Thread: Rusty Lanterns

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Nightmare, have fun with this!

Bldaz, figured if I went prehistoric on it I would just have to start over and get new lanterns, so I stayed with going caveman on it. Nope that isn’t a noob question. Read on.

I expect most of you have seen this. When I was a kid, and to this day for that matter, I always loved the waiting area for Pirates of the Caribbean. I would now also add Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom waiting area to that. They both have these lanterns that have this slow smooth random undulation in brightness and frequency that just mesmerizes me. Part of the fascination, for me, has been knowing they aren’t real flames and yet not being able to figure out how Disney Imagineers pulled it off. I even went so far as to guess there was a slowly spinning disc with a contact arm and varialble resistance as the disc spun around, thus changing the light flicker. But that didn’t pan out because it never repeats the pattern These lanterns looked so incredibly real to me. Another trick they have is being able to terminate the effect and go to full steady bright when needed, such as during a ride breakdown.
Since my childhood I have wanted some of these for my own. I would put them on the patio and in the back yard today if I had them.
When I decided to start haunting my own yard one of the first items on my agenda was recreating these lanterns. I couldn’t find a single source for them online. I then stumbled across Halloween Forum and joined up right away. I thought I was in Valhalla. I thought being a specialized forum as it is I had found my source for figuring out how to achieve the Disney lantern effect. Naturally, one of the first things I started researching on Halloween forum was flickering lights.
I found the threads for using a fluorescent starter. I thought it couldn’t be that easy but gave it a shot all the same. Wow, it really created a cool effect, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.
I also tried the flicker bulb/dimmer switch/photovoltaic cell method. http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=10292. I built two of these and, at least for me, they didn’t measure up. I got them to work, but never as well as in the video. Besides, they are quite large, exposed to the weather and only run one light. My search continued.
I even tried plain old flicker bulbs, cool, but again, not the same.
I came across a circuit diagram on line. It showed me exactly how to build an entire circuit board to make my lights flicker. Problem was, it seemed very difficult and possibly pricey, and there was no guarantee it would produce what I was after. I studied the diagram numerous times but it went way beyond my scope on electrical circuit boards. That went by the wayside too.
LED tealights came to the market but they were far too dim, and also looked a little off to me.
I also went and took a look at the commercially available stuff here: http://www.northcountryradio.com/index.htm#anc444 Maybe they work, they actually looked pretty good. But I wasn’t convinced. They also aren’t weather resistant and only run one bulb and are too expensive to run one bulb.
I kept on searching. You can relate, I searched for months, maybe a year.
I finally started searching with special effects and amusement parks in the title. And I started running across some stuff, the most interesting of which was W.T.Kirkman. Here was a unit that made a bulb act exactly like a flickering flame. One tiny box to run one bulb. It is small enough to build right into my props and is simple to wire. And, I was willing to pay around $10 a piece, and up to $20. I was sold. I then went to purchase one and the price turned out to be $150!!!! Holy…..! The price has since come down and is now only $100. But, whoa, $100 to make one bulb flicker. I decided I really wanted this but not at that price. Anyway, the FauxFlame can be found here: http://www.lanternnet.com/fauxflame.htm
By now I had pretty much given up entirely. This seemed like something I would have to make from scratch. As luck would have it I happened to meet an electrical engineer. I told him the properties I wanted and that I could build it myself it he simply showed me what to do. He promised to look into it and get back to me. A few weeks later he gave me a call but told me he had no luck and had even spoken with some of his colleagues and they had also drawn blanks. Their sticking point was the randomness of the both the brightness and the up and down ramping and pausing. They couldn’t duplicate it reasonably. (they did suggest I use a flicker bulb or fluorescent starter) That was over a year ago, possibly two. I have since been keeping an eye out for something to fit my needs and kept looking for new threads regarding flickering lights here on Halloween Forum.
About a year ago I ran across yet another lead online. It is for a small circuit board that is encased in epoxy, making it weather proof. The site even has a video which shows a lantern, and three vanity lights. The lantern looks like it even comes from the Indiana Jones ride. I was hoping this guy wasn’t about to break my heart too. The model I became interested in, and eventually purchased, has five channels. Each channel can be used for a bulb. Each channel is completely random, and has nothing to do with the other channels. You could run a cluster of five candles/lanterns next to each other and none of them would match the others. If you noted in the video I posted, the lanterns are not in sync and are on completely separate random sequences. So, one unit is good for five bulbs. But wait, there’s more. Each channel is actually good for 100W. That means, if I use 4W bulbs I can place 25 on one channel. Of course all twenty five would run the same sequence simultaneously, but I can spread them throughout my haunt and not near one another. With five channels I can now run a total of 125, 4W bulbs. The only catch is to stay below a total of 100W per channel. Other combinations of bulb wattages would yield different numbers. The cost for one of these units is….. $150!! Now you are talking my language!! I have no intention of running 125 bulbs, but knowing I can expand every year is priceless. Growing with the unit is very appealing to me. There are additional features I won’t detail here. There are also other models available, and they are all CHEAPER than this one. (this would be where someone comes along and tells me that I can make the same thing by using a used Furbee, duct tape, tinsel, an electric nose hair trimmer, tampon and two stroke engine for $4.67. Hehe)
Why am I taking so long to tell you all of this? I spent a lot of time trying to find this little jewel, and I am having difficulty just offering it up without having made an effort at expressing how I struggled. I kinda feel I earned this gadget, not just purchased it. It’s my ‘precious.’ May sound insignificant to some, but I am sure there are other haunters here who had difficulty releasing information or a how-to before having some personal time with it. Sob.
This being Halloween Forum, I guess the motto is to share. The circuit is called a SimFlame and can be looked at and purchased here: http://www.simflame.com/

