Hardware Required
I wanted the ghost to be as simple as possible to
make, while also being economical to acquire. I started
with a trip to the dollar store and picked up quarter inch
white foam board and paste glue sticks. There are other
craft things you can pick up like cutting blades, colored
pens, and LED lights to complete your Peek-a-Boo. The
dollar store has a bunch of cool modifiable stuff on the
racks for inexpensive experimenting (plus, it’s all just a
buck!). I picked up the other electronics (such as the
PICAXE-08M2 servo control board and Parallax IR sensor)
at Robotshop.com. For sound, I chose an inexpensive
sound card based around the ISD1802 chip I purchased
from elecfreaks.com (Figure 2).
The servos are typical nine gram micro R/C types I
happened to have on hand. The wiring I used to connect
everything up was standard servo extension wires I was
able to excavate from my junk box (see Parts List).
Tools Needed
The tools I used are common ones that you can find
in any craft store. You’ll
need a sharp hobby knife
and cutting board or
backing. (Remember, we
don’t want to scratch up
Mom’s kitchen table!) A
hot melt glue gun will be
needed to attach the
components to the foam
board. Don’t forget the
“usual suspects” in the
electronics tool set such as
diagonal cutters, needlenose pliers, soldering iron, etc.,
like the ones in Figure 3.
The Art
You can download the image of the Peek-a-Boo Ghost
at the article link in PDF format. Use your inner artist to
take a crack at it. There are many ghosts, goblins, and
witches to choose from on the Web. The nice thing about
using the PDF we provide is you can make it as small or
large as you want. I’m going small with the first one
( 11. 5 x 8), but if you go to your local office supply chain,
you can get them printed as large as you like.
The Build
I started by gluing the printed paper Peek-a-Boo (try
saying that three times fast!) to the foam board. Use
generous amounts of glