# Hasbro Squawkers parrot hack



## kallen

Has anybody found a hack yet for the Hasbro Squawkers Mccaw parrot? My wife found one on e-bay but it is missing the remote which is needed to get him to perform. He's still cool on stand-by mode, but would like to program him somehow.


----------



## bobzilla

I've been looking for a hack too, but no luck so far. I found my parrot at the swap meet. If your parrot didn't come with the instruction manual, you can download it online.


----------



## IMU

Well, I've read a little through this posting (http://www.robocommunity.com/forum/thread/14455/Squawkers-McCaw-Parrot/?page=1) but have NO clue what they are talking about. Good luck! :googly:


----------



## jaege

Thats a nive prop, particularly for a pirate scene.


----------



## bobzilla

This person adds feathers and dyes the body area different colors. Kinda cool. Check out their pics of the different parrots they do. They even made a pirate parrot  Maybe I'll experiment with mine ? Hey kallen, they have remote controls for sale !
http://www.featheredfriendssquawkersmacaw.com/


----------



## rodmdx

*I got a dead Squawkers McCaw Parrot off ebay*

Hi
I got a dead Squawkers McCaw Parrot off ebay can anyone help in
anyway to bring him back to life


----------



## RoxyBlue

Since there's a current posted question, I've moved this thread to Tech Terror where it will get more attention from the electronics gurus


----------



## Pumpkin5

:jol: May I just suggest taking a look at Bobzilla's Dead Pirate Parrot? That thing is just incredibly AWESOME!


----------



## Otaku

Check this thread:
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=36003
If you just need to control the beak (or any other single motor in the parrot), this solution may work.


----------



## beaver state rich

Hi folks, I want to do a tiki room variation for 2014 and got one of these bird for $20 in November. I have figured out a quick and dirty hack to make the bird move for my needs. Granted, my method is not complete control but to make him sing and dance to a song it works well, is basically free and takes 15 minutes.

His movements for head, wings etc. are basically a loop on one circuit. When you add power to the circuit he moves in the pattern. The beak is another circuit, when you add power his mouth opens. Eyes are a 3rd circuit I didn't bother with.

I used 2, 5V wall worts that were under 1amp each (most of us have boxes of these lying around.) and tied one into each circuit. Adding power randomly to the "body" circuit will make him become alive, just switch it on/off in sort bursts. The beak is just on and off to time of your script. To test him I just plugged both cords into the same power strip and the on/off of the beak is random enough to make him move.

The beak wires are blue/purple and run down the left hand side of his body in a channel right on the surface.

The body wires are red/black and can be found through a port by his tail coming off of the motor. Someone had a bird with a yellow wire vs. red. You should be able to get to these body wires without tearing the body apart, a small pair of needle nose or hemostats are your friend here.

I don't have pics as I have him put back together but if you get the fur off you should be able to see what I am talking about.

The hardest part is removing his fur. Note this can be done without ripping up the fur, use a small screwdriver to get the clips to release. Getting the fur off of the tail is tricky but can be done with patience.

I am using light-o-rama to control my yard show and with this quick and dirty method I only need one channel per bird for this effect.

Below is a link I posted for a test, the movement is just me clicking a power strip on and off crudely-that clicking noise is the power strip not the bird fyi. The movement is much faster/smoother when controlled by the LOR system.


----------

