# Homey Puts His Own Twist on the 3-Axis Scene



## HomeyDaClown

After building these things for awhile with several other designs, I never liked what I saw. In order to get a good range of movement withoout any servo interaction I started on a new quest to do something different. I know I could get good results by adding complicated setups, but still wanted a simple straight forward design.

I call it the TSL Twisty as I am also getting together kits that will soon be available on the Triaxial Skull Labs website. Deathly from TSL is a good friend of mine and has fallen on hard times so I will be taking up the reins for him and keeping his promise to keep prices affordable for the average home haunter.

Well here is my design:


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## halstaff

Nice and smooth with a very wide range of motion. Well done!
Any ideas yet on the cost?


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## hedg12

Nicely done!


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## Dr Morbius

Cool! Looks like the whole tilt and nod assembly "rides along" the rotation path thereby avoiding servo conflict. NICE!!! I love seeing new designs for these things!


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## MonkeyBasic

Homey... That looks super clean and easy!! Great job!

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out.


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## RoxyBlue

I love the movement you got with this design.


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## Bodybagging

Very Nice................


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## HomeyDaClown

Thanks everyone for the kind words!

I won't have a good idea on cost for the kit until I can source all the parts.
I am shooting for a complete kit with servos and skull for under $100 
Without servos and skull it will most likely be under $50. 

Doc: I was just stumbling with a concept and it just all fell into place.....take the rotation out of the picture and everything else plays nice together.

Nelson: For now I'm ok but I know you've got some good coding up your sleeve to make it take flight. Just playing with a basic controller and VSA in testing. My new controller (USB 6 servos + RGB led control from VSA) is on the bench right now and almost ready to make the final boards. 

The one in the video is actually more complicated than the final revision will be. 
I've already improved some things......so stay tuned


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## DarkLore

Great job Homey! Looks like a great contribution to home haunters.


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## Brad Green

Very Nice design Homey! I'll be watching this one with a lot of interest!


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## Mr_Chicken

Very, very cool


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## spinman1949

Great Job ! Homey.

Very smooth and nod and tilt on the same axis. Very cool !! And no servo linkage conflict.


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## samseide

This is great! I love this design. So much simpler than the 3-axis I just built. Can't wait to see the final kits!


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## fritz42_male

Can't wait mate. Bought their previous kit as well


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## hpropman

Nice design! I had an idea of doing something like this but I had the rotation servo at the bottom down in the neck or chest area. I was also thinking about other characters besides skulls.


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## Jaybo

Looks very nice! Do you have a rough time line for those kits? I would be very interested.


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## HomeyDaClown

Jaybo said:


> Looks very nice! Do you have a rough time line for those kits? I would be very interested.


I will let everyone know as soon as I can get a firm date. For now my best guestimate is a few weeks. I want to take my time and get it right first.


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## dionicia

This is simply brilliant. I can't wait.


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## Spookineer

Very clean design, similar to the pitch and yaw linkages on a helicopter. Nice adaptation.


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## HomeyDaClown

Thanks again everyone. Making great headway on sourcing parts and getting things ready to go. I've already started on a tutorial. 


Spookineer: Yes, a simplified inverted helicopter rotor would be close


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## Spookineer

HomeyDaClown said:


> Spookineer: Yes, a simplified inverted helicopter rotor would be close


Hmmm, just happen to have a spare swash plate and bearing. Your design is indeed a revelation.


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## ctmal

Just curious if there's any update on this? I like the range of motion you're getting compared to the skull I have.


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## HomeyDaClown

Just a little update. 

I've got all the parts and have been testing my second revision of the TSL Twisty kit. Been taking lots of pictures and doing lots of testing to prepare two separate tutorials. One for the DIY crowd based on the original design and one for the Rev 2 kit. A lot of work was put into designing the center shaft assembly so that it will fit the two major servo shaft types (Futaba & Hitec) so that it will be easy to assemble. The kit will include both adapters. Should have a new video or two ready soon.


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## Otaku

Very nice design, Homey. As far as I can see, the system can't get in it's own way. Definitely interested in a kit.


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## Dr Morbius

Otaku said:


> Very nice design, Homey. As far as I can see, the system can't get in it's own way. Definitely interested in a kit.


Hi Otaku!

Yep, me too...heheh.


