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Animatronics: Make Your Display Come Alive

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64 views

Animatronics: Make Your Display Come Alive

Uploaded by

carl12
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Animatronics

Make your display come alive

Tri-State Christmas Gathering


April 22, 2017
Prepared by Dan Ancona
Motors

There are any number of ways to power your prop.


Wiper Motor
Probably the most durable, inexpensive motor available.
Readily available, strong via the worm gear it uses.
Wiper Motor
● Can be run in either direction by changing the polarity.
● By altering the voltage, you are able to change the speed.
● Purchase online or local junk yard.
● Somewhat waterproof.
● Bulky and heavy.
● Can be tricky to connect to the drive
Servos

Small and compact. Relatively inexpensive and


readily available.
Pros of using Servos

● Can be programed to make exact repeated sequence of movements.


● Can be used in tight places
● Quiet
● Metal internal gears give added strength
● Most servos have a limited throw, 90 degrees left and right
● There are also continuous rotation servos with no limit on throw
● Originally used in radio controlled cars and planes.
● Use 5vDC power
Cons of using Servos
● Has to be run via a controller and programed.
● Standard servos will have limitations on torque.
● Non waterproof (although you can purchase some that are)
This is what the inside of a servo looks like. Basicaly it is a motor, control
board and a potentiometer. The pot will read the location of the motor and
relay this info to the control board.
Stepper motors
Wireframe Deer Motors

http://www.kindys.com/products/decorating-accessories/replacement-motors/replacement-motor-48-animated-buck
Toy car motors
Car motors
● Can be found curb side, garage sales, flea markets, Goodwill.
● Run on 3vdc to 12vdc
● Strong motors due to the way the gears are made
● Very loud, again, due to the way the gears are made.
Scooter Motors
Scooter motors
● Very powerful
● Small in design, somewhat light weight
● Made to run on 24vdc, however, can be run as low as 3vdc
● May be found with a sprocket for chain drive
●
Power Supplies

● ATX computer power supply


● Wal-Wart - can range from 3vdc and up. Watch amperage.
● EBay supplies

You have to be sure the supply has enough current to operate the motor in the prop
Controlling the motor

Motors can be controlled in a variety of ways.


● Just with power added - always on
● Relays
● Microcontrollers

They can be triggered to go on and off by different methods also


● PIR
● Via the control board
● Switch
● Audrino
● Paralex
Samples of control boards

This was a homemade board used to control


A trolley (thanks to Dan Blick)

This is a 4 channel button banger


(courtesy of T Straub - Haunt forum)
The EZ6 was designed by Steve Koci to drive
servos. It is powered by a Picax 08M chip

Homemade timer circuit using a simple


555 timer chip. The chip controls a relay.
A variable pot controls the duration.
The Mechanics

The motor can be direct drive, meanig hooked up directly to the prop so it spins in circles or it
can be hooked up to a cam drive. The cam will allow for the prop to move in various
directions, as in side to side.
You can use gears
Web sites

http://haunthackers.com/
Lots of home brewed control boards

http://www.hauntforum.com/ Halloween Forum

https://www.facebook.com/SOSHaunt/ Steve Koci’s site - best animator


http://www.frightprops.com/ Fright Props - vendor
http://woodgears.ca/gear_cutting/template.html Gear template generator
http://www.freesound.org/ Freesound - Sound effects
https://www.robives.com/mechs Great site for mechanics

http://www.csgnetwork.com/pulleybeltc Pulley and belt calculator


alc.html
YouTube channels

YouTube channels worth checking out


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC83fdb-ksn1o_mciTY2RAGQ Dead Things

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKBTwYyVYxkpa0_9pqQ13A Steve Koci


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphjYbZ4IEb1C3_h2C6zsOQ Brian is a theater prop builder
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtb3oMdiZlFT1SR7FbCnOCg Dan’s channel

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