# Tiny Screaming Zip-line Ghost



## GOT

I am thinking of creating a small glowing orb that will shoot down a 15' hallway then turn the corner and disappear. It will be a battery-operated LED covered in shear fabric on a zip line. I would love to have the orb screaming, though. It does not have to be loud or good quality sound. I want it light and I don't want to spend too much money here (ie: buy an i-pod shuffle and a miniature speaker setup). I have one of those music birthday cards that plays "Bad to the Bone" when you open it. The guts of the thing is very light and small. That set up would be perfect if I could hack the music chip. Any ideas?


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## corey872

I think you can buy those cards with a recordable greeting for a couple bucks. May be easiest to grab one of those and record a witch cackle, howl, scream or what ever you had in mind then use the speaker 'guts' in the ghost. I don't know if you could catch a recordable card just out of season for cheap/clearance or not. ie look for a Valentines day card on Feb 15th. Or if you need multiples, hit up ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/10s-sound-recor...ewItemQQptZGreeting_Cards?hash=item2a03a14a4d and you can get just the guts pretty cheap and spread the shipping out.


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## GOT

I forgot about those. Great idea. Thanks.


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## fritz42_male

If you can't find a recordable card try Electronics123.com - they have all sorts of modules.

http://www.electronics123.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.2/.f


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## hedg12

Fritz's got the right idea - I have a couple of these & they work great. Easy to use, too.


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## tot13

hedg12 said:


> Fritz's got the right idea - I have a couple of these & they work great. Easy to use, too.


Even though I'm very interested in this thread, this is waaay over my head. So Hedge, to use these, they have to be plugged into the USB port of a computer, right? I would be more interested in something that wasn't "wired down", which is what I think he wants to do with the zip-line ghost. Is there a hack around the USB plug-in?

However, if not, what kind of distance can you get from the laptop? Would you just splice in more wire length?


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## hedg12

You just have to connect them to your computer to load your sound file in to them. Once that's done you disconnect them & they work stand alone.


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## tot13

hedg12 said:


> You just have to connect them to your computer to load your sound file in to them. Once that's done you disconnect them & they work stand alone.


I'm sure you would've enjoyed seeing the heel of my hand smashing into my forehead. I told you it was way over my head, lol. Thanks for setting me straight.


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## GOT

Hedg, does it come with it's own microphone or do you have to got through the USB port?


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## GOT

Also, it looks like it would be easy to remove the speaker from the cardboard(?) and place it in front of the chip board (to make the package more compact). Would you agree with this? If so, I think this is my best bet.


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## corey872

I don't see a mic on the board, though wait to get the official news from someone who has actually used one. (Though you could always record a voice on computer, digitize it, then download on the card)

Re the speaker: I don't see why you couldn't move it, though ideally, it would still have some type of cardboard surround to help direct the sound and make it louder. A speaker in 'free air' will loose a lot of volume because the air can easily move from back to front instead of being directed out as a sound wave.


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## GOT

looks like I could just cut it in half without removing the cardboard. Now all I have to do is figure out how to make a zip line.


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## tot13

GOT said:


> looks like I could just cut it in half without removing the cardboard. Now all I have to do is figure out how to make a zip line.


GOT, how do you intend to trigger the audio?


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## GOT

Manually pushing the button works for me. This guy will not be automated.


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## Otaku

corey872 said:


> I don't see a mic on the board, though wait to get the official news from someone who has actually used one. (Though you could always record a voice on computer, digitize it, then download on the card)


I'm planning on picking up a couple of those USB boards pretty soon. I'll be triggering them with PIRs that I stripped from the Talking Pumpkin Insert that R-S was selling. I'll need to make a small board for the PIR, but that's easy.


