# has any1 tore apart gemmys stirring witch????



## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

hello, i have a chance to by a broken stiiring witch for cheap! one of her eyes dont move, she doesnt stir and the fogger doesnt work.. has anyone here ever took one apart? or know a website where i can get help getting her fixed?? she said she would hold it for me till saturday.. please help


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## Great White (Jan 18, 2006)

How much? I bought a new one this year for $150. I wouldn't pay more than $40.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

75.00! why wouldnt you pay 40.00? are they hard to fix?


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## Great White (Jan 18, 2006)

She's basiaclly giving you half off, the way I look at it. I've seen these for as little as $150 and as much as $400. I have no idea how hard they are to fix, but if you can't get it going, you're left with a static prop. If you're buying this from a Halloween store, I would haggle down to at least $50. If you think you can fix it, then it may be worth for you to pay the $75. there's quite a bit involved in the electronics, I would think.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

thank you!!well i know alittle about electronics.. i think might try to talk them down to 50.00 . im hoping i can fix her but never took one apart!! thanks again


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## Systematic Chaos (Sep 7, 2008)

If you do a search ( google) for " How to fix a stirring witch " might even try adding gemmy into the search line it should bring up some things to send you in the right direction.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I have one that I bought for $100 last year. The eyes don't work after one season, and she wasn't being tripped to go off easily. I had to beat her in the chest.
Her audio never worked right.

People like her as a static prop because her cauldron works but she isn't worth the money.
I find Gemmy is hit/miss with animation. My Donna the Dead isn't acting right either but I didn't pay much for her.

If you find a fix, please post it.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

hey thanks for the replies.. well i bought her got her 60.00 bucks i plugged her in,, and the hips sway,neck goes up and down, the stick in the cauldron moves .. the problems is theres no light/fog coming out of the cauldron, and the wires that connect from her head(motors for the eyes/mouth) are not hooked up to the body and i cant tell where they go im charging my camerea so i can post some pics.. thanks again


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

i cant upload pics for some reason?? do i have to crop them first???


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

here's the pics hopefully they help. the first pic is the head without the mask on. the second pic is all the wires and motors that run the head. the third explains which wires are for what. please help me get this thing back together.


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## Hallowennie315 (Sep 5, 2007)

maybe if its a problem with the motors you can buy a talking Douglas fur head (http://www.thingsyouneverknew.com/product/thingsforchristmas/novelties/animated+tree+face.do?WT.svl=Next) and re-place the motors. They are both from gemmy and the motors look the same. The tree uses 2 motors so you can use 1 for the eyes and 1 for the mouth. Hope this helps...


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

Hallowennie315.. hey i think the motors work there just not connected and the way they got this thing wired i cannot figure out the colors on the wires are different so i cant tell where they go.. thanks again for the help...


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

You can always cut the wires going to each motor and apply some voltage (look at the motors to see if they have voltage ratings on them ( i believe the witch is 9volt) and 24 volt for the fogger.

With voltage applied the motors should move..


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

well i tested the motors and they dont work.. i emailed gemmy telling them that the head servos(controls eyes/mouth) are burnt out and the fogger doesnt work!! hopefully they will help.. but i doubt it.. but if they dont im gonna order that talking douglas fur head that Hallowennie315 posted.. hopefully they are the same motors.. now i dont no nothing about foggers and it didnt come with instuction sheets.. are foggers hard to replace??? is there a place where the instructions are posted???please help....


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

The fogger is the same misters you can buy at like spirit halloween etc. I think they run around $20 ..it should be as easy as just swapping the mister and wiring it up


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

scream1973... thanks i really apreciate the help you guys have given me!!! i ordered the douglas tree face it will be probably be a week before i get it... im also im going to take pics as i solder everything back together so if someone else buys one broken or it breaks, they will know where the wires and to put it back together.... thanks again everyone..festerboy


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

i have been doing some reading and the2008 models of the witch came with 2 power supplies a 9volt and a 24 volt ... but of course mine only came with the 24v... how can i get gemmys phone no????


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## Hallowennie315 (Sep 5, 2007)

well you can always just use a 9-volt power supply. You can buy it from radio shack or somewhere that sells electronic equipment.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

Hallowennie315.. my last post was a typo.. i have the 9v but the 24v is missing.. and the plug in on the base looks different then the plug in for the 9v. it almost looks like a miniture outlet??? it says 24v~20va?? thanks again for the help!!


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

The 24v is just for the fogger.

