Thread: creature crate question

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i have a creature crate that uses a puppet master prop controller
and once in awhile when its plugged in the audio will trigger

just the audio nothing else and this just happens at random
does anyone have any idea what could be causing this

thanks for any input

What type of audio module are you using? If you're using one of those audio modules from Radio Shack ($10), I know they are very sensitive to voltage spikes and feedback...I have a great deal of experience with the puppetmasters, and if you're using a pneumatic solenoid valve or relays in your applications, you definitely need to put a diode across the voltage pins leading to the valve or relay (unless it's 120V!!!)...I'm only talking about low voltage relays or valves (12-24 v dc)....your audio module is picking up voltage fluctuations in your power supplies, which is why you should only use regulated adapters. You can also try to put a capacitor across the trigger of your audio unit to absorb any spikes which could falsy trigger your audio....selecting the correct cap requires a little electronics know-how, though...

If your audio is falsely tripped when the puppetmaster is activated, keep in mind that the puppetmasters have an internal relay which DO NOT have diodes acoss the pins for spike supression, so sometimes the relay will generate a small spike which the audio module will then interpret as a "trigger" especially if they are plugged into the same power source....if you can give me some more details, I may be able to offer a viable solution....

Sorry for rambling....

im not sure what type of audio i have on it i will check
and get back with u thanks for the input

sry to bring up an old thread but i just got around to find out what kind of
audio chip is in my creature crate
its a cowalicius 256 chip the trigger runs directly to the puppet master
controller and the it has one power source for the controller
and the audio chip will take a pic tommorrow to so the general setup

The ISD 2500 series has some issues with false triggers. I had a couple of boards that would go off anytime I flipped a light switch, anywhere in the house. I placed a 0.1 uF cap across the trigger input pin and (I believe) pin 3 on the chip. This solved the problem. One other thing - some fluorescent light fixtures can send some pretty big spikes down the line.
I know you're probably thinking "How does a line voltage spike trigger the chip?". It actually feeds back through the AC powered speakers and the surge fires the chip. BTW, that's another solution to this problem; use battery powered speakers to isolate the sound system. I'll take a look at the boards tomorrow to confirm that cap location.

here is a couple of pics if some one could point me in the right direction of where to put the cap and what size to get

heres the pics djm902 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

still looking for a little help if any one could point me in the right direction

alright how do i go about choosing a capacitor and
after that does it go on the audio chip or can in go on
prop controller