools, here:

http://dangerousprototypes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5987