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## Otaku

Hey Doc! Yeah, I'm thinking of taking the 3-axis plunge. Gotta make sure the Halloween budget can handle it, though.


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## Evil Bob

I'm late to this, but a friend just told me. (Thanks Rob!)

Great Job Homey!! Are the eye kits due out in April?


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## HomeyDaClown

Evil Bob said:


> I'm late to this, but a friend just told me. (Thanks Rob!)
> 
> Great Job Homey!! Are the eye kits due out in April?


Thanks Bob,

Eyes? You mean skulls are supposed to have eyes? 

I might have something there soon.....even sooner if I were to come by a
life-like replica of a certain MST3K character...hahaha


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## DarkLore

Homey - What are you doing posting on the forum? You have people waiting on these. Get back to the garage and work on those kits!


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## Evil Bob

Lol, I was joking about eye kits. Those can kill you. 
Which bot do you like best?



HomeyDaClown said:


> Thanks Bob,
> 
> Eyes? You mean skulls are supposed to have eyes?
> 
> I might have something there soon.....even sooner if I were to come by a
> life-like replica of a certain MST3K character...hahaha


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## HomeyDaClown

DL,

Garage? In this weather I'd be freezing out there... Ok back to work....

Bob,

I was joking about the bots too.... they are too much fun to watch on their own. But I would have to go with CROOOOW.


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## Evil Bob

I like Crow too, but from an animatronic standpoint he's really top heavy. I bought some 244 oz/in servos that might be able to do the job.


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## niblique71

Great Design and Concept. A definate improvement! Like Otaku, I've been wanting to get into 3 axis as well. Are your kits going to be just servos and Harware?? I'd be interested in a complete kit including microcontroller, and software. Skull is Optional as long as It can be adapted for a Bucky. I can't wait to see the improvements.


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## HomeyDaClown

niblique71 said:


> Great Design and Concept. A definate improvement! Like Otaku, I've been wanting to get into 3 axis as well. Are your kits going to be just servos and Harware?? I'd be interested in a complete kit including microcontroller, and software. Skull is Optional as long as It can be adapted for a Bucky. I can't wait to see the improvements.


The kits will be hardware only or hardware with servos and skull. 
There are many brands of controllers that can be used, the key is the control software (VSA) which you have to buy from Brookshire. The controller must be supported by VSA and there are several.

My own custom controller is on a breadboard right now and will be one of the next phases of development along with eye kits. It is USB driven and running my skull right now from VSA with eye color control. I've already tested the 1st revision of the board design.

Bucky skulls are just too heavy and would require a lot of cutting to get them to a reasonable weight for standard servos to control. There is also a problem with mounting eyes in a bucky skull.


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## Otaku

I have one of the full-size skulls that Jeff Nix offered a couple of years ago. It weighs a LOT less than a Bucky and the quality is very good. I'd probably be going for using the SSC-32 controller with the VSA software.


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## HomeyDaClown

*How To Build Your Very Own Twisty 3-Axis Mechanism*

http://www.garageofevilnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-build-your-very-own


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## MonkeyBasic

HomeyDaClown said:


> http://www.garageofevilnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-build-your-very-own


Great job on the tutorial! If I build one of these I'd have 5 skulls built 4 different ways lol :googly:


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## Evil Bob

Awesome job on the how-to, Homey!


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## HomeyDaClown

MonkeyBasic said:


> Great job on the tutorial! If I build one of these I'd have 5 skulls built 4 different ways lol :googly:


Only 5????

I have to listen to these guys everytime I get in or out of the car.
And all they ever have to say is "We Need More Servos!!!"


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## niblique71

Damn that looks like an army of Zombie Terminators!! "More servos. MORE SERVOS"


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## ctmal

This is great! Where did you get your parts from? Specifically the spring?


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## HomeyDaClown

ctmal said:


> This is great! Where did you get your parts from? Specifically the spring?


I've used springs from many places and the type is not too critical. The one in the tutorial came from an assortment I got from a local hardware store. There were about 10 of the same size in the assortment. The important thing is to check that the inside diameter is 1/4", the length can be 1.5 to 2.0 inches long. Most places do not specify the ID only the OD of springs.You can calculate if you know the wire size (ID = OD - (2 x Wire Diameter)). I cheated and used my digital calipers


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## debbie5

I can't usually even remember to shake my spray paint...no clue how you people think of how to build these things. I didn't get that gene. I am amazed.


