I've got one of these simple remote controlled RGB LED strips. Using the IR remote control that came with it to select colors is fine, but I wanted to be able to control it through a computer. That way it would be possible to do things like turning it off when playing a movie for instance, or using it to signal any kind of event.

There are different options on how to achieve that. I could have replaced the whole LED controller circuitry with my own, but I didn't want to do that. What I decided to do instead is create a small circuit that emits IR signals that the original controller understands. That way I can still use the original remote control and do not have to modify any of the original LED strip components. The downside to this is that I am stuck with the capabilities of the original controller, which are rather limited.

There are different options on how to achieve that. I could have replaced the whole LED controller circuitry with my own, but I didn't want to do that. What I decided to do instead is create a small circuit that emits IR signals that the original controller understands. That way I can still use the original remote control and do not have to modify any of the original LED strip components. The downside to this is that I am stuck with the capabilities of the original controller, which are rather limited.