VS1838B IR receiver with Arduino Nano — decode any TV remote

A ₹20 IR receiver turns any old TV remote into a wireless keypad for the Nano. The receiver’s OUT pin goes to D2; it is powered from 5V like everything else on the Nano.

Press keys and note the command codes; then use them in a switch to toggle relays or LEDs. The on-board LED flickers on every frame received, which makes wiring problems easy to spot.

Wiring

Every connection
Arduino Nano	VS1838B IR receiver (38 kHz)	Wire
D2	OUT	yellow
GND	GND	black
5V	VCC	red

2.7–5.5 V part, 5 V board. Power it from your board's logic voltage; OUT is an active-LOW signal at VCC level.

Board quirks

Bare VS1838B pin order, looking at the dome: OUT, GND, VCC. Module boards often reorder them — follow the print.
IRremote uses Timer2 on the Nano, so tone() and analogWrite() on D3 and D11 stop working. Servo (Timer1) and millis() (Timer0) are unaffected.
Most Indian set-top box and TV remotes use the NEC protocol; AC remotes send long frames that IRremote shows as “UNKNOWN” or as several packets.
Sunlight and CFL/LED tube lights add noise. Shade the dome and add a 100 nF capacitor across VCC/GND close to the receiver.

Code

ir-receiver-nano.inoArduino C++Open in Playground Flash

// VS1838B IR receiver on an Arduino Nano: prints protocol, address and command of any remote.
// OUT → D2, GND → GND, VCC → 5V. IRremote uses Timer2 on the ATmega328P, so tone() and
// analogWrite() on D3/D11 stop working while it runs.
#include <IRremote.hpp>

const uint8_t IR_PIN = 2;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  IrReceiver.begin(IR_PIN, ENABLE_LED_FEEDBACK);  // the on-board LED flickers on each frame
  Serial.println(F("Point a remote at the receiver and press a key"));
}

void loop() {
  if (IrReceiver.decode()) {
    if (IrReceiver.decodedIRData.flags & IRDATA_FLAGS_IS_REPEAT) {
      Serial.println(F("(repeat)"));
    } else {
      Serial.print(F("Protocol: "));
      Serial.print(getProtocolString(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.protocol));
      Serial.print(F("  Address: 0x"));
      Serial.print(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.address, HEX);
      Serial.print(F("  Command: 0x"));
      Serial.println(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.command, HEX);
    }
    IrReceiver.resume();
  }
}

// VS1838B IR receiver on an Arduino Nano: prints protocol, address and command of any remote.
// OUT → D2, GND → GND, VCC → 5V. IRremote uses Timer2 on the ATmega328P, so tone() and
// analogWrite() on D3/D11 stop working while it runs.
#include <IRremote.hpp>

const uint8_t IR_PIN = 2;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  IrReceiver.begin(IR_PIN, ENABLE_LED_FEEDBACK);  // the on-board LED flickers on each frame
  Serial.println(F("Point a remote at the receiver and press a key"));
}

void loop() {
  if (IrReceiver.decode()) {
    if (IrReceiver.decodedIRData.flags & IRDATA_FLAGS_IS_REPEAT) {
      Serial.println(F("(repeat)"));
    } else {
      Serial.print(F("Protocol: "));
      Serial.print(getProtocolString(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.protocol));
      Serial.print(F("  Address: 0x"));
      Serial.print(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.address, HEX);
      Serial.print(F("  Command: 0x"));
      Serial.println(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.command, HEX);
    }
    IrReceiver.resume();
  }
}

Library: IRremote (Armin Joachimsmeyer (shirriff, z3t0)) — compiled with IRremote 4.7.1.

Expected serial output

Serial Monitor · 115200Output

Point a remote at the receiver and press a key
Protocol: NEC  Address: 0x0  Command: 0x45
(repeat)
Protocol: NEC  Address: 0x0  Command: 0x46

Point a remote at the receiver and press a key
Protocol: NEC  Address: 0x0  Command: 0x45
(repeat)
Protocol: NEC  Address: 0x0  Command: 0x46

Common errors

IRremote.h: old example code does not compile

IRremote 4.x replaced irrecv.decode(&results) with IrReceiver.decode() and IrReceiver.decodedIRData. Use the sketch on this page.

Nothing is printed

Wrong pin order (the bare part gets hot if VCC/GND are swapped) or a 56 kHz remote. Check with a phone camera that the remote LED flashes.