Thread: Help..Need prop to speak various phrases..

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Originally Posted by billman

Ok how bout this...I remember with Dr. Morbius groundbreaker prop. He split the audio channel and blew into one channel to operate the toy motor.

Maybe for the mp3...split the right/left audio and have one channel to blow into and wired directly to the microphone to power off the MP3 Player after each track. I think this would work..

Anyone know how to reverse the circuit for sound activated to turn off instead of on?

OOOOO! billman! We are onto something! Instead of just using your circuit idea to just turn off the MP3 player, what about using it to control a switch to a motor? This way a whole prop can be controlled with nothing but an MP3 player!
Well, and the circuit to detect the tones.

Hold up , I think I already have thread somewhere about using touchtones from phones to do something similar...let me check.

Oh yeah!! That would be awesome!! Kill 2 birds with one stone.

Hey guys,

I am getting ready to release an MP3 player board in a few weeks that I think would probably work for what you are trying to do. It does not have the ability to record audio - it just plays mp3 audio tracks from an SD card on the board. If you wanted to play different phrases you would have to record your voice and then convert the files to the mp3 format and then copy those files onto an SD card. The board has the capability of playing the tracks randomly or sequentially. It has an input for a 'trigger' such as a PIR sensor and will play one track when triggered and then wait for the next trigger. There is an adustable delay period that allows you to determine how long after the track ends before another trigger is allowed. This is adjustable from 5 sec to 5 min. It also has a 5V "trigger out" signal that goes high as long as the audio track is playing - this is meant to be used as a control signal for something like a relay to turn lights or another prop on while the audio track plays. I have not set the exact price but it will be about $100 - wish I could offer it for less but the price of the components and the time involved for me to assemble each one requires this price or it just wouldn't be worthwhile. I am attaching a first cut of the 'overview' page in the user's manual (file size limits me to only one page on this site) if you are interested and want more details.
Ap1Page2.zip

I like the use of the SD card idea.

I'm looking for a low cost DIY option. At a $100 would cost more than my whole prop is worth and I would need sound for like 10 props. A thousand dollars to put sound in all my props would not be cost effective for me.

Cheap sound.... is it possible ? Rephrase..... cheap GOOD sound .. is it possible ?

thats one of my missions this year. Equip my props/ rooms with something other than boom boxes that have to be turned on by an actor! Oh the freedom, and the reduction in manpower !!! SWEET!

So, how did you say to hack a cheap mp3 player so that you can use a trigger ???? Was there a how to for that? But then...need speakers... On and on... the cost keeps going up!

Yes, it is possible to have good cheap sound. Well, relatively cheap...

Powered Computer Speakers are nothing now. You can get them at thrift stores for a few bucks or even at big lots, etc. I went to a state auction and got a box full (like 25 pairs of harman/kardon) for $3!!

MP3 players I saw on ebay are like 4gb and $10 free shipping (some have video too)

Here is some the mp3 player hacks:
Otaku's MP3 player hack
Bourno's MP3 player hack
Hpropman's MP3 player hack with Motion Detection

I still would like to find a cheaper PIR sensor. and of course the controller circuit is going to be the main part but I bet we can figure it out cheaply or at least that's the plan!

Originally Posted by billman

I still would like to find a cheaper PIR sensor. and of course the controller circuit is going to be the main part but I bet we can figure it out cheaply or at least that's the plan!

They don't come much cheaper than this:

SALE! Quorum A-160 Passive Infrared Detector-The Electronic Goldmine

On sale for $5.00. You may need to hack them a bit, but it's cheap and easy to do.