.n0rig.,

I can't speak too much to the IR transmitter you're looking at, but I can point you in the direction of some other options. If time and ease outweigh cost, one option is to use a pre-built transmitter/receiver pair that uses standard serial data, like:

http://www.parallax.com/Store/Access...%2cProductName

You need both the transmitter and receiver. The link above takes you to a deal where you save a little money by buying two of each, but also on that page, below the picture, is a link to the transmitter and receiver by themselves. Unfortunately, I haven't used these personally (yet) but they use a simple serial interface like serout. The code provided isn't in PBP, but it is a form of BASIC, so it will help get you started. If memory serves, I think you'd use serout2 on the transmitter side and serin2 on the receiver side. That's it! No figuring out how to encode or decode IR signals. Plus, you'll get much better range (~500') and not nearly as much interference and noise as you would with IR.

If you're hooked on IR and want to keep it cheap, I'd search the forum for using a standard TV remote control with a simple IR detector. I did that many moons ago, so it ain't too hard to figure out. In that way you don't have to spend additional time building a transmitter and writing code for it.

Now, if you're ambitious, another option is to interface with a wireless Playstation 2 controller. Again, you don't have to build a controller or write software for the remote, because it's already done. Additionally, the PS2 has analog joysticks, so you could have your car's speed and steering controlled proportionately, assuming you have the supporting motor controls. In other words, instead of pushing one button to move the car forward at one set speed, you could push up on the joystick and as the stick was moved forward, the car would increase it's speed. It's a digital output, so you don't have to go so far as to use the ADC on the PIC. Check out this post for a little more info: http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=10386

This will likely take the most time to program and debug however and as you're on a tight schedule, I leave it for you to decide which, if any of these, suit your needs best. I hope this helps.

-Tony