TV-b-Gone Kits: v2 ($30) & RISC edition ($25)

“With great power comes great responsibility…”

The TV-b-Gone is a simple project for anyone with basic electronic soldering skills (and a soldering iron suitable for electronic work … NOT a soldering gun). Running off two AA batteries (included!!!), it’s a small electronic device which transmits a lot of infra-red power codes. Enough, in fact, to switch off virtually any model of TV you might encounter! This will either make you into a super-villain or a super-hero. Please, use your new-found power to improve society rather than just annoying people!

We are now stocking our own kits, as pictured above. With hardware and software developed in-house at MakerMobile, our kits feature key improvements over Version 1 kits (as sold by Adafruit):

Hardware upgrades include:

  • The button and LED are now in ergonomically sound positions, making the unit easier to hold and operate.
  • The PCB track width has been increased to better tolerate non-expert soldering
  • All component positions are now clearly labelled
  • The battery terminals are clearly identified as B+ and B-
  • The programming header has been removed as programming the chip in-circuit would very likely damage the IR LEDs

Software upgrades include:

  • Doesn’t transmit hundreds of unnecessary codes, wasting battery power - just the ones you need!
  • The code order has been optimized with all common codes transmitted early in the sequence
  • The gap between codes has been reduced. Combined with the previous point, this translates to much shorter wait times.
  • While transmitting, the indicator LED glows steadily rather than flashing (a behaviour that drew unwanted attention). It flashes under certain conditions only (e.g. 3 long flashes for a low battery warning)
  • Version 2 has multiple operating modes.

The [Builder’s Guide is here](/content/kits/tvbg/build/ "TV-B-Gone v2 Builder’s Guide"/index.html)

The Version 2 User Guide is here

The RISC edition User Guide is here. The RISC edition is our new standard kit and maintains the fantastic price point of CAD$25 including batteries!