# 3 axis skull



## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

Hello there.... I'm am trying to figure out a shopping list for a 3 axis skull I'm going to attempt this year. I would like to make a skull that is totally for interacting with the trick or treaters. I want the jaw to move with a microphone and to be able to turn, nod, and tilt the head with a wireless remote... So far I think I'm going to get the Triaxial twisty skull kit, with the scary terry Audio servo driver. What I'm stuck on is how to control the head movement with a wireless remote, preferably without battery packs....I'd appreciate any wisdom shared..... Im not very familiar with servos an controllers and transmitters, other than owning a couple remote control trucks.... 
Thanks guys.


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

The only thing here would be that servos require power so you would need a power source (battery or other wise) in order to be truly wireless. With four servos in the skull and each servo drawing up to 1 Amp (full load) that would require a power source that can supply a steady 5 volts with a 4 amp capacity at the servos.

R/C cars and airplanes with servos require batteries to work remotely so the skull would be the same.

You could however use a TSL Servo Net to extend your servos signal and power lines through two small cables up to 75 feet away.

Another option for control would be to use TrackSkull from MonkeyBasic.com in puppeteer mode. This would allow easier control via a joystick for head movements and microphone for jaw control.


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## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

So.... I guess I have a dumb question.... What do I plug the servos to to make them work that can receive from a wireless joystick( or some sort of controller)? I don't care if I have to plug the skull into some power source to power the servos. I just didn't want a wire from the skull to my hand to control the head. Is this what the track skull would do? I haven't read about MonkeyBasic yet.


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

bbgdesigns said:


> So.... I guess I have a dumb question.... What do I plug the servos to to make them work that can receive from a wireless joystick( or some sort of controller)? I don't care if I have to plug the skull into some power source to power the servos. I just didn't want a wire from the skull to my hand to control the head. Is this what the track skull would do? I haven't read about MonkeyBasic yet.


Not a dumb question...just basics for servo control. To control a servo you need a servo controller board of some type. That could be an radio control receiver used with a radio control transmitter (joystick or stick control) or a USB servo control board tied to a PC running software like Brookshire's VSA along with TrackSkull. If you go the R/C transmitter/receiver route...everything will be wireless but every servo will have to be manually controlled (could be pretty hard to coordinate). If you go the PC software and servo controller board route using VSA and TrackSkull you can even get a TrackIR that will let your skull follow your own head movements which is pretty kewl.

There are also ways to wirelessly control a servo controller board (wireless usb or bluetooth) or use MonkeyBasics Helmsman to control the whole show from a smartphone.


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## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

Thank you for your help. I'm trying to stay away from the PC method mainly because I don't have one I can use for this purpose and also because I was wanting to control it manually anyway. So I guess I will start browsing the RC sites or where ever you would suggest. I would eventually like to run a couple things from a computer, maybe next year. Are those programs easy to figure out? Thanks again for your help.


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

bbgdesigns said:


> Thank you for your help. I'm trying to stay away from the PC method mainly because I don't have one I can use for this purpose and also because I was wanting to control it manually anyway. So I guess I will start browsing the RC sites or where ever you would suggest. I would eventually like to run a couple things from a computer, maybe next year. Are those programs easy to figure out? Thanks again for your help.


The programs are pretty straight forward and don't require much as far as a computer goes. I'm still running a copy of VSA version 4 on a 15 year old Toshiba laptop running Windows 98 SE on the workbench where I designed the Twisty skull...it has never failed me yet.


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## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

So...... I hate to keep bugging ya with rookie questions but I kind of want a game plan before I dive into this skull. Do you think that a Spektrum 5 channel 2.4 GHz transmitter and a Traxxas TQi 5 channel receiver also 2.4 GHz would work for the head motions? Just normal RC truck stuff? Im probably going to have to use a battery pack unless there is a way to power that receiver with an outlet.


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

As long as your transmitter and reciever work together, that's all you need. 3 channels are all you need for the 3 Axis skull if you're using an Audio board for the jaw. You can always use a 4th channel on the radio to manually move the jaw like a puppeteer. RC airplane remotes work best because both sticks move in all directions and you can get a nice rolling of the neck effect very easily. Coupled with an arduino or other microcontroller you can use any extra channels for things like light up eyes. I only use 4 of my 7 channels, that's including manually moving the jaw.

If you are using an RC Airplane remote, make sure it's a 2.4Ghz. DO NOT use a 72Mhz remote. These are designated by the FCC for aircraft use only, and you don't want to be responsible for taking down someone's RC plane.
(And I realize if you're in town, there shouldn't be a plane flying around anyway, unless you're near a park, and most people seem to be using 2.4Ghz anyway now, but those are the rules.)


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## time2dive (Dec 29, 2007)

I built something similar a few years ago with a 3 axis skull kit and a wireless microphone and wireless camera. It looked like this 



http://www.firediving.com/halloween2007/skeletons.htm
it has been temporarily retired but may go back into service this year.


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## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

Thank you guys for your help... I ordered my skull kit yesterday, so let's see if I can get this to work.


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## brd813 (Nov 29, 2012)

Have you already got a radio? If not take a look here:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__82__190__Radios_Receivers-Complete_systems.html

Nothing against spektrum I have one I used in my battle bot days, and I never had a problem with it, but I know guys that swear by the hobby king stuff, but I can't say I used it myself.

Good Luck,

Bill

PS a 5 channel spektrum radio and receiver would work just fine


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## bbgdesigns (Jun 20, 2013)

Thanks guys... I started to put it together and it seems to be working awesome... Took some adjusting and tweaking, but waaay happy with it so far... Now to get an audio driver for the jaw.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

You can get a circuit from Scary Terry's website,
http://www.scary-terry.com/audioservo/audioservo.htm
or from my website.
http://batbuddy.org/resources/Halloweenstuff/AudioServoControl.php


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