# Trying to Fix 2 spirit animatronic props



## Cat_Bones

So I bought the 6 foot animatronics from Spirit halloween of Jason and Michael Meyers.

I love them (especially because i purchased them for $45 a piece with my after halloween & employee discount combined at the end of the year) but I'm having some issues with them.

Jason:

I think i might have the wrong adaptor for him only because the sounds he make are absolutely awful, it sounds like a blown speaker ( it could be that i suppose )


Michael Meyers:

He moves fine except for his right arm that hold his knife. Every time he lowers it, it makes this clicking noise. It seems like maybe the arm is trying to lower farther and is unable to for some reason. 

Any thoughts or suggestions on these issues would be greatly appreciated. Although they are sufficiently scary being 6ft tall and non-moving I would much rather have them operating to their full potential.


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## Otaku

Does Jason do anything else besides talk? If so, those functions would be impaired by having the wrong power supply, especially if its voltage is too low. A low voltage condition could also account for the poor sound quality. These props use chips similar to the ISD Chipcorders, and a low battery will cause them to sound terrible - scratchy, distorted etc.
Don't know about Michael, but it sounds as if the arm sprocket is one tooth out of position. This might be due to the sprocket slipping on the axle. Make sure that nothing is preventing the arm from traveling its full range of motion, that would cause the sprocket to "jump" a tooth.


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## fontgeek

Doesn't the company have any properly working models you can compare your's to?
I'm surprised that either of them talk, that seems so out of character for them. To me, part of the creepiness of the characters was that they didn't talk or cry out when they got hurt, or their actions were stifled.


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## RoxyBlue

There is a video of the Mike Myers prop on their web site here:

http://www.spirithalloween.com/product/Gm-Lifesize-Michael-Myers/

It sounds as if there is a clicking sound in the video associated with the arm movement, so if that's the case, it's likely not a defect in the one you have unless they all have the same defect.


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## Cat_Bones

Otaku said:


> Does Jason do anything else besides talk? If so, those functions would be impaired by having the wrong power supply, especially if its voltage is too low. A low voltage condition could also account for the poor sound quality. These props use chips similar to the ISD Chipcorders, and a low battery will cause them to sound terrible - scratchy, distorted etc.
> Don't know about Michael, but it sounds as if the arm sprocket is one tooth out of position. This might be due to the sprocket slipping on the axle. Make sure that nothing is preventing the arm from traveling its full range of motion, that would cause the sprocket to "jump" a tooth.


His raises his arm, his upper body and head rotate and his eyes move in their sockets. Guess I should've specified he doesn't "talk" it makes scary sounds.

Like this one the sounds on this one are very clear mine sounds like it's coming from a blown out speaker (sorry if that doesn't make sense that's the best thing i can think to compare it to)





I have checked Michael numerous times to make sure his arm can move freely and there's nothing blocking it that I can see that would cause the sprocket to jump.


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## Cat_Bones

fontgeek said:


> Doesn't the company have any properly working models you can compare your's to?
> I'm surprised that either of them talk, that seems so out of character for them. To me, part of the creepiness of the characters was that they didn't talk or cry out when they got hurt, or their actions were stifled.


Since they're only open during Halloween it's hard to find one to compare, and the jason vorhees is old they don't carry it anymore. The Michael meyers they keep updating so every version seems different.

Sorry for the miscommunication neither of them talk they both just play scary sounds, and in Michael's case the theme song to Halloween and loud breathing noises.


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## Cat_Bones

Here's a video of michael meyers it seems like this store's figure had the same problem you can hear the extremely loud clicking when he lowers his arm about 14 seconds in and again at 23 seconds (mine doesn't click when he raises his arm just when it's lowered)


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## fontgeek

Can you isolate where you are hearing the clicking from? By that I mean, can you tell if it's coming from the elbow or the shoulder area? As someone stated earlier, the sound seems to be gears slipping or out of sync. I don't know what kind of access these figures have to their internal workings, if they are sealed/welded closed, it may be more dangerous (to the figure) to open them up to correct the issue than it's worth. If you risk destroying the rest of the figure's actions and sounds, it may be better to live with the problem.

I don't know what kind of speaker/sound system they have in these, but you might be better off using a separate sound system for the figure you said sounded like it has a bad speaker.


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## The Watcher

I have had Jason for a few years. Mine dose exactly what the video Cat-Bones posted dose. Cause we could never figure where they got that stupid sound. CHHHHH, CHHHHHH. Any way we were coming back home from Florida one night. Well my wife had to pea and we close so she wasn't talking about it. The last 3 miles her she goes CHHHHH, CHHHHH, I like what is wrong with you? You sound like Jason. Her reply was don't make me laugh!  You can change the speaker on these. I Did that on the Gemmy Pirate with a mic. Just make sure keep the ohms the same. Also no need for a 100 watt speaker. They will not drive it. But a small up grade makes for much less static.


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## Otaku

Cat_Bones,
After hearing the clicks in the video, it sounds like the mechanism is ratcheting back into a "home" position. Have you isolated the source of the sound?


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## Cat_Bones

Thanks The Watcher that's very helpful!

fontgeek & Otaku it sounds like it's coming from the elbow area, I haven't really looked that closely at his internal workings I'll have to look more closely and try to figure it out.


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