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## hedg12

There's no mic built in to the unit - you have to use the usb port. There's a download link on their web page to a small utility that converts your audio file and downloads it into the device. The website claims 50 seconds of recording/playback, but that's at the low quality setting. The high quality setting is quite a bit less - 10 seconds or so. Sound quality's not perfect, but it's not bad.
You can easily remove the unit from the cardboard it's attached to - it's just stuck on with industrial strength tacky stuff (kinda like the stuff gift cards are stuck to the backing cardboard with when you buy them, only tougher.) The front of the speaker's completely blocked by the cardboard & the sound primarily emanates from back. The speaker is the weakest link on the thing - I'd recommend replacing it with something better, or better yet connect the output to the 8 ohm taps of a Radio Shack audio transformer and drive a pair of powered computer speakers with the secondaries. The push button could easily be replaced with a dry contact trigger from a prop controller. I removed the battery holder and added a rectifier diode in series with the positive lead to drop the voltage a bit & power it off the 5V lead of a PC power supply. 
I made a fake doorbell last year out of one to play a scream through a pair of powered PC speakers - worked great.

Otaku - just to let you know, pressing the button while it's playing does stop the playback, so you'll need to accommodate that particular feature/bug with your PIR trigger circuit.


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## Otaku

I had heard that from Fritz42, but he tells me that Electronics123 has posted a new version of the software with an option to ignore incoming triggers while the file is playing. Hopefully that's true, otherwise I'll need to build a lockout timer for the PIR sensor.


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## hedg12

Good to know, thanks.


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## GOT

Thanks for the help, but powered speakers would defeat the point of something small and light that could potentially smack someone in the back of their head as it flies by. Ten seconds is all I would need. I just hope the battery life is ok for an evening of intermittent use.


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## Stiff Kitten

GOT I used a old garage door opener with steel cable between two pulleys.It worked great the ghost was at the end of a hallway and as people walked down the hallway it would fly at them. It would stop about half way down the hallway


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## randyaz

there's this recorder from radioshack
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102855


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## fritz42_male

GOT said:


> Thanks for the help, but powered speakers would defeat the point of something small and light that could potentially smack someone in the back of their head as it flies by. Ten seconds is all I would need. I just hope the battery life is ok for an evening of intermittent use.


Just use a better speaker of the same ohm value - the one they supply is pretty wimpy and muffled by the cardboard.

I was very pleased with the playback uality of mine. I've used boards similar to the RadioShack type boards and been disappointed with the audio quality. However, the Radioshack blurb claims crystal clarity so would be interested in what the results are like.

Otaku - apologies but still trying to find the time to solder a new battery pack on mine. Wife has me on garden duties at the moment.


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## Otaku

fritz42_male said:


> Otaku - apologies but still trying to find the time to solder a new battery pack on mine. Wife has me on garden duties at the moment.


No sweat - I'm still working out some timing circuits and work is batsh*t crazy. Thanks for the update!


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## GOT

Hedg, I received my boards and they work great. Thanks. Now, of coarse, I want more volume (though I feel these are acceptable right out of the box). The problem is that this is going to be an axworthy ghost so I am worried that the weight is already borderline. You mentioned better speakers. Do you have anything in mind that would not involve an increase in the weight? I don't think I can go bigger, just better. I don't think I should mess with the battery power either.


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## Otaku

GOT - Did you try re-triggering the board while the file was playing? I'd like to get a couple of these, but I need to know if they ignore triggers once playback has started. The latest software is supposed to have that feature, but you never know until you try it out. Thanks for any info you can provide.


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## GOT

Yes, you can stop it in the middle of the recording by pushing the button again. It then restarts from the beginning of the recording when you push it a third time. I have not tried any of the other modes but will be happy to try some stuff out for you if you need me to.


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## Otaku

Yes, please. I looked at the software and there seems to be an option that will not stop the player when the button is pushed a second time. The file continues to play until finished. That's the most useful feature for what I have in mind. If you could check that out I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!


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## GOT

Ok, I checked it out and you can set it for either way. There is a setup (that works) that will not interrupt the playback if you hit the button again (and again, and again) until it has finished.


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## Otaku

Woo-hoo! I'm placing my order right away - thanks for the info. The plan is to use the Pumpkin Insert PIRs to trigger the USB boards, but the sensors can't be locked out without using a timer. Now I can just use a long "silent" period at the end the sound file to act as a virtual delay-after-on control.


