[MacEricG]

Anybody ever hack one of those flying bats so they can plug into a low voltage adapter and aren't dependent on AA batteries (that die in about an hour)? They look cheap and fake up close, but in dim lighting flight they look very cool.

Look for the prop in motion in the beginning of Spider Rider's video:

 

[Xane]

I've got another thread up about converting battery products to power but haven't got much feedback on it. One thing if you try it is to test the voltage coming out of the adapter you use before you hook it up to the product. I was trying to build something without having to figure out and solder up resistors, etc. My 4.5v adapter was putting out 8v and just about set an LED on fire. Luckily it was a cheap clip-on spotlight. Right now I'm in the process of converting an ATX power supply to give 5v power. You can find instructions for that if you search the forum.

Can you change out the bat for one of those rubber bats? They look a bit more realistic... I'm actually thinking of setting up a group of them with a motion sensor so they flutter around. Still trying to decide on the best thing to use to make them shake.

 

[walkingcorpse]

The bat uses a mounted spinning O ring with "fishing line" attached to it. If you attach wires to the bat they will twist as he circles and either break or start pulling the bat upward until the power wires are shorter than the string.

 

[MacEricG]

Can you change out the bat for one of those rubber bats? They look a bit more realistic... I'm actually thinking of setting up a group of them with a motion sensor so they flutter around. Still trying to decide on the best thing to use to make them shake.

Xane: Part of their coolness is the fact that their wings actually flap as they fly — along with their dimly lighted eyes. The glossy black plastic casing is hokey, but nothing a little matte black paint couldn't fix.

The bat uses a mounted spinning O ring with "fishing line" attached to it. If you attach wires to the bat they will twist as he circles and either break or start pulling the bat upward until the power wires are shorter than the string.

walkingcorpse: That is a problem with the O ring and the spinning that would cause a wire to twist. Perhaps there would be a way to retain the flapping, but change the flight pattern to a more back-and-forth configuration that goes along a separately moving cable.

 

[NIL8r]

I seen a post somewhere where a guy took a ghost attached to a pole that flew around in circles. The ghost had LED lights for eyes. To get around the twisting wires, he made a disc with insulated contacts. A set of "brushes" on the support pole supplied power down to the ghost. I'll look for the link, but can't guarantee that I'll find it again.

 

[MacEricG]

I seen a post somewhere where a guy took a ghost attached to a pole that flew around in circles. The ghost had LED lights for eyes. To get around the twisting wires, he made a disc with insulated contacts. A set of "brushes" on the support pole supplied power down to the ghost. I'll look for the link, but can't guarantee that I'll find it again.

That sounds like a possible solution NIL8r. Please let us know if you find something.