# How to make a Skeleton Jaw move? - Newbie here



## krose (Oct 3, 2016)

I really love Halloween and this year I wanted to do something special, because typically I decorate with crappy decorations haha. I bought a skeleton this year, it's about 5 feet tall. My goal is to make this skeleton have a moving jaw. 

I have read about using the arduino. But I am wondering if I would be able to make the jaw move without an arduino, instead just using some sort of motor. :googly::googly:

My questions are:

Is this even possible to do? 
How would I do this -- and what motor can I use?


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## neverhart (Sep 5, 2011)

Hi and welcome, Krose!

You could (and should) use a motor (or servo) to drive a skull's jaw, but an Arduino (or similar microprocessor) tells the jaw when and how to move. For example, if you wanted the jaw to move in sync with some audio, you'd need some electronic "brains" to convert the audio into the intended servo movements. I found a tutorial here. The classic tutorial most of us cut our teeth on is here.

If you simply wanted a motor to open and close the jaw repeatedly, I'd recommend a "deer" motor from one of the Christmas lawn decorations. They provide looped motion, work well outside in the cold and rain, and if they get stuck, they just run backwards (instead of destroying themselves.) Now you're going to ask where you can get one: I don't have a recent source, but a quick Google search says Fright Props carries them. Maybe spring-load the jaw shut, and tie monofilament line to the jaw to pull it open?


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Kindy's Christmas Factory Outlet carries deer motors.

http://www.kindys.com/products/deco...ent-motors/replacement-motor-48-animated-buck


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