ir led

Hi,
measuring the range of Ir led is easy. Just give supply to the LED(probably 5v through some 300 ohm resistance, not more than that). connect an ordinary LED to the receiver and check wat's the maximum distance the IR rays are received. that gives u the range.

As for increasing the range, you can do it by this way. find out wat's the maximum current the IR LED can withstand without damage. Give that current to the IR LED in pulses. Because if u give continuously, LED will be blown out. Generate pulses of a certain frequency so that the on time on the pulse is low. So it wont damage the LED. I suggest u use 38 kHz, because, in that case, u can use TSOP receiver for receiving, rather than photo diode. TSOP is better in terms of stability and robustness. TAOP also comes in other frequencies like 54 kHz, u can use these too.
Does this answer ur qn?

As for increasing the range, you can do it by this way. find out wat's the maximum current the IR LED can withstand without damage.

How do i measure the maximum current my IR LED can withstand ? I do not have any specification for my IR led as i bought it from a local market and they do not know about the specification ( they even do not know whether is it a IR LED 😛 )

Ask for the part number and check it on the internet. I hope at least they know the part number, or ....

Another idea is to just search the net for another IR LED of similar size and package as the one you purchased. I think it would be safe to assume that both these would have similar current ratings.

-Karthik