[EdgarWhelp]

Hi everyone,

My last project for this year is to make a haunted hedge and I just need some advice on the type of motor to use.

I'm fine with making the motor off-centre etc, I just don't know RPM, torque etc it'll need so it doesn't cark after a few uses.

Can anyone with one of the shop-bought units let me know the specs of the motor? Or maybe someone else has made their own?

I don't have a cheap supply of shiatsu motors or wiper motors, and op-shops (thrift stores) over here tend to focus mainly on clothes and furniture - very little in the way of electrical items.

The haunted hedge units available online are no good - $80+ delivered! - plus they are sound-activated. I'm planning on using a PIR on mine.

Any info on the best type of motor to use would be appreciated!

 

[EdgarWhelp]

No one has built their own haunted hedge?

I did some more searching and found that they are also called "bush shakers". I can see Otaku mentioning a how-to they created for one, but it doesn't seem to be on the forum any more. http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/53253-how-make-bushes-shake-2.html

 

[The Halloween Lady]

I don't recall anyone making a haunted hedge. You might try running a search above. Often the advanced search yields better results. I'm not sure which ones you have seen online, but most that I have seen (and own) run about $15.00. The sound doesn't bug me too much because I usually have so much going on outside that for the most part I don't really notice it. I do however hook them up facing backwards because I personally don't like the light up eyes. I know they're not super high end but for the money they work fairly well and the cost of materials to build a better mouse trap might not be worth it. Plus they're pretty easy to find in stores so you don't have to pay shipping.
I hope you find what you're looking for. Good luck!

 

[The Halloween Lady]

Oops... So sorry. I just noticed that your in Australia. I guess that would explain the cost and shipping!

 

[EdgarWhelp]

Thank you The Halloween Lady. Unfortunately (or not?) I live in Australia, so taking into account exchange rates and shipping costs it's about $25 for the product itself but about $35-45 for shipping!

I can most likely get the parts required for about $20 - assuming I don't need too huge a motor.

I don't know why shipping from the USA is so expensive these days. In the late 90's I would ship big boxes of books and DVDs from Amazon and it wasn't nearly as expensive as it is today. Luckily shipping from China is much cheaper, so most things I can find cheap on eBay - but certain things only seem to be available from America.

 

[EdgarWhelp]

For anyone interested, I ended up buying a small 6v high-torque 17,000rpm motor designed for RC helicopters. Hopefully I can power it using a hacked smartphone power adapter, although I'm a bit worried it'll spin too fast so I might need to put a controller in to reduce the RPM. I'll post again once it arrives from China and I've had a chance to test it.