[Oak Lane Cemetery]

Going to be adding a Spirit jumping spider to the spider section of my display this year and I have read that the motion detection is crap, and I don't want it to activate on the littlest kiddies anyways, just the tweens and adults. My thought was that since the footpad is just a switch I could just replace it with a switch on a long wire ran back to a convenient spot on the porch where I could just reach over and hit a button to activate it on someone manually. Would my assumption that it's that simple be correct or is there something in the wiring I'm missing? Momentary contact I'm also assuming.

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

The year before last, I relied on the sensor and it was hit and miss, it does not perform well in dark conditions, daylight was good but when it mattered ,which was night time,it wouldn't fire. This past year I used the foot pad but since my garage is a display rather than a maze type, people were kind of avoiding stepping on the black plastic I taped on floor to camouflage the step pad. I'm interested in the responses though.

 

[Oak Lane Cemetery]

The year before last, I relied on the sensor and it was hit and miss, it does not perform well in dark conditions, daylight was good but when it mattered ,which was night time,it wouldn't fire. This past year I used the foot pad but since my garage is a display rather than a maze type, people were kind of avoiding stepping on the black plastic I taped on floor to camouflage the step pad. I'm interested in the responses though.

I'm hoping it would work with a simple button on a wire. I want to get em as they are leaving and let their guard down. Don't want to scare the wee ones though because I want them to not be scared to come back next year.

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

There is a thread on the driveway alert system that I think will work with this...kind of seems like you would have control if you would situate the sensor part where you could trigger it

 

[Oak Lane Cemetery]

There is a thread on the driveway alert system that I think will work with this...kind of seems like you would have control if you would situate the sensor part where you could trigger it

Yea, I saw the driveway sensor thread. Seems unnecessarily complicated if it could be simply remotely triggered by a push button on a long wire. I'm assuming the step pads just work as a switch that completes a circuit with no additional relays, resistors, or other electronics. If this is the case then a button on a wire should also work, right? Seems pretty straightforward.

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

Yea, I saw the driveway sensor thread. Seems unnecessarily complicated if it could be simply remotely triggered by a push button on a long wire. I'm assuming the step pads just work as a switch that completes a circuit with no additional relays, resistors, or other electronics. If this is the case then a button on a wire should also work, right? Seems pretty straightforward.

I know what you mean, I'm not that we'll versed in hacking. I have been tempted to buy an extra step pad, remove the pressure sensitive disc and maybe add additional wire to it like you alluded to earlier

 

[Oak Lane Cemetery]

I know what you mean, I'm not that we'll versed in hacking. I have been tempted to buy an extra step pad, remove the pressure sensitive disc and maybe add additional wire to it like you alluded to earlier

I have a 100ft spool of speaker wire that would be perfect to use if it will work.

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

Well when you press on pad it activates..don't see why it wouldn't work if you took it out and hold it in your hand and press on it..it's 9.99

 

[BobbyA]

FWIW you can improve the response of the on pop motion sensors by making sure there is a light somewhere they can see. That way there is a large difference when someone passes in front of it, blocking the light.

 

[Oak Lane Cemetery]

I used a small red flashlight to do this with a talking skull a few years back. Worked pretty good. I DON'T want the spider to activate on every passer by though. I want to be able to pick and choose my victims and allow them to pass by coming in so I can get em when they try to leave. Mwa-ha-ha!!!

 

[DannyK]

your switch idea would definitely work. Just use the same contact points as the foot pad would use. You should be able to use speaker type quick disconnects to attach it. The footpad is just a pressure operated switch, a manual switch will replace it perfectly. There shouldn't really be an issue with cable / wire / lead lengths less than 50-100 feet or so, but anymore than that you need to make sure you use a higher quality wire to ensure you don't have excessive wire resistance that MAY cause issues with your trigger switch.

hope this helps

-dK

 

[J-Man]

Yep, ditto. The foot pad is just an open switch, any switch will work.

 

[Oak Lane Cemetery]

Thank you! Exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm going to have my spider area at the beginning of the sidewalk so the kids will have to walk through an arch webbing. The jump spider will be obscured from view beside a post when entering, but angled so that I can have it attack as they reach the end of the tunnel as they leave - "Oh goodie! I got my candy and saw all the spooky stuff and nothing bad got me! AAAAAAAAGH!!! SPIDER!" lol. There will be a drop spider near by too that activates by sound, but the sound has to be pretty loud, like a scream, so the two props should pair well for a double whammy.

 

[wackychimp]

FWIW, I'm looking at activating a different Spirit prop via remote relay switch. I don't have a completed item yet, but I've tested my theory and it worked. So I'll share here:

The Spirit footpad works on a 1/8" mono audio plug (your basic headphone plug- but it will only have 1 black band and not two). You can get those online or at radio shack. I'm using an old 6ft telephone wire and connecting one end to the audio jack and one end to a wireless remote relay. No soldering on these relays as they have screw down terminals.

Put power to the relay and that's it... you're wireless!

Power on your Spirit anamatronic and plug in your headphone plug. Push button; scare kiddies.

I'll post a thread about it once I get time to actually build the thing and test it out.


Wireless remote relay (this one will actually let you run 4 devices): http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Wirel.../B00BQ842DG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433433948

Mono headphone plug - http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/1-8-mono-phone-plug-2-pack/2740286.html#.VXB4ZUb0mao

 

[Windborn]

I use the speaker wire method with several of my props. The ever numerous "Try Me" switches work fine. I run the wire to where I am at and can activate whichever prop I want manually. The switches I hide under and around where I stand with the candy caudron - very few kiddos realize I am the one activating things when I shift my standing or lean over!

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

Thanks for the info everyone

 

[mikkojay]

I made a thread for this very topic a few weeks ago, but it seems to be buried a few pages back. Here is the video:

 

[EviLEye]

Guys, keep in mind that most of the props are now use piezo switches where it relies on a slight change in voltage to trigger. So a simple closure of a switch will not reliably trigger the prop.

I think the spider prop is also one that needed a piezo input. To trigger this type of prop, if I remember correctly, I had placed a AA battery with a small resistor across the terminals that would be grounded with the open/closure of the switch, which provided the voltage spike needed to trigger the prop. I was actually using a relay connected to an Arduino, but this would be the same if done manually as well.

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

Mikojay, you should sell a plug and play version

 

[J-Man]

Guys, keep in mind that most of the props are now use piezo switches where it relies on a slight change in voltage to trigger. So a simple closure of a switch will not reliably trigger the prop.

I think the spider prop is also one that needed a piezo input. To trigger this type of prop, if I remember correctly, I had placed a AA battery with a small resistor across the terminals that would be grounded with the open/closure of the switch, which provided the voltage spike needed to trigger the prop. I was actually using a relay connected to an Arduino, but this would be the same if done manually as well.

The Spirit Jumping Spider requires just a simple open switch, at least the one I purchased last year did. I made my own step pad out of cardboard, aluminum foil, and 1/8" foam spacers. Worked perfect.