I hope the SimFlame delights all of you as much as it delights me.

Excellent, I know exactly how you feel. Blood, sweat, and tears (and profane words) often accompany me on my exploits. Thank you

Man, Mikebru that is quite a tale. I went back to your video to truly appreciate what was going on there. VERY COOL. Many thanks for sharing!

random number generating circuit

I'm not familiar with this... can you explain it?

Great job on the lights. At first I was thinking way too much brown and then in the video with the lighting effects they look really cool.

Bldaz, Spider Rider- Aw shucks man, thanks for the compliments.

Brother Grim- The circuit is a SimFlame. I don't know how it is made but do assume it has some sort of chip in it. I think that chip constantly generates a random number. Say 0 equals the bulb is off and 100 equals the bulb is on full bright. Numbers between 0-100 are increasing levels of brightness. If that chip is generating random numbers between 0 and 100 and another circuit samples that random number from time to time (sampling also done at a random rate) you then set a point for the brightness to go to. For example: If the bulb is currently at a brightness of 20 and the circuit checks the random number generator and finds a number of 50, the circuit will now brighten the bulb to a level of 50, when the circuit checks the random number again and gets an 86 it will now brighten the bulb to level 86, check the random number again and get a 41, the bulb is now dimmed to level 41. Since there seems to be no pattern for the effect I have to wonder if there isn't a random number generator.

Still confused? Ever use a slot machine? They, supposedly, have a random number generator on board to keep play 'fair' so that no body and no machine can predict the outcome. When you hit 'play' the computer makes a calcution of the outcome of your game based on the random number you chose when you hit 'play'. The random number generator is constantly spitting out completely random numbers, hitting 'play' just happens to pick the random number that was spit out the instant you hit the button.

I think the SimFlame has something similar on board. I could be totally wrong, it could have pixie dust in it for all I know. I am just going off of my observation that the effect cannot be predicted and shows no pattern. The only way I am aware of making that happen is via a random number generator.

Hope that helps.

BTW, if you cover up one of the lanterns, say with your thumb, while watching the video it gives you a better sense of the flame effect. Watching just one lantern you get the idea, because you really can't figure out what it will do next. And each lantern is random.

nah great response thank you. This sim flame, is it something you buy or is it a lighting controller? Feel free to say google it you lazy ass

Brother Grim- You are welcome. The SimFlame address is listed above. It is a device that you purchase to control your lights. Read my large post above. To save you time the address again is: http://www.simflame.com/

ah thanks very much. You know I was wondering why I was so blind and then I figured it out... I didn't notice there was a second page lol. Now it's time to go back and read the second page

Mike, much respect, admiration, and thanks for your sharing. I read the post and I totally understand where you're coming from. I also feel like more of an ask just for asking for the link lol.

I think you have it dead on though, the idea is to share and while sometimes I find it rough to just give out information, I always come back to the realization that without this and other sites, my props woudn't be as good.

Great find, and to repay you here's something that will make you laugh...

I'm in the process of finishing my basement and I decided to float the idea of an old mine themed space. She thinks I'm nuts lol...

She may think you're nuts for an old mine theme, she'll understand the depth of your insanity when you announce the old mine will be PERMANENT. Hey, she married you, nobody was twisting her arm.... were they? LOL

I started working on Halloween 2010 in May, I'm normal; right? WE think I am at any rate. Muuhaahhaaa burrrrp.