Finding a timer
I purchased a sound activated prop and want to remove the sound part and replace it with a time that turns on every 5 minutes.
here is a picture of the wiring. hoping i can just cut out the microphone part and replace it would a timer.
Hi. Electronics doesn't work that way. You can't replace the microphone with a switch. The mic is part of a circuit that senses sound and when it goes above a certain value, triggers something like a transistor to switch "on" and trigger your effect. What you CAN do is connect a timer to the "try me" button you have hanging off your prop. If I was doing it, I would probably scrounge the parts box in my mad laboratory and solder together an RC time constant circuit with a resistor and a capacitor to a transistor set up in switching mode or, since 5 minutes is a bit long for those components, create a simple 555 timer IC circuit. I designed one of these, but used a transistor for switching to keep it solid state instead of a relay:
https://vetco.net/products/adjustab...l_sP1w9Vaf7soOhjyBCU6c31qYmWE-nEaAsxxEALw_wcB
That will do what you want, but only has a 1 minute interval unless you replace 1 or 2 parts to change the maximum timer value. Use an older phone charger or any wall wart that is 12 volts. It might work off 9. There are others that work off 5V, so you can use a regular USB power source or 3 or 4 AA batteries, but you may not get it before Halloween from China. You can search for variations of "interval timer" and "loop" or "infinite cycle", etc.:
https://www.ebay.com/i/232175853916?chn=ps&dispItem=1&var=531384380583
These boards use a dual 555 IC timer chip and a relay. One timer you set by turning a screw to control the interval time (5 minutes) and the other controls how long to relay stays activated (just long enough to mimic a person pressing a button, like a 10th of a second. Check to see if the button works the way you want. Some props have a different demo mode than how it works when triggered by sound/motion.
You just need 2 connections, put the plus and minus wires of your DC power supply to the power tabs with the correct polarity and cut the demo button wires and put them in the "normally open" relay tabs. If you get one and need help with the wiring, we can help you. It is a 5 minute job.
P.S. Here are 2 more I found that do up to 15 minutes and even have a trigger input. The second one has a digital display. Both of these are Chinese boards sold my many different suppliers. Looks like you can find one in the US who has stock and get it within a week:
https://www.amazon.com/Qianson-Infinite-Timing-Switch-1s~15min/dp/B01K9E8PR6
https://www.amazon.com/Qianson-Digi...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3HVJNN2XAJQ2FRWD4TCD