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## Pk361

Can't wait to see the kits for this!


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## Dead Things

debbie5 said:


> I can't usually even remember to shake my spray paint...no clue how you people think of how to build these things. I didn't get that gene. I am amazed.


Me too, I usually turn up late, steal the idea, get caught and have to do community service.


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## HomeyDaClown

What gene? Is that what's wrong with me?

And here I thought I was just crazy all this time


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## HomeyDaClown

*The TSL TWISTY KITS Are In!!!*

moderated: moved posts to Sponsor and Vendor Forum


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## dscrimager

*nice work*

Homey,
This is very nice! I demo'd a very similar (but primitive) central spring system but with remote mounted servos for tilt and nod to the Chicago Haunt Club early this year. I was trying to take the servers out of the skull. You have definitely taken this to a good level. One thing that I struggled with is what I would term 'stack-height' and I've since found very thin thrust bearings (see this http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/INA-Thrust-Bearing-4XFL8?Pid=search link for example) which can make the linkage even smaller if need be. Very nice work!

Freshly Doug


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## HomeyDaClown

Thanks,

Yes I have tried several bearing combinations but I also had to keep in mind that the weight is not much at all, at least where thrust bearings are concerned. I also wanted to keep the cost low for the kits.


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## dscrimager

*thrust bearings*

Yeah me too, I found these for about $2.50 apiece lot's of places. I couldn't find the type you are using anywhere cheap but my search kung fu may have not been as good.

Anyway, look forward to see more of this. I am definitely going to revise my design based upon 'best practices' i.e. lean on the best ideas from someone else....

Freshly Doug


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## ctmal

Well, still struggling finding the correct spring. I ordered most of the parts from McMaster Carr-the spring is not what I expected. Checked out a couple of local hardware stores and Home Depot...nothing fits. Anybody have a part number for one that'll work?


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## HomeyDaClown

This is the kit I used in my original design. There are several that will work out of this kit. Amazon.com: Tradespro 835798 Spring Assortment, 200-Piece: Home [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@41L9dBkpFcL


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## ctmal

Great! thanks! It's ordered.


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## Evil Bob

I just got one of Homey' twisty thingies kits. It went together easily and was much easier to set up in VSA than other designs. good job Homey!


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## HomeyDaClown

Thanks Evil Bob,

It's good to see another one doin the twist. 
Your's has that special evil touch though. 

Pretty soon there'll be a whole army of em spread aound the world!


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## Evil Bob

Oh yeah, it's good 'n evil!


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## dionicia

This is so cool. Hopefully I'll be able to afford to buy a kit this year (or two or three...).


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## bfrd22

Homey' I noticed through here and on you TSL site you mention the Lindberg skulls. 
Will your base kit work with a Bucky? I am using MG996R servos at 208 oz

Look forward to hearing from you. 
Andy


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## HomeyDaClown

bfrd22 said:


> Homey' I noticed through here and on you TSL site you mention the Lindberg skulls.
> Will your base kit work with a Bucky? I am using MG996R servos at 208 oz
> 
> Look forward to hearing from you.
> Andy


The problem is that buckys are just toooooo heavy. The walls are so thick.
A key part of my design was to take the load off the servos and get them to do most of the moving without fighting gravity. thats much easier to do with a Lindberg or other thin walled skull. The servos I use are quite capable of moving things at over150 in/oz. I think the Lindbergs are also too heavy but it's seems to be the best overall compromise and they look pretty good as skulls go. Another factor you will run into with the Bucky is that the eye sockets are not easily modifiable, you have to remove the entire section around the eyes and remove lots of material to make room for eyes. The Lindberg plastic is easily machined, drilled or shaped without loosing integrity or having to glue everything back in place.

I have several Buckys now....hanging on pegs in the shop in various stages of disarray. Not one has produced a reliable or natural moving animatronic.


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## bfrd22

Thanks, I was afraid you would say that. I have 4 Bucky's sitting here, And thought this was a good solution.


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## HomeyDaClown

A lot of people use Buckys in thier scenes with jaws that move to compliment the 3-axis skulls. Take a look at what Hirez did on his pirate setup. A skull mounted on the wall or hanging from a noose doesn't really need anything more than a jaw moving, I've got tons of skulls and most never get servos....no matter how many times they ask me!!!


