Anavi has gone to Crowd Supply to launch a new run of its $16 “Anavi Infrared pHAT,” which adds IR remote control to the Pi, and offers optional sensors.

Leon Anavi’s Bulgaria-based Anavi Technologies, which has introduced Raspberry Pi add-ons such as the RabbitMax Flex IoT HAT, is launching a smaller pHAT board that adds IR control and optional sensor capabilities to the Pi. In May, Anavi successfully launched the Anavi Infrared pHAT on Indiegogo, earning a modest $6,680. He has now gone to Crowd Supply to fund a second run, with prices having raised a bit from $9 to $16. Shipments are due by the end of December.

Anavi Infrared pHAT on its own (left) and with a Raspberry Pi Zero
(click images to enlarge)

The Anavi Infrared pHAT is designed for creating IR-controller IoT devices, or retrofitting existing consumer electronic equipment or appliances such as air conditioners to be controlled with a standard TV remote control. Since the add-on board provides dual 5mm IR transmitters in addition to an IR receiver, it can also be used to create a custom remote control for your TV, stereo, and other devices.

The pHAT (partial HAT) form factor is designed to fit perfectly over a low-cost, 65 x 30mm Raspberry Pi Zero or Zero W. It can also work with Raspberry Pi 3, 2, B+, or A+ SBCs.

Anavi Infrared pHAT with sensors
(click image to enlarge)

The Anavi Infrared pHAT is further equipped with an EEPROM, as well as UART pins for debugging. The board is designed to support up to three sensor I2C-driven add-ons, made available with a series of kit bundles that also include the pHAT:

• Starter — $27 — temp/humidity (HTU21D) sensor
• Advanced — $37 — temp/humidity, barometric pressure (BMP180), light (BH1750) sensors
• Developer — $47 — temp/humidity, barometric pressure, light sensors; mini remote control; USB-to-serial debug cable
• Combo — $63 — combines two Advanced kits
• Family — $119 — combines a Developer kit with two Advanced kits

The Anavi Infrared pHAT is open source in both hardware and software, and is available with schematics and PCB design files. Open source Python and C code samples are also available. The board is well-suited for integration with the LIRC (Linux Infrared Remote Control) software, which includes a lircd daemon that decodes IR signals received by device drivers and provides information on sockets.

The Crowd Supply board is the same as the one offered on Indiegogo except that Anavi is now providing “better documentation, updated software support for Raspbian Stretch, and more example applications.” Browser and mobile apps can be enabled by installing Home Assistant or OpenHAB 2 on your Raspberry Pi.

 
Further information

The Anavi Infrared pHAT is available for $16 on Crowd Supply through Oct. 12, with shipments due Dec. 29. Sensor kits range from $27 to $119, including the pHAT board. More information may be found on the Anavi Infrared pHAT Crowd Supply page.