# Invisible Man startle prop



## Janos5303 (May 4, 2017)

Hi all, I'm a props master for a small theme park and I need to build a gimmick that is remote controlled, battery operated and small in size. I want to make it look as if an invisible force has brushed by something and dislodged it. Imagine if someone brushed by a coffee cup with a metal spoon it, that kind of simple effect. Not a jump scare. 
I started with a caregiver remote for elderly patients to notify someone nearby in an emergency. It has both vibration (which I need) and sound (which I do not). After about 2 minutes the motor stopped working.
I've seen a magic trick called a spirit bell that is kind of what I want to do.
Does anyone have any tips for converting a prop to be used with a car remote?
I thought this might work, but I can't tell if it's battery powered. 








Small Prop Shaker


Motion maker for the One Eyed Jack. This allows the head tovibrate.




www.frightprops.com





I'm open to any ideas and have almost no budget 
Thanks In Advance


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

Where is the coffee cup? If it is on a piece of furniture the actuator can be in the furniture. A cup sitting on top can be hinged to sit back up with the down stroke of the door lock piston. What all do you want to animate?


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

Look into this Ghostly Footsteps for 2013
or this Ghost Steps: Ghost Footprint Projection Application


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Good info above. To some of your original questions:

- The 'questions' section for that prop on the Fright Props web page says the vibrator is powered by a AA battery. 

- If you're looking to run something off a car remote, than can be a possibility. Typically, it seems you get the key fob remote then there is a 'receiver box' that would have a couple relays. The receiver would need to be powered by 12 volts (car system voltage) - though probably draws pretty low current. So that power could likely come from a small 12 volt 'wall wart' transformer, a set of three 18650 lithium batteries or even 8 AA cells. You'd then hook one of the relays to switch power and drive what ever prop you need. One word of caution, it that many of these remotes may only trigger a 'momentary' relay - meaning the relay is only active for a second or two (think of your finger pushing a door lock button) This is likely OK for something like ringing a bell, but i you need something that runs for many seconds or a few minutes, they might not be ideal and additional timers might be needed.

- On motors, it is important to match the voltage requirement - having voltage too high will cause the motor to run faster, but can also overheat and cause failure. Voltage too low can cause the motor to lock up - unable to turn the prop, which can also cause overheating and failure. On the amperage side, make sure you have 'enough' or more amps than required. Example, if the motor is rated for 12 volts, 1/2 amp, then you'd probably want to keep the power supply right in the 10-15 volt range (ideally 12V) and you'd probably want a minimum 1 to 2 amp power supply to make sure you have 'plenty' of capacity, but even a 5 or 10 amp supply would be fine.


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

Thanks Cory. I hate it when people ask for help then disappear.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

True, but they did take the time to 'like' all our replies, so possibly just creative juices flowing and hard at work with no time to reply! Either way, sounds like a neat prop, so hope it works out!


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## Janos5303 (May 4, 2017)

Hey guys, I'm still here. Thanks for all of your thoughts. I really appreciate it. I'm working on a cruise ship for 3 weeks so my internet is crap.


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