Thread: How easy/hard would this be? - Hacking Try-Me Buttons

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Hi everyone. So I think I'm gonna buy the animated Grave digger from Spirit this year. Only $112 with a coupon and I love the animation! Well, what I want to do is behind my graveyard, I have 2 windows. I would like to put that anamatronic in one, and another that I have in the other. Both have "try me" button capability. How hard would it be to use the try me buttons to trigger each to go off after another and lights to go up while they are working? What kind of controller would I need? For lights, I would just like to use flood lights... Thanks everyone and Happy Haunting!

The try me buttons are momentary switches meaning they have dry contacts.

If you keep the button pressed down does it loop infinate? Or do you have to hit it again to reactivate it?

If you could tape it down and it loops then a simple 2 input prop controller would work really well. On input one you could have prop A, on input two prop B. The great thing about it is that you could have 2 lights also hook to each channel because you are not doing any "keybanging" other then holding down the input until the routine ends. Time prop one to go off and the light will go when the routine starts, then have prop two come in a little bit after prop one. This will also turn on the second light. You can then add another sensor to the controller like a motion or beam.

If it doesn't loop then it is a little bit more work but still can be done.

Originally Posted by Industen

The try me buttons are momentary switches meaning they have dry contacts.

If you keep the button pressed down does it loop infinate? Or do you have to hit it again to reactivate it?

If you could tape it down and it loops then a simple 2 input prop controller would work really well. On input one you could have prop A, on input two prop B. The great thing about it is that you could have 2 lights also hook to each channel because you are not doing any "keybanging" other then holding down the input until the routine ends. Time prop one to go off and the light will go when the routine starts, then have prop two come in a little bit after prop one. This will also turn on the second light. You can then add another sensor to the controller like a motion or beam.

If it doesn't loop then it is a little bit more work but still can be done.

Thanks Industen. I will have to try and see, I'm not exactly sure.... I'm think about using a PicoBoo controller - http://www.frightprops.com/controlle...plus-0976.html

Does anyone know of a controller similar?

Woh grab the reigns of your horse. That controller is way overkill for what you want to do. You could go with a PicobooJR(no sound)$70 or a Picoboo($90) will work just fine for you.

Okay, thanks so much, Industen. I will try out a try me button if I can find one (or else I'll just have to buy one) and I'll see if it only plays once or if it loops... If it only play once, will I have to get the 4 channel pico boo?

No, no,no. You still would use a Jr or Picoboo. The 4 channel is overkill unless you decide down the line to add 2 other props after the 2 you originally want to do. Does the animated props(both of them) run all the time after you plug them in? Or are they on a motion sensor, sound activated?

They are motion sensor/sound activated but can use the "try me now button"... I'm not sure what happens when you press and hold them though, this upcoming weekend when a local Spirit store opens I'm going to buy the grave digger and the try me now buttons. But a PicoBoo jr would be okay? I like the jr because its cheeper and I don't really need sound...