Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Animatronic Santa Claus Hack — Parallax Forums

Animatronic Santa Claus Hack

jmccormjmccorm Posts: 16
edited 2006-01-06 05:53 in Robotics
Project information here:
members.cox.net/jmccorm/santa.html

Comments

  • JKtechJKtech Posts: 12
    edited 2005-12-17 20:22
    Have you thought about making it interactive? Like a remote with someone on the other end.
  • jmccormjmccorm Posts: 16
    edited 2005-12-19 00:28
    A remote and interactive? Wasn't what I was going for in this project, but QUITE possible! Actually, at that point, you wouldn't need a BASIC Stamp. If you had an audio transmitter/receiver, you could combine it with a digital intput/output transceiver. For example, these would technically do the trick:

    www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28005
    www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28004

    Although if you did that, sync'ing the mouth to what you say would be a real pain. So a nicer alternative would be to make a small circuit to read the audio input, and output +5/ground to Santa's mouth control automatically. That way, with your remote, you can just concentrate on left/right head movement, and dancing.

    Actually, certain retailers already sell a version of this with a wired microphone, but no control for the movements.

    To bring the BASIC Stamp back into the conversation, it could be possible to use that same idea to have two Santas interact (or Santa could interact with one of the other Gemmy characters, such as Freddy Kruger!)
    Animatronic Freddy Kruger: www.gemmy.com/product.cfm?productId=22233
  • Vern GranerVern Graner Posts: 337
    edited 2005-12-20 03:31
    jmccorm said...
    <snip>So a nicer alternative would be to make a small circuit to read the audio input, and output +5/ground to Santa's mouth control automatically. That way, with your remote, you can just concentrate on left/right head movement, and dancing<snip>

    The device you've described here is already available to the "haunter"community from Hauntmaster Products as the "Motor Mouth". A desciptiopn of the device from his web page is here:
    Hauntmaster Products said...
    Motor Mouth is a toy motor control. It provides a way to make a moving JAW toy, sold commercially, say what you want it to. Motor Mouth (MM) provides the easiest, least expensive way to convert a toy into a haunt prop that will talk the way you want it to.

    There are two versions. MM-1 is for controlling one jaw motor. In other words it's for just one prop. MM-2 is a dual controller that works two jaw motors from stereo sound input. The left channel is input for one jaw (prop) and the right channel for the other.

    All you need is any of the moving jaw toys* sold at WalMart and other stores during holiday seasons or at other times. Any "moving jaw" toys sold, will all work with MM [noparse][[/noparse]such as the singing fish].

    Note: MM won't operate SERVO motors used in the hobby industry.

    They even have a comprehensive set of online instructions with nice pictures showing how to hook it up to these "hacked' toys. smile.gif

    Vern

    PS: No I don't work with/for Hauntmaster Products, I've just seen his stuff at shows and it's really neat!

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE    | "If the network is down, then you're
Senior Systems Engineer    | obviously incompetent so why are we
Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course,if the network
http://www.txis.com        | is up, then we obviously don't need
Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" ©VLG
  • Tricky NekroTricky Nekro Posts: 218
    edited 2005-12-20 21:51
    Cool project...
    And ,of course , cool Santa Rhymes... hehehetongue.gif

    Well in the passage you mention that when you arrived in the exhibition area you tested Santa and he was all righ... but when you came home you to check why the Santa wasn't moving you see that the memory is unplugged!!! I don't think that you didn't noticed that the Santa was still when you did the initial check... Someone who knew must have done it!!! Well I'm not to blame anyone...
    Also you mention that you leave in a highly·conservative town... Think of what the Santa says...
    Absolutely revolutionery... ( You better watch out I'm drinking some wine.... and so on)
    Think even about what was done after you left your house!!! Someone tried to stop you from the beginning, someone who knew about your project!!!

    I'm not to blame anyone, I know noone...

    Provas, GReece

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    -Rule your Destiny-
    --Be Good. Be Bad. Be Provas--
  • T&amp;E EngineerT&amp;E Engineer Posts: 1,396
    edited 2005-12-21 21:33
    I saw the Animated Santa's last night at CVS stores for 40% off of their listed $69.95 which brings them down to $42 I believe (cheaper than what I heard is a $50 Walmart price).

    Timothy Gilmore
  • CoreyCorey Posts: 22
    edited 2006-01-06 05:53
    Hi all,
    · This is a very cool post. I myself began hacking a skeleton pirate (identical to the drunken Santa) last October long before actually reading this post.· I just couldn't believe how cheap these wallmart animatronics were, not to mention how easily hacked.
    · That said, I have a quick question.· Previously, I have been using servo controllers for jaw movement on my animatronics (via Scarry Terry's audio to servo driver), however, because DC motors are alot cheaper than servors and almost all hackable toys·have DC motor driven jaws,·I·am·now leaning toward this.
    · Above, you said:
    >So a nicer alternative would be to make a small circuit to read the audio input, and output +5/ground to >Santa's mouth control automatically

    Could you give an example of such a circuit?· I am searched for hours on the web, only to come up empty·handed.

    Thanks,
    Corey
Sign In or Register to comment.