Thread: Goodbye FCG, Hello FLG

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I've been wanting to do a FCG since the first time I saw one, but once I started looking into it, I found there were a lot of issues I wouldn't be able to work around. I don't have a large, picture window to hang it in, so it would need to work in a standard size window, one of my windows is in a hallway, so there isn't any room for a big FCG rig, I have two German Shepherds with wavy tails that would make a mess of any counterweights, etc. So I thought I would come up with a system that would work for me, and I came up with this design that I've dubbed a Flying Lever Ghost (FLG).

The design of the FLG is basically a length of 1 X 4 lumber that's cut the length of the width of the window it's going over. Then I added three 6" lengths of 2 X 4, with a 2" hole cut out of the center. I then mounted three microwave turntable motors to the holes in the 2 X 4 sections. These are all 120 VAC motors, so I can wire them up and plug them into any wall plug without the need for a power supply. The outboard motors are 6 RPM, and the center is a 3 RPM, so the head/body of the ghost moves at half the speed of the arms, which I thought would be more realistic. These motors are designed to rotate Aunt Millie's Sunday casserole, so they have more than enough torque to work the ghost.

I went to a lighting store, and got three 6" lamp shafts, which are hollow and threaded, and I attached these to the drive shafts on each motor. The nice thing about these are they allow me to change the amount of space between the motors and the levers, so I can move the ghost from a window with very few window treatments to one with 4"-5" of window treatments without having to remake the unit. I then made three levers out of the front covers of three old VHS tapes by drilling several holes in them and putting a 2" long bolt in the end. The different holes allow me to adjust the amount of movement the ghost makes, and the bolt is used to attach the ghost to the rig.

The ghost is a standard FCG ghost, with a few exceptions. The strings that travel from the head and hands ends in a standard washer that slips over the bolts in the levers, which allow the levers to rotate without tangling the strings as the washers just spin about the bolts. I also found out that even though the levers are spinning at slow speed, they still impart some centifigal force, which rotates the ghost somewhat. To fix this I used a plastic ruler to attach the head to the center lever. In later testing, I found I could cut a wedge in the top of the skull I'm using, which allows the skull to rotate slightly as the head moves up and down. This makes the ghost look like it's turning to look at something instead of just constantly going up and down.

Here is a video of the ghost during initial testing:



Here is a video, sorry for the poor quality, of the ghost with the lights on:



Here is a picture of the rig:



So far the testing of the rig has been going very well. The benefits I've found are:

1. The FLG moves up and down and left and right, which I like better than an FCG.
2. It can really be mounted anywhere. In the pictures I have it mounted to the garage door tracks in my garage using a couple of zip ties. It can be mounted to tree branches, swing sets, windows, doors, whatever.
3. It can be mounted on unlevel surfaces.
4. You don't have to worry about adjusting any cables or pullys.
5. No counterweights are needed.
6. Cost less than $40 to make!

Looks great!
That's a good idea and a nice variation on the FCG!

Wow. I really like this concept. I've been trying to figure out how to position a FCG rig in an upstairs window for a while, and just can't find the room for a free-standing frame. This design solves the problem.
Could this be modified to use a centrally-mounted (head) single motor, with either chain or belt drive pulleys going to the arm levers? Save some $$ on the motors, but the single motor would need to be a bit more torquey.
Well done!

I was going to use a single motor to drive three pulleys with a belt, and I believe a single one of these motors would do the job as they have a lot of torque. I passed on that idea because I liked the way the ghost moved with the two different speeds. I guess if you used a center pully that's twice as big as the side pullies it would have the same effect.

BTW, I got these motors off ebay for about $7-$8 each, so they're pretty cheap. Just make sure you get 120 VAC motors and not the 21 VDC motors.

That is freakin' sweeeeet . I like the fact the head moves and it is more of a random movement .Great job!!

WOW!! And what a great job in getting it together! Now - what on earth is that OTHER bat wing-ish things we see in the rig pic!! EEEEK!

As Otaku said, this is brilliant. That design allows the fcg to be much more compact. You could fit this thing almost anywhere like this. Great work and great way to design out of the box.

That's one of the wings from my Jeepers Creepers Creeper. We're replacing the PVC pipes with sections of fishing poles that'll look more boney.

Really looks like it's floating there!

Very cool alternative to an old idea. I agree about like the added, more random movement.

You should do a tutorial on this.

Great job!