Re: IR board improvement
 

Mike.
I agree that a diode across the regulator with the cathode at V in is appropriate with a larger output capacitor. Not sure if that needs to be the case here. However, I would recommend a 10 mfd near the chip just to protect against transients when the LEDs turn on. I like the use of the RC 5 volt rail but the you should then keep the big cap in place to filter the power. One team at Boilermaker had a short on the board pull down the RC 5 volts. Perhaps a small fuse is in order as well.

Re: IR board improvement
 

Just before the WI regional I ran across an article in SERVO magazine about a spinning battle bot that needed to get IR commands from its operator. He took a 18" x 1" lexan rod and drilled and tapped a hole thru the center. He then fitted the rod over the IR sensor. IR form the remote would be collected by the rod and the threads acted as prisms to direct the light toward the sensor. He got 360 degree coverage and increased the light capturing area from 1/4 square inch to 18 square inches.

We used this on our bot and doubled the range of our IR board.

BC
Team 1675