[billman]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vfxcreates/minion-actor-sound-system

Saw this on another forum. Wondering if we can come up with something similar here. I'm sure you tech guys here can come up with a cheaper way to do this.

I know there is the Personal Soundtrack Shirt: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/a5bf/#tabs
but it's not wireless and probably no where near as loud.

 

[JeffHaas]

After reading the Kickstarter page, it's obvious they have designed and built a really nice system with a lot of features. You can see pictures of at least six different prototypes on the page.

However, there is off-the-shelf stuff that will give you some of what they do without having to design anything. For example, the Electronics123 boards could be used to give an actor a few sounds to trigger in a body pack:
www.electronics123.com/kits-and-modules/Audio-Effects-and-Sound-Modules/

Look at the "300 second recording module" without the light sensor or PIR. This could be used in an actor's costume and you could extend the buttons to give them control of the sounds.

If you needed a lot more, then there's this unit from Sparkfun:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11029

 

[billman]

Their setup is awesome but I know the cost will be several hundred dollars. All pro stuff is priced way too high.

I'm really interested in the wireless aspect of it. Any ideas on how to incorporate that?

 

[JeffHaas]

What do you need, specifically? If you have an idea of what you want, something could be made that uses wireless + one of the two systems above. Give us that and then let the group brainstorm.

 

[billman]

Well, I meant the same thing that they have. The ability to hack what I want and put it in. Like in the video. This would give me the freedom to do whatever I want.

In the video and the website you see a handheld Six button RF key remote. I'm looking for something exactly like that to work with whatever circuit board.

 

[JeffHaas]

The easiest way to get a similar system is to use one of the Electronics123 sound boards, and replace the buttons with remote controlled relays. Here's one example on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4CH-Momentary-RF-Remote-water-resistant-type-Receiver-/190463403148?pt=Garage_Doors_Openers&hash=item2c5880e48c

You'll need to have a battery pack for the receiver and another for the Electronics123 board, but it will be a low-budget way to do the same thing. Also, you're not limited to only four sounds on the Electronics123 board, you can configure each button to cycle through a group of sounds each time you press it.

I used one of the Electronics123 boards in a prop this year and it worked really well. It has a small amplifier on it or you can feed it into a powered speaker to crank up the volume.

 

[billman]

Thanks for the advice! When I get some free time, I will start messing with this.

In the mean time anyone wanting to jump in feel free to do so...