Recently, everyone learned that the OnePlus 8 has a special camera that shines through plastic objects almost through. Despite the fact that it was about the most common infrared, not X-ray technology, many were greatly surprised. After all, by default it was always believed that it was impossible to enlighten the subject through and through, but then it turned out that there was nothing fundamentally complicated in this. It is enough to simply equip the smartphone with a photochromic module or an IR sensor, as is the case with Face ID y iPhone. But the camera of a smartphone could always see a little more than the human eye, and this can be directed in the direction you want.
You can determine that the batteries in the remote control are empty using your smartphone
I recently bought myself a new TV at my home. Complete with it, as expected, there was a remote control and a package of AA batteries. Everything was fine, but at some point I realized that the TV stopped responding to remote control commands. And it happened somehow quite selectively. Saved only good old tapping on the back cover – in the hope of returning contact or fixing a sealed component. At first it really helped, and it happened extremely rarely, so I did not suspect anything unusual until the remote control stopped showing signs of life at all.
How to know if the batteries are dead
Strange, but I didn't even think about the discharged batteries and decided that the problem was in the remote control, which turned out to be defective. After all, what other reason could it not work? However, before buying a new remote, I decided to read reviews of my TV and found that some customers were receiving half-dead batteries. Therefore, I needed to check my copy, because, perhaps, the same thing happened to me. You do not need any chargers for this, but an ordinary smartphone will be enough.
- Launch the camera on your smartphone and pick up the remote control;
- Aim the camera lens at the light on the remote control and press any button on it;
On the left – there is no ray, on the right – there is a ray
- If there is power, the light should turn blue or purple;
- If there is no power, the light will either flash intermittently or not react at all.
Why does the remote control light flash
If you look at Face ID through the camera lens, you'll see the IR sensor pulsing there too.
In the first photo I have a remote control with discharged batteries, and in the second – with charged ones, which I installed after the experiment. This is clearly visible due to the fact that the smartphone's camera is able to capture infrared rays, unlike our gaze. After all, even if you bring the remote control close to your eyes or completely turn off the light in the room, you will still not see any radiation, but the camera, in particular, a digital one, will see them very, very well.
This method may not be universal, given that some modern remotes do not work on the principle of sending IR rays with a signal, but via Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi. But since wireless protocols are used only by the most modern TVs and set-top boxes, which are still a minority, in most cases a camera beam check should work and show you the true state of the batteries and indicate the need to replace them.