# Cost ??



## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

Anyone have a cost estimate on building a 3 axis skull? My husband and I were talking about it and he thinks he might be able to do it for me, but he always wants to talk money which I cant give him a price without knowing what goes into it. THANKS


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Dr. M would know!


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## slimy (Jul 12, 2006)

Morbius is our 3 axis professional, but his skulls are motor driven, not pneumatic. He may not see this thread. 

I'd send him a pm.


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Turtle, straight from the builders mouth:

...But how much will it COST??

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought I should take a minute to document how much money you might be spending to duplicate this project.

First, I will list a bunch of misc. items that I did not pay for, because either myself, or my friend with the machine shop had laying around, so I didn't buy them, and I am not sure of the cost.

These items are as follows:

Tools - Including hacksaw and blades, heat gun, drill press, band saw, lathe (or the cost of hiring a machine shop) as well as standard tools, like screwdrivers, plyers, cutters, a vise, etc.

Hardware - Extra pieces of steel, aluminum, welding wire, Threaded rods, nuts bolts and screws, stain and paint, and whatever material you will use for the skull's body and clothes and a wig or hat if you decide to use one.

A computer to run it all. (I did buy a dedicated machine for this, but it was an old used one from ebay for about $50.00 plus shipping. You may have an old one laying around.

Wire to extend all the servo wires with to connect to the controller board. (I also bought multipin plugs and jacks to make the connection modular)

Lights and a kit 74 or similar board if you plan on using it to enhance your setup. Cost will depend on how extravegant you plan to get.

Now for the tangible costs.

First, the skull itself. The Pirate Skull from Lindberg is between $15.00 and $20.00 at most retailers. We'll go with $20.00 because you will probably be paying shipping as well...so:

skull - $20.00
5 servos - $70.00
Sheet of 1/4" Lexan - $18.00
Rod End - $9.00
Servo Linkages - $4.50
Bag of wooden balls from Michaels to make eyes with - $3.00
Brookshire Software's VSA - $55.00
Lynxmotion SSC-32 Servo Controller Board - $40.00

...not letting your wife find out how much you spent - Priceless!

Total cost for one skull like the one I am detailing in this thread not counting the misc. materials and tools mentioned above: $219.50

I wanted you to be prepared for the costs involved before starting.

I am buliding 4 of these suckers! Of course, I only need to include the cost of the computer, VSA software, SSC-32 borad, kit74 board, sheet of lexan, etc once. They will control ALL the skulls, so the main expense for each additional skull is the servos, and the skull itself.

Hope that doesn't scare anyone away! I know we don't scare easily around here.
__________________
Living as if every day were Halloween!

http://rewindshow.com/haunt/haunt.html

HalloweenBob


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

BuckaneerBabe, what servos did you use?


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## Madame Turlock (Jan 19, 2008)

> ...not letting your wife find out how much you spent - Priceless!


I think this is my husband's motto...but it works in my favor when I need it


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

MT, that's usually my motto too. However, my wife's motto is:

My money is her money, her money is her money.


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Psyko99, I used a HS-311 for the jaw, and 3 HS-475 HB's for the 3 axis, but the 425's are what I ordered. They (servo city) were out of stock so they gave me a free upgrade.


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

Thanks for the info. I haven't built any animatronics yet, so this is a good start.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

slimy said:


> Morbius is our 3 axis professional, but his skulls are motor driven, not pneumatic. He may not see this thread.
> 
> I'd send him a pm.


I saw this thread...But I'm no pro! Buckaneerbabe is the pro, she nailed it. I haven't built the standard version everyone else is doing, namely the gimble method. My method is much cheaper, but much harder to do. I've basically abandoned that design for the servo plate/gimble method as it is far superior, and I'm waiting for parts to come to rebuild mine. Sorry I'm not much help, but as can see you're in good hands with BB and HalloweenBob ready to answer any questions you have about the build.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

buckaneerbabe said:


> Turtle, straight from the builders mouth:
> 
> ...But how much will it COST??
> 
> ...


That said it all.


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

How about posting pics somewhere that show the internals? I, like most people, am a visual learner


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Dr Morbius said:


> I saw this thread...But I'm no pro! Buckaneerbabe is the pro, she nailed it.


Funny Dr M, I'm no pro just can follow instructions!!! IMO anyone who can design their own 3 axis is the pro in my book!!!!! But I'll be happy to help where I can with this build for anyone who wants to give it a try.


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Ok, here is the complete thread on the build. This is from another forum and was a design by HalloweenBob. You'll find video and templates to help you out. He even included video of his completed project!! Simply amazing!!!!

http://www.halloweenforum.com/showthread.php?t=62161


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

Ahh. now it all makes sense. Thanks BB. Now all I need is time and a pound of $50 bills.


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Although I think the price to build this prop may scare some people away, for those of you that build your own the satisfaction you receive is truly worth the price!!!


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## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

I found that thread the other day BB and I think I may actually be able to build it, but the problem is then making it run. I have no knowledge of electronics or to be honest computers other than searching the web. I am in need of a simplified no nonsense walk through. I would consider myself fairly intelligent, but without even the basic terminology to work with Im not sure where to start. How bout I send you a plane ticket and and teach me? Sound good?


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Turtle, I know what you mean about the running of the skull. That's what scared me the most. I read everything I could find to tried and understand the basics before I even started. Have you gone to Brookshire's web page to get a understanding of their VSA? You can download a trial version to get a feel for the software before you buy. That should give you an idea if you'll be able to do the programming or not. There is definitely a learning curve here but if you stick with it you'll soon have your talking skeleton.


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## DeathTouch (Sep 6, 2005)

Didn't the Dr's wife put a thread on here about how good Mr. Ms three axis really was? Some of it was amazing. LOL


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

DeathTouch said:


> Didn't the Dr's wife put a thread on here about how good Mr. Ms three axis really was? Some of it was amazing. LOL


What the heck...?


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## DeathTouch (Sep 6, 2005)

Dr Morbius said:


> What the heck...?


What the heck???? You know your Axis are the best.


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

Once I saw the pictures from HalloweenBob I understood the construction right away. As for the programming, The VSA & Lynxmotion board should be easy enough.

If I build this I was thinking about trying this with the Prop1 and PBasic since programming is not a problem for me. I know EFX-TEK is pushing Vixen as a solution instead of VSA. I like Vixen since I used it for my Christmas lights.

With either controller and software I think the cost will work out to be about the same.


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## thedudedrummer (Jul 25, 2007)

I build and sell a slightly modified version of HB's design for $300, and its really a relatively easy build. Just need a drill, hacksaw, and a jigsaw, oh yea and some screwdrivers and your set tool wise. VSA can be a bit scary looking at first... lol me and BB were both trying to figure it out at the same time last season... and she got to be way ahead of me at producing her first routine, but Ive stepped up my game for my display and sales. But yea if you ever need help programming, or building, Id be glad to help as well. Oh yea and I do voice work too . Check out my updated webpage for some samples (the background audio on my home page and my hearse page). www.hallowedhaunts.com


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