IR Receiver Module (VS1838B) with a Raspberry Pi Pico
A three-pin 38 kHz infrared receiver board that turns TV-remote button presses into clean digital pulses.
The ST1089 module's VS1838B receiver runs from the Raspberry Pi Pico's 3V3, so its S output idles at 3.3 V, safe for GP0 where IRremote decodes it. The same IRremote 4.x sketch compiles for the RP2040 through the arduino-pico core.
Wiring the IR Receiver Module (VS1838B) to the Raspberry Pi Pico
Pin by pin.
| IR Receiver Module (VS1838B) | Raspberry Pi Pico |
|---|---|
| OUT | GP0 |
| GND | GND |
| VCC | 3V3 |
What to know on the Raspberry Pi Pico
- The VS1838B is rated 2.7 V to 5.5 V and its output high follows its supply, so powering it from 3V3 rather than VBUS keeps S within the RP2040's pin limit.VS1838B datasheet, p. 2; RP2040 datasheet, section 5.5.3.1
- It draws 0.4 mA typical, a negligible load on the 3V3 pin.VS1838B datasheet, p. 2
- ENABLE_LED_FEEDBACK makes IRremote blink the board's LED_BUILTIN on each frame; on the Pico that is the green LED on GP25, so keep GP25 free of other uses.Raspberry Pi Pico datasheet, release 21, p. 7
- On the module + is the middle pin and S and - sit at the ends; wire by name, since other IR receivers order their pins differently.IDUINO ST1089 sheet, p. 1
IR Receiver Module (VS1838B) code for the Raspberry Pi Pico
Compiled for rp2040:rp2040:rpipico on 2026-10-30.
// IR Receiver Module (VS1838B) on Raspberry Pi Pico: wiring and a free simulation at https://www.tinkered.ai/components/ir-receiver-st1089/raspberry-pi-pico
#define DECODE_NEC
#define DECODE_RC5
#include <IRremote.hpp> // .hpp, not .h, in 4.x
const int IR_PIN = 0;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
IrReceiver.begin(IR_PIN, ENABLE_LED_FEEDBACK);
}
void loop() {
if (IrReceiver.decode()) {
Serial.println(IrReceiver.decodedIRData.command, HEX); // e.g. 45
// also: .address, .protocol, .decodedRawData,
// .flags & IRDATA_FLAGS_IS_REPEAT
IrReceiver.resume(); // required
}
}
IR Receiver Module (VS1838B) on the Raspberry Pi Pico: questions
Does the VS1838B IR receiver work at 3.3 V on a Pico?
Yes. It is rated 2.7 V to 5.5 V (VS1838B datasheet, p. 2), and on 3V3 its S output swings to 3.3 V, matching the Pico's GPIO.
Which library decodes IR on the Raspberry Pi Pico?
IRremote 4.x (#include <IRremote.hpp>) compiles for the RP2040 under arduino-pico; the page's sketch uses IrReceiver.begin(0, ENABLE_LED_FEEDBACK) and resume() after each frame.
Why does the Pico's green LED flash when I press a remote button?
ENABLE_LED_FEEDBACK blinks LED_BUILTIN on each received frame, which is GP25 on the Pico (Pico datasheet, p. 7). Pass DISABLE_LED_FEEDBACK to stop it.
Keep going
This guide as plain Markdown. /components/ir-receiver-st1089/raspberry-pi-pico.md