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## GOT

Where do you get the pumpkin PIRs? I would be interested in your setup.


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## Otaku

Radio Shack was selling them last year around Halloween for $10 each, but the last time I bought some they were blowing them out for 0.97 per. The part number is 6300282 - just call your local store and ask if they have any in the back room. The sensor is virtually the same as the $10 Parallax unit, and you get a handful of bright white LEDs in the deal. I just stripped the parts out of mine to use elsewhere. I worked up a small (4-5 parts) circuit that can power the PIR and use it as a trigger for the USB - or other - boards or devices.


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## Otaku

GOT said:


> Where do you get the pumpkin PIRs? I would be interested in your setup.


Here's a circuit that will trigger the USB audio board when the PIR goes high. Remember that the PIR will go high each time someone walks in front of the sensor, so you'd need to use the "silent" period trick to extend the file length so you can have a virtual delay-after-on effect. You could probably run the USB board on the 5VDC from the LM7805 regulator and lose the battery board. I tested this circuit with a 4AA pack (6VDC).










Edit: Apologies for the hijack - let's get back to the zip-line ghost discussion!

Later: Added the connection from the emitter pin to ground.


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## debbie5

(staring with glazed-over eyes at Otaku's post)


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## Otaku

GOT said:


> I am thinking of creating a small glowing orb that will shoot down a 15' hallway then turn the corner and disappear.


Hey GOT, have you worked out the mech for running the ghost yet? I have an idea that may work for this.


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## GOT

I bought a few small plastic pulleys. I am debating if I should extend the bottom lip to help support the fishing line. I want the ghost to be hidden behind a wall, then come streaming up from behind them as they walk down a long hall. The ghost will fly down the hall, turn the corner in front of them, then disappear through a hole in the wall around the corner. I am currently thinking of using a currently undetermined motor to run the thing and just flip a switch on and off. Since the zip line will be in a circle (half running outside the hall), I would just turn the motor off once it got back to it's starting position.
I am very interested in your thoughts since there are three manual operations required here (put button to start the scream, turn on the motor, wait and turn off the motor) and reading on axworthy projects tells me this will require some work and re-work.


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## Otaku

Hmmm. Would a wiper motor running at 12VDc in high speed mode do the job? There's a timing circuit available that can start the motor from a mat, manual switch or PIR w/relay and allow it to run for a specified time. At the end of that time period, a striker plate mounted on the motor shaft hits a snap switch and stops the motor. You'd just need to dial in the "on" time (via a potentiometer on the PCB) so the ghost goes home after each scare. Only problem I can see is the wiper motor shaft may not be long enough to mount the pulley and the striker plate, so a different gearmotor may be needed. The circuit has an extra set of relay pins available for triggering the sound board, too.


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## Denhaunt

hedg12 said:


> Fritz's got the right idea - I have a couple of these & they work great. Easy to use, too.


This is a great product - I spent a lot of time looking for something like this last year and the best I could come up with was a 20 sec recorder at "the Shack".


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## GOT

Otaku, you lost me on that last one. How can the motor spin a hundred times then hit a striker plate when I want it to stop. Wouldn't the ghost be the thing that would have to hit something? Also, since the sound board is on the ghost, anything to trigger the sound board would have to be light and remote. Maybe a PIR and have a wall trigger it? That might be adding to much weight and the ghost will pull the lines off the pulleys.


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## fritz42_male

If you buy the wipermotor from MonsterGuts he can sell you a shaft extender for a couple of bucks - should be enough to mount a pulley. 

However a wiper motor probably isn't fast enough for a zip ghost though. I'll be trying mine with a breadmaker motor - you can often find these put out on bulk collection days. The hardware is fine but the breadmaker 'tub' loses it's nonstick coating and people just chuck them out when this happens and buy another breadmaker.


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## Otaku

GOT said:


> Otaku, you lost me on that last one. How can the motor spin a hundred times then hit a striker plate when I want it to stop. Wouldn't the ghost be the thing that would have to hit something? Also, since the sound board is on the ghost, anything to trigger the sound board would have to be light and remote. Maybe a PIR and have a wall trigger it? That might be adding to much weight and the ghost will pull the lines off the pulleys.


