This circuit can be used to operate a VCR or CD player from another room. It’s really an infrared signal repeater. The signal from the remote is received and then retransmitted over wires to an infrared LED. The beam from the LED is then picked up by the receiving window on the VCR or CD player.
The visible light LED (LED1) in series with the IR unit (LED2) is used to indicate that the transmitted signal has been detected. The 100-kW trimmer potentiometer (R1) adjusts the repeater’s sensitivity. The resistor that is usually found in series with the LEDs is omitted, because the voltage reading is about 1.0 Vdc as a result of the voltage drop across the lines.
