# Prop-1 Controller



## hauntgreenacres (Oct 12, 2008)

Hey everybody, I recently bought a Efx Tek Prop 1 controller at the transworld tradeshow floor. Well, I absolutely have no idea how to program it, I mainly stick to building my animations, but coding is way beyond my expertise. I was wondering if anyone here could help me out to program it for an electric chair sequence. Just a simple back and fourth program that lasts 30 sec or a minute. Thanks everyone!


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## Brad Green (Jul 29, 2004)

Go to the EFX-Tek site at the link listed below and ask JohnnyMac to give you a hand with your program. The customer service that you get at EFX is amazing and he'll have you up and running in short order!
http://www.efx-tek.com/php/smf/index.php


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## halstaff (Nov 18, 2009)

Go over to the EFX-TEK forum at http://www.efx-tek.com/php/smf/ and they'll be glad to help you. Just make sure to read the forum guidelines before posting because they have a definite way of doing things.
You just need to tell them what you want and they can write it for you.


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## hauntgreenacres (Oct 12, 2008)

Thanks everyone! Will do.


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## Buzz (Aug 26, 2011)

What is the Prop-1 capable of doing?
or
What did you use your Prop-1 for?


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

The Prop-1 is a microcontroller, based on the Basic Stamp 1. It has some additions that make it better for use with props than the plain Basic Stamp. You can program it to make lights flash, motors run, sounds trigger, etc.

Here are a couple of examples from YouTube:

Head popping up behind a tombstone with a scream sound effect:





Monster in a box:





Firefly effect:


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## Buzz (Aug 26, 2011)

JeffHaas said:


> The Prop-1 is a microcontroller, based on the Basic Stamp 1. It has some additions that make it better for use with props than the plain Basic Stamp. You can program it to make lights flash, motors run, sounds trigger, etc.


In the monster box video... was that done with just one Prop-1 controller?

I understand the concept of a prop controller. I was just curious what can be done with a Prop-1 model. While doing a little research I kept coming across projects where the designer was told that what they wanted to do couldn't be done with a Prop-1 and that they should use an _xxxxxx_ controller.

So that's why I thought I'd try and see what HauntForum haunters had done with *their* Prop-1 controllers.


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

Buzz, I can't say for sure since that video doesn't have any details, but I know that you can do a Monster-In-A-Box (MIB) with a Prop-1. It's so popular that JonnyMac (EFX-Tek guy) has posted a standard program for people to start with:
http://www.efx-tek.com/php/smf/index.php?topic=1467.msg8411#msg8411

I watched the video again and what I saw were the following:

- Sensor (the Parallax Ping, in this case)
- Activator that pushes up the lid
- Activator that pushes against the ground, to make the box rock
- Lights for eyes

The standard program I linked to actually does more than that, including setting off a fog machine.

FYI, there's always two main considerations when you're picking a prop controller:
1. How many inputs and outputs do you need to control?
2. How complicated is the code?

I've seen lots of discussions where someone comes up with a spec that either needs too many connections to the controller, or the code is beyond the controller's capability, so then they move up to a bigger controller. But a MIB doesn't need that much.


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

Oh, and I forgot to answer part of your question...right now, I've got a Prop-1 controlling 40 LEDs with the help of some additional chips. It's definitely an advanced project but an example of what's possible.


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## Buzz (Aug 26, 2011)

Thanks. I have a Prop-1 that was given to me and I'm looking to put it to use. But since I have just the one I'd like to use it to its full potential and not just to turn a light on and off.

The MIB is a great idea and I will look in to it straight away. I have an MIB that I built years ago. It's currently all controlled by a single switch. Automating it sounds like it would be a worthy use of the Prop-1. Thanks again.


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

Sounds great! It should just be a matter of picking the different things in your MIB and hooking them up to the Prop-1 so it can control them. The program I linked to is set up to work with a PIR motion sensor, you can get one for ten bucks at Radio Shack.


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## Buzz (Aug 26, 2011)

sweet.... heading up to the Shack and Michaels now... :xbones:


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