Thread: Help with prop

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Hi Everyone,

I have been building my coffin prop for two years with lots of trial and errors. I finally did a search and found this great web site with lots of information. Last year I built the skeleton out of pvc pipe and used old barn board to build my coffin. My first attempt to raise the skeleton up was using an old rotisere motor..that never did work, the motor was to weak. My second attempt was using a drill with a gear reduction system. This only works if the drill was going fast, the prop looked rediculous going up and down at a high speed. When I slowed the drill down the drill started to smoke and I eventually burnt out, I destroyed two drills. This year after reading your forms I have installed a wiper motor, using low speed it apears to be working great. The problem with my set up is when the motor is running (prop is on) the skeleton continues to go up and down. I installed a motion sensor from a motion lights to activated the motor. Is there anyway to have the prop rise to its maximum postion, stop for 5-10 seconds have some type of sound and then return to its starting postion. Would the nerve centre from muster guts work to control this type of prop. Can the monster controller control 12 volts or do I need some type of relays. What can I use to activate the controller (ex pad or motion sensor). Thanks for letting me ask my questions and I eagerly await some advice

Rookie20

If you can put up some pics I might be able to suggest how your rotisserie motor might work. If the prop is so heavy that the rotisserie motor won't lift it, there may be ways to use leverage or springs or counter weights to lighten the load. I use a rotisserie motor to raise a coffin lid and when the prop turns off, the weight of the lid slowly returns the motor to the closed position. I'm not sure though how we would find an inexpensive way to get it to pause at the top using an electric motor.

Hi Buckaneerdude,

Thanks for the reply, I have the wiper motor in place..just looking for advice on how to control the motor. Start the motor, raising the prop, stoping the motor,having some type of voice come out of the skeletons head, start the motor and having the prop return to it original starting position.

Otaku designed a circuit for doing just what you're wanting to do. It lets the motor rotate 180 degrees, pause, then rotate another 180 degrees. There's a thread on it here.

Hi rookie20,
I think that hedge12's suggestion is great and would defiantly work for the movement that your looking for.But if you want the animation and sound all in one package so to speak, the nerve center should be a great way to go, i have one myself which is used on a mitb (monster in the box) . For the wiper motor all you would need is a 12vdc power supply connected to the motor as well as the controller, this is clearly explained in the instructions that comes with the controller. Almost any trigger can be used, for example you could use a pressure mat, pir sensor, break beam or just a manual push button trigger.

Hope this has helped

Phil

Thanks Phil

I was hoping I could use the nerve center to control the prop. So the 12v supply from the transformer either positive or negative would be broken at the nerve centre. Is this correct? If you wanted the sounds for the prop to come after the motor has raised the prop approx 5 secs, then begin to play is this possible with the nerve centre. Do people have better results with a pressure mat or a motion sensor. Sorry about all the questions

Yes the power supply would be split like this.http://monsterguts.com/manuals/NC_how_to.htm
It would be possible for the sound to trigger 5 seconds after the motor is activated.
I think choosing the trigger is up to you, i bought a pressure mat but then realised that there was no where to hide or disguise it. Now i have a pir because its alot smaller and easily concealed.

Thanks

Phil

hedg12

Thanks for the info. I sent an email to Jeff about the use of the circuit board to control the prop. I am going to buy the nerve centre from monster guts to control the prop. I am not sure if I set the motor to operate say for 5 seconds (nerve centre) if the prop would always get to it maxium height or maybe to far and being the downward cycle of the cam. If I install this circuit board along with the nerve centre I might have the best of both worlds

The circuit board only needs a momentary trigger to activate. If you use a longer time, like 5 secs, to try to control the board it will throw the motor/controller board out of sync. If you can get the Nerve Center controller to work by itself with two successive timed cycles then you may be OK. However, I have noticed that wiper motors don't always go back to the same location even when carefully timed. Eventually (and it won't take very long) this variance will cause the coffin lid to lose location. The only way I was able to get consistent locations was to design an indexing controller.