# Animatronic sensor problem



## ladybug_3777 (Nov 3, 2014)

Hello!! I am a new member, nice to meet you all! I signed up because I'm having an issue with an animatronic I purchased from the Spirit store and was hoping you great folks could lend some advice. 

I purchased a Pumpkin Nester. I have a Try Me button hooked into his sound sensor and it was working great for weeks. Then two days ago it stopped working. I've tried switching out the Try Me button, but he still won't activate when the button is pressed. Strange thing is, if I unplug the Try Me button his normal sound sensor works fine and he will talk. So it seems like the sensor works, yet doesn't (does that make sense?)

Do I need to replace the sensor? If so how do I go about doing that? I can provide pictures of his setup if needed. I don't know what to do and I'd hate to break him completely due to ignorance. 

Thanks so much for providing any advice you have!!!


----------



## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Welcome to the forums. So in summing up, two different "Try Me" buttons don't work, but the prop still works off the sensor?

So first thing I'd do is make sure the batteries are fresh and/or it has plenty of power.

Second thing is swap those "Try Me" buttons on some other prop to make sure they work there and you don't have two dead buttons. I suspect those things are made as cheaply as humanly possible with the thought they'll only be used a few dozen times in a store, then thrown out. They are definitely not high end '10 million cycles' switches.

Third thing would be to cross check that test by jumping the 'try me' switch terminals on the prop with a piece of wire. Just touch the two terminals to the wire and see if it works.

If that doesn't work, most likely some wire inside has come loose. You'll likely have to open everything up, maybe do the 'jiggle test' where you poke and jiggle wires inside while pressing the try me button - see if you can find a loose joint which suddenly makes everything work again. 

Last thing would be to trace the wires as far into the prop as possible and try to replace them and/or test them at that point.


----------



## ladybug_3777 (Nov 3, 2014)

Thank you for your quick reply! I did try the buttons on another prop, so they are working fine. Power to the prop is also good. Can you explain a little more about your 3rd suggestion... How do I jump the try me terminals? Do I need to take off the 4 little screws on the sensor box and open it for that? The sensor is a little rectangle box , the try me button just plugs into that box similar to a headphone jack.


----------



## ladybug_3777 (Nov 3, 2014)

This may be obvious and not needed, but here are pictures of the sensor box


----------



## ladybug_3777 (Nov 3, 2014)

Shoot, I'm on my phone, didn't mean to post the same pic twice! Let me try that again, sorry!!


----------



## ladybug_3777 (Nov 3, 2014)

Also, am I correct in saying the black box is the sensor? I was told by a spirit store worker that it is the actual sensor, but please correct me if I'm wrong


----------



## CDW (Jun 26, 2012)

Are you sure the "Try Me" button was intended to go into that socket? The fact that it's a sound sensor and that it has that style of plug makes it seem more like it was intended to take a step pad, which is also basically a sound sensor, rather than a "Try Me" button, which is just a simple switch. The buttons sometimes work in the step pad jacks, and sometimes don't, so that might explain the unreliable operation. If you have a step pad handy, try putting that in there and see what happens.


----------



## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Well, that is a little different than the set-up Im familiar with. My props had a try me button which plugged into a 2-pin socket, so there were two bare pins in a recessed slot which could be easily jumped with a wire. The headphone jack would complicate that process. But if you've tested those buttons to work elsewhere, the problem is likely 'upstream' of that and the crosscheck by jumping the wire isn't necessarily needed.

I don't see anything in the pictures to suggest that black box is the sound sensor. Though also not sure why they would have such a big box on the end of the cable if all they needed was the 3.5mm audio jack. So it could have a sensor built in.

If you tap on the box or make quiet sounds around it, does that seem to trigger the prop? Or do you need to make louder sounds somewhere else around the prop to get it to trigger? This might help you home in on the sensor location.

Either way, I'd say opening that box might be a good next step. It looks like it should open fairly easily by carefully removing those four screws. Inside, you should at least see where the wires go from the try me jack ... and possibly see if one has come loose.


----------



## CDW (Jun 26, 2012)

Ok, I misread the OP's statement...I thought you were unplugging the black box from the prop and replacing it with the button, not plugging the button into the black box. Definitely, open up that black box, because that will answer a lot of questions as to how to proceed.


----------



## ladybug_3777 (Nov 3, 2014)

Opened up the little black box, it's just a headphone jack! I'm pretty sure the sensor is right in the chest of the prop. The good news is I see the problem.









The little white wire popped off. When I reconnected it the button starting working again. Thanks so much for your help!


----------



## CDW (Jun 26, 2012)

Huh! Well, glad it was an easy fix. Interesting that they put that little jack in such a big box. It was probably intended to protect it, but so much for that idea, obviously. Man, I wish they would standardize their plugs so there would never be any confusion about these things...


----------



## castart (Sep 3, 2014)

I am looking to replace a sensor from a prop with the same basic sensor, it is buried in the prop's chin. I want something either bigger or with a better senitivity. I do have a wraparound PIR. I was thinking about that one externally wired, just have to figure out the wires. Other option is to buy a sensor about the same size as the one in the pics. If anyone has a suggestion for a good one about that size... please let me know. It needs to have enough sensitivity to read outside in the dark.


----------

