INFRARED HELP...PLEASE HELP

[Rapt0r9]

Bharat Nain - Our IR board is mounted directly on our flag pole, so I do believe that this is a significant problem. We were able to successfully test remotes up to about 30 feet in the arena while we were still in our pit. Once on the field we were not able to receive commands shortly after the robot left its starting location. We are planning on moving the IR sensor or flag pole at our next regional.

[billbo911]

Many teams have had significant trouble because or the Lap Counter's IR output. Most of those teams overcame that problem by shielding the IR board's receiver from the IR generated by the Lap Counter.
Try making a "hat" for your board to shield it from the stronger IR coming from the Lap Counter and you should be back in business.

[Bharat Nain]

The above suggestions are correct. We moved our IR receiver much below the flagpole. The IR transmitter on the flag sends a signal upwards so your IR receiver must be mounted at least below that. Then you must shield it. IR signals can bounce off things so they are bound to come back. This tremendously helped us. If possible, I would suggest moving your IR receiver completely away from the flag holder.