I designed a circuit that uses a snap switch and shaft-mounted striker plate to index the motor position. The circuit uses a timed override that you can set for the length of time that you want the motor to run. When that time expires and the striker plate hits the switch, the motor power is cut. During the run time, the switch still gets hit but it is disabled by a relay that's controlled by the timer. To use this for the ghost you would need to determine how long you need the motor to run to get the ghost from "home" position and back again. Set that time on the circuit board and when it's triggered, the ghost takes off, runs around it's pulleys and returns to the start location. Think of it as a one-shot Axworthy.
Let me know if you're interested and I can set up a demo. I won't be able to shoot a very long video - maybe 15 secs or so - but you'll get the idea.

As far as the sound goes, that little circuit I posted earlier is very small, uses the Insert PIR and will run on a 9 volt battery. I have the board, a PIR and a battery/clip at work. I'll get the weight for you next week.


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## GOT

Thanks! Now I understand. I have seen your circuit in action. I do want this ghost to be fast. I think I can use the wiper motor. I bought a cog belt so that I can use gears to increase the speed. What is the fastest RPM your circuit can tolerate?
I think a 9V battery will be too heavy. I have a Parallax PIR sensor which is light/small and runs on 5V. I could use that with two 3V coin batteries. I would have no idea how to modify your circuit to make it work, though. Would 6V be good enough?


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## Otaku

Regarding the PIR circuit, I've tested it with a 4AA pack so I know it can run on 6VDC, but I'm not sure about the current draw of the PIR. You may have dead batteries pretty quickly using coin cells.
The motor control circuit runs on 12VDC. I use a 5VDC 4A supply on my motors, and unfortunately I don't have a 12VDC with enough amps to push a wiper motor on my bench. The functionality would kind of depend on the load (the line, the ghost, pulleys etc). The greater the load the better, in this case, because it will help prevent the motor from overrunning the home position when the power gets cut. If the motor does rotate a little after the power goes off, you can modify the striker plate to be a little wider, say, 90° of the rotation. I can set up the demo next week with a 5VDC supply, but I can set the motor speed in the high range so it'll be a little faster. I'll need to mod one of the circuit boards to change the relay "on" time, but that's no big deal. Let me know if you'd like me to set it up.


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## GOT

Sure! Please do. I don't mind changing the batteries once during the night. Weight is more important here. It would be great to set this up to be automatic (with maybe some manual adjustments during the evening.


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## hpropman

why does the motion sensor and motor control have to go into the ghost. Why can't they be external to the ghost. The motion sensor at the bottom of the stairs and the motor control at the top. The wires can easily be hidden. Otaku I am sure we can simply your circuit by building it around a picaxe. If you can sent me the circuit and the description I can modify it for you.


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## Otaku

hpropman said:


> why does the motion sensor and motor control have to go into the ghost. Why can't they be external to the ghost. The motion sensor at the bottom of the stairs and the motor control at the top. The wires can easily be hidden. Otaku I am sure we can simply your circuit by building it around a picaxe. If you can sent me the circuit and the description I can modify it for you.


The motor control definitely wouldn't go into the ghost, but the sound may need to be there. Yes, the sensor would be located wherever it's appropriate. For the ghost sound, I'd go with 2 sets of wall mounted speakers, the back pair on the left channel and the front (closest to the victims) on the right channel. Pan the soundtrack from left to right to simulate the scream coming closer to the TOTs. You'd get way better sound quality this way and you can mod the sound with all kinds of nice echo effects, or possibly a Carol-Anne effect.


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## fritz42_male

Carol-Anne effect?


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## Otaku

fritz42_male said:


> Carol-Anne effect?


It's the voice effect that was used for Carol Anne in the movie "Poltergeist", after she disappears into wherever. Here's a good tutorial on how to get that voice effect.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutor...eating-poltergeist-voice-effect-audacity.html


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