# looking for help with flickering pumpkins



## GRP (Aug 18, 2009)

I am looking to do the flickering pumpkins next year to add to my list of props. What I am not sure of thou, is what board to use. I found this - https://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/KTA-223. I think what I would like is a board that holds a discard and the program runs from there. Can this be done? Can I set the program from my computer onto the card which in turn runs the board? Any help or link would be helpful and very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Not sure what you mean by 'the flickering pumpkins'. If you are just looking for an electronic way to make it look like the pumpkin is flickering with a candle inside, that can be done pretty easily by doing any one of the tea light hacks listed on here. If you are looking for some type of 'pumpkins respond to sound or flash in a specific order', then you may have to step up to a controller.


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## GRP (Aug 18, 2009)

see next post


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## GRP (Aug 18, 2009)

Try this post

Thanks for posting Corey. This is what I am looking for - 




I would just like to have the controller work without a computer - run off a thumb drive/discard. I would just like to eliminate using another computer. I understand that I will have to program to the discard.


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## spinman1949 (Jun 29, 2009)

*Likely a VSA routine.*

My guess is that this is VSA routine. So computer is required to run. Not sure is there is a way to convert to a stored routine on a thumb drive. I will do some searching. The key is the linking the light response to the words in the song. Very easy to do with VSA.

Here ya go. http://www.brookshiresoftware.com/

Look at the RAPU. It will do exactly what you want to do. You will need VSA to create the program and then you download it to the RAPU.


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## pshort (May 6, 2008)

One possibility is the helix controller that is described in a sub-forum on the http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums site. It has a standalone mode that uses a micro-SD card for the music and light display. It's probably over-kill for eight singing pumpkins, but I mention it just to show that such things exist.


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## spinman1949 (Jun 29, 2009)

*Phil*

The RAPU is nearly $400. How much is the device you mentioned?


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

There's a website for the Helix controller:

http://helixlightcontroller.com/

It's a custom-designed controller based around the Parallax Propeller chip, which uses Vixen to set up the sequences. It's the work of one guy and is very capable. However, from what I've read, it's definitely for the DIY person.


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## fritz42_male (May 5, 2009)

How about getting a multi channel light organ. I know it won't be the same as above but it might work as well for what you want to do. The different sound frquencies would flash different lights.


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