Its kinda like half of a capital I. and then coming off the base it connects to the cauldron as a DIN connector. This i assume carries the 24Volts for the fogger as well as a 9volt feed to the cauldron for the stirring action as the cauldron moves without the 24v plugged in and if i just plug 24V in without the 9v the fogger fires up (provided there is water in it )


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

scream1973... so youre saying the only thing the 24v does is fire up th fogger?? but if you plug in the 9v everything else works?? if thats the case then that explains why the foggers not working!!! and yes it does look like half of a capitol I... could you post a pic of what the end of the adapter looks like?? man you have helped me alot THANK YOU!!


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Sure thing when i get home I will take a picture of the 24Volt adapter and the connection on it..

And yes if you only plug the 24 volt adapter in just the foggers work. 

With the 9volt in all the other functions of the witch run.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

thank you!!!


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## Great White (Jan 18, 2006)

Hey festerboy. $60 bucks was a pretty good deal. Plus you have some movement already. It may be justa minor fix. Honestly, the fogger on this unit is not a big deal. 
Did you get the wireless mic with it? That would be huge if you could at least get that part going. Either way, I think you made the right move. Mine worked great! I hope it works when I take it out of the box next October..


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

Great White...no i diidnt get the mic.. but on the base it has on and sensor does that matter??? would it say on the box??? thats how i found out it needed 2 power supplies!! i hope i get her going... hopefully i can help someone whos in the same situation im in ,with what ive learned from here and trying to put the this nightmare of a puzzle back together... thanks again


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

I got busy last nite and didnt get a chance to take a picture.> i will tonite

Sensor that setting plays her internal sound effects. The On position is where the mic would come in .. You can also plug in an mp3 player or similar into the jack beside the volume knob when its "on" and the witch will pitch and move in time with the music or soundtrack on that input.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

scream1973.. thats cool whenever you can!! there is only a hole by the volume knob!!that i can see, i see a big hole and a smaller hole a little further from the volume control.. can i get any regular wireless mic to make it work?? thank you once again im very gratefull for the help!! fester


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

I wonder if you dont have an 08 model . I'll take some pics of my witches base .. Shes getting put away this weekend alogn with the rest of the indoor decor


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

pics would be awesome!!! that way i can figure this ole girl out


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Look in my album i posted a few pics of the adapter and the aux input on the base


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

scream1973.thanks for tha pics... on the base pic mine just has 2 empty holes and it doesnt say mic or aux(they must not have put it in this model...)but that adaptor plug looks like whats plugs in on the base... now is that a gemmy only plug in?? or can i go to radioshack and get the 24v ~20va power supply with that end on it??? man you have gone out of youre way to help and im very gratefull for the help!! im gonna try to put together a concise pictorial guide to this witch(fail points and weak solder connections, different versions,ect..and post it here somehow(stickie)??


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

I cant see it being gemmy only as a way to keep costs down.. but I don't see why you couldn't simply replace the receptacle on the base if you can't find that end and just solder the connections into a standard barrel connector that you can find plentiful.

A 24Volt 20VA adapter looks pretty easy to source online for under $10.00


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

thank you!!!scream... i cant thank you enough for the help...


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## Great White (Jan 18, 2006)

Mine's an 08 and it has the two adapters. Looks the same as mine but still hard to tell from the pictures. I'm thinking you can use a corded mic. They sell them at Wal-Mart for $10. I believe the sensor is on the cauldron. Good luck. Let us know if you get it working.


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

Great White.. my base looks exactly like that except the hole are empty..im waiting for the douglas tree to get here so i can exchange the motors!! and im still trying to locate the 24v power supply?? everytime i look it up oon the net.. i find everything except what im looking for!! thanks again you guys!!


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## festerboy (Feb 27, 2007)

well got an email from gemmy...

We have heads for the Witch. However, they are not production quality but parts can be taken from them. If you would like for us to send a head, please fax or mail a copy of your receipt dated within the last 90 days so that I can send a replacement to you. Please include your name, address, phone number, item needed and the five digit number for the item you have which can be found on the box near the barcode. 

but its a little to late.. but at least ill have a replacement head.. i canceled the douglas tree face order.. i replaced the capacitors on the motors and they work fine..(beats the hell out of me) and i took many pics.. but the site will only let me hold 3 pics.. any ways i tested her out and she works perfect.. the only thing i havent got fixed is the cauldron but gemmys sending me the power supply hopefully!! if not back to radioshack... but i cant thank you guys enough for all the help!!! fester


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