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## bfrd22

LOL Homey, Your right that was my original plan was head rotation only and jaw. Then I saw the tri axis then your twister and I was hooked. 
I'll be back later to pick up one you kits. 
Thanks 
Andy


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## Evil Bob

I don't want to waste a 3 axis platform on my bass player's head, so I'm going to make a 2 axis one sorta like Spinman's mask platform using a caster.


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## bfrd22

Evil Bob I would like to have a look at this also, would you have a link to this? I did several searches and it didn't come up and there were like 240 pages of his posts......
Thanks Andy


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## HomeyDaClown

bfrd22 said:


> Evil Bob I would like to have a look at this also, would you have a link to this? I did several searches and it didn't come up and there were like 240 pages of his posts......
> Thanks Andy


Andy,

Unfortunately Spinman's links were taken down quite awhile ago. It's a shame too, he had a great design. I bet quite a few people took notes while it was up though.


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## HomeyDaClown

HiRez strikes again!
Great work and execution as always.

I love seeing all the stuff he comes up with.

This time he's given one of my twisty designs a perfect home......


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## puterdoc

ctmal said:


> Well, still struggling finding the correct spring. I ordered most of the parts from McMaster Carr-the spring is not what I expected. Checked out a couple of local hardware stores and Home Depot...nothing fits. Anybody have a part number for one that'll work?


I'm late looking at this new design but I found that screen door springs work exceptionally well. The local Ace H/W had multiple sizes including one with a 1/4" inside diameter. You just need to cut the length you need. They fit perfectly on the 1/4"x20 threaded rod.


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## Evil Bob

Here's a video of the caster platform.


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## bfrd22

Thanks Evil Bob, I purchased and downloaded this a few days ago, worth every cent. It took me a while to track it all down, but it's great! I've already got all the parts so I can do my bucky's. Been playing with AVS and Nelsons Visualhaunt, pretty easy really, but I have Many Many hours into sequencing with LOR. But I could see with out Visualhaunt what a pain it would be.


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## halstaff

Homey, what servos are you using with your design?


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## Lunatic

Wow, Homey...that looks great! Really nice movement. I love it.


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## HomeyDaClown

halstaff said:


> Homey, what servos are you using with your design?


Servos? I use mostly Futaba servos in my shop but I've used several types in my design. Most all work fine but I like the speed, extra torque and low noise from the Futabas.


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## HomeyDaClown

Lunatic said:


> Wow, Homey...that looks great! Really nice movement. I love it.


Thanks, and here I thought I was a lunatic....


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## VexFX

Great design!


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## Daphne

This is really cool! I have never touched servos but you are making me want to learn now!


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## HomeyDaClown

Thanks VexFx!



Daphne said:


> This is really cool! I have never touched servos but you are making me want to learn now!


Ut oh Daphne, you're hooked now.....servos are calling you.....


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## mendar

Hurray!! Order the Skull Kit last week and arrived today... Thanks for the quick service, now just have put it all together... Thanks for the great serice so far...


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## HomeyDaClown

mendar said:


> Hurray!! Order the Skull Kit last week and arrived today... Thanks for the quick service, now just have put it all together... Thanks for the great serice so far...


Good deal, glad to help..

Now the real fun begins! Bringing something dead to life is where it's at!


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## toymaker

very nice movment and the price tag isnt a budget killer :jol: 
I kind of want to pick one up


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## Haunted Spider

So I would like to create one of these as a moving talking skeleton for my display, for next year, not this one. Anyway, I have searched the forums for an hour and I don't know what I would need when starting from square one. I would like to get one of your kits, but what else do I need to make it all work. 

So far I have a gathered I need:
The skull kit
A power supply of 5 volts
Software, but not sure what kind, 
A board to regulate the movements, but not sure what kind
A routine, which I guess I make with the software?

I need the basics of what to use and how to put it together. 
Do you have that?


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## samseide

you need software such as VSA (Visual Software Automation) you can google that and find it.

The board that I like to use is a Pololu Micro Maestro board:
http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1350

The routine you make using the VSA software. This should get you started.


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## HomeyDaClown

You'll need a servo controller that works with either VSA or Vixen. There are many to choose from like the Lynxmotion SSC32 or Pololu Maestros or the TSL Servo Max from our own site over at triaxialskullabs.com. 

You'll also need some type of control software either VSA (the basic version works fine) and or Vixen (you need to download the skull control plugins). 
Vixen is relatively new to the skull control world but it does work and it's free so if you are willing to take some time and learn it you can save $. 
VSA is the most widely used program so-far and by getting TrackSkull from monkeybasic.com you can make routines very easily with a joystick.


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## Haunted Spider

Does either system work on a mac or do I need a pc for this?


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## HomeyDaClown

You'll need a PC, neither VSA or Vixen support a mac but just about any PC will work. The software is not hardware intensive, I can run it all on my son's Acer Netbook.


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## SoCal Scare

Any word on weather or not there is a possibility of moving eyes with the kits? The movement of these skulls is fantastic but I think moveable eyes would make them that much better...


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## HomeyDaClown

SoCal Scare said:


> Any word on weather or not there is a possibility of moving eyes with the kits? The movement of these skulls is fantastic but I think moveable eyes would make them that much better...


Eyes for dead things? 
It's a bit hard to see without a brain....I should know:googly:

Yes we know, our two designs have been through a lot not to mention the speedy patent office and a recent death in the family. We are now looking at open source licensing as an alternative to all the mess and should have something ready to go soon.

keep your eyes peeled


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## SoCal Scare

Homey, sorry to hear about your loss and glad to see you are still working on things! Thanks for the great work and I will definitely be watching for whatever comes next!


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## halstaff

Here's my solution to running a talking, 3 axis skull -






I can assemble the twisty skull and have it up and running in an evening for under $200 complete.
Here's the thread on the controller so I don't hijack this thread on the Twisty skull - http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=36427


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## chrisc

awesome!


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## bert1913

don't mess around with homey the clown!


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## spinman1949

Homey,

Can I get in on the open license concept with you and my eye design? Just a reminder of how exact it is.


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## BunchOfHocusPocus

Wow, nice job! I wish I could do something like that.


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## HomeyDaClown

spinman1949 said:


> Homey,
> 
> Can I get in on the open license concept with you and my eye design? Just a reminder of how exact it is.


Sure , but the more I dig into the Open Source Hardware concept it seems the more I get cunfused


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## halstaff

Does anyone know if Triaxial Skull Labs is still in business? I'd like to order a couple of skulls and the websites been down for at least a month. I've tried pm's and emailed at the website and no response.


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## wrasse

There is a "Store Closed Temporarily" message on their website. Does'nt say how long for for what reason


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## BigIron

I inquired about this and was told the founder suddenly passed away. They apparently do plan to reopen.

Here's their response:

The founder of Triaxial Skull Labs passed unexpectedly however we hope to reopen soon. We apologize for the inconvenience.


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## halstaff

So sorry to hear that. My prayers go out to his family.
Was it HomeyDaClown that passed away?


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## GCWyatt

I'm really sad to hear about the loss at Tri-Axle Skull Labs. I wish there was a way all the haunters that have used their kits could sign a big card for them.


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## mkozik1

Wow - Great loss! As mentioned, thoughts and prayers to the family and friends.


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## spinman1949

*Pretty sure it was Homey.*



halstaff said:


> So sorry to hear that. My prayers go out to his family.
> Was it HomeyDaClown that passed away?


Steve,

Here is his info page. Followed by a link to the Obit for the owner of Triaxial.

Not to mention no recent posts from Homey. What a tragedy.

About HomeyDaClown 
Real Name 
HomeyDaClown 
Gender 
Male 
Haunt Name 
The Haunt At Hill house 
Location 
Northeast Ohio 
Interests 
Ham Radio, Electronics, Animatronics, Drinking Beer, Chasing Women 
Occupation 
IT Director 
Halloween Costume 
Evil Aparition 
Signature 
Build It And They Will Scream

http://www.lanefuneralhomes.com/mobile/obit.php?id=1394391&name=Donald-Evan-Hill&loca=Vienna-OH

Location is correct as well as interests and work background.

Darn !! And rest in peace Don.

Tom


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## spinman1949

*Message to family*

http://www.lanefuneralhomes.com/mobile/obit.php?id=1394391&name=Donald-Evan-Hill&loca=Vienna-OH

To all,

Might be nice to post some comments to the family of Don (Homey)

I have done so.

Tom


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## Daphne

I have posted on there as well. This is so incredibly sad.

Daphne


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## Rev Noch

I'm sorry to see that the suspicions were correct.

RIP Homey, thanks for everything.


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