sean
Full Member
Posts: 74
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Motors
Jan 13, 2008 16:19:41 GMT -5
Post by sean on Jan 13, 2008 16:19:41 GMT -5
I have decided to make some simple animatronic figures for Halloween (never too early to start). I don't have a lot of money to spend on them, so I was wondering, what would be the cheapest, most durable motor I can use for making animatronics...
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Motors
Jan 13, 2008 17:12:06 GMT -5
Post by Brandon on Jan 13, 2008 17:12:06 GMT -5
Sean, Seems like you are following my footsteps from childhood. I was always rigging up my own animatronics. Dayton Gear Motors are the way to go. But, you will have to build a cam to attach to the shaft of the motors in order to make an object move in a “back and forth” motion. Also, you need to be sure to use motors with low RPM (Rotations Per Minute), but high torque. I would recommend the 3m series from Dayton, especially a 3M102 or 3M101. You can see this motor on Grainger Industrial Supply’s website here: www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/productIndex.shtml?operator=keywordSearch&search_type=keyword&QueryString=3m102. These motors come up all the time on eBay cheap, so be sure to keep your eye out. Also, if you decide to use one of these motors, be sure to build a small housing to bolt them to out of lumber. If you don’t, the torque of the motor will cause it to shift and can be disastrous for your effect. Hope this helps.
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sean
Full Member
Posts: 74
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Motors
Jan 13, 2008 17:39:31 GMT -5
Post by sean on Jan 13, 2008 17:39:31 GMT -5
Thanks, Ill need to save up...
Would you recommend a certain way of building the figures?
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Motors
Jan 14, 2008 12:02:41 GMT -5
Post by Brandon on Jan 14, 2008 12:02:41 GMT -5
I would suggest using Tracy’s primitive methods: newspaper, wood, wire, papier-mâché, plaster. These methods are often cheap and are easy to find. You could even use some of your old clothes after your frame is built. Keep in mind that it does not matter what the inside is made of as long as it is durable. And, if you plan on making a body part move (like an arm), then you need to build the arm with a pivot by using a rod or hinge.
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sean
Full Member
Posts: 74
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Motors
Jan 14, 2008 15:55:10 GMT -5
Post by sean on Jan 14, 2008 15:55:10 GMT -5
Since you have made a haunted house before, I have a few other questions for you.
How much did it cost you to build your haunted house?
From what I read, it sounds like you had it up all the time, which doesn't very likely, how did you protect it from weather.
How much maintenance was required (money and time)
Did you only run it on or around Halloween?
Did the people enjoy it?
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Motors
Jan 14, 2008 16:22:51 GMT -5
Post by Brandon on Jan 14, 2008 16:22:51 GMT -5
The total cost of my HH grew through the years because I was constantly adding onto it and making it better. In the lifetime, I probably spent about $5000, but that is just a guess.
My father and grandfather helped me build it (because I was so young at the time), and they built it like a house with studding, roof and walls. I used heavy-duty plywood in most areas, and the roof was 1-inch plywood covered with plastic to prevent it from seeping water. I am proud to say that through the 6 or so years, I only experienced one major leak. It was built more or less like a shed. To protect it from the weather I kept it painted. Other than that, it was out in the weather year-round.
It required a lot of maintenance because I used it so much. Like any structure out in the weather, it needed to be attended to all the time… not only in terms of the structure, but the motors and electrical wiring etc. Money and time go hand-in-hand; If you can find time to regularly take care of it, it won’t cost you as much money, but if you neglect it, the costs will pile up.
I had it open all the time, not just for Halloween. I would work on it daily after school to build my stunts and upkeep the façade. On summer nights, I would often have friends over and have a little cookout and we would all just play the games and go through the HH.
People loved it—They had never seen anything like it. It was as close to a miniature Haunted House as you could get. Plus, I had all of the original sounds from Trimper’s, which made it that much more authentic. If you take your time and put a lot of TLC into it, it will turn out great. It just takes commitment, money and creativity. Also, you must find someone that knows how to run electricity correctly and who knows how to build up to code so that its safe.
I will say that you could really do the same thing with large pieces of cardboard and some black paint – it doesn’t have to be wood.
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Motors
Jan 16, 2008 11:20:30 GMT -5
Post by gary on Jan 16, 2008 11:20:30 GMT -5
Some extra thoughts:
When talking about mechanical animations, other items to consider toying with are.... CAM TIMERS -- you can have this rotating cylinder set to energize different items (lights, solenoids, motors) at set intervals... so you can have cause/effect things like one figure moves, then its arm swings out, then another item falls over or spins or something.
Also, experiment with oddly-shaped cams on your motors. Instead of having something move smoothly back and forth, you can mimic more realistic movements such as a figure's head twisting quickly to one side, pausing, then moving slowly back, but then swinging back again, etc... (the cam would be resemble an amoeba more than an off-centered circle or oval). Just some food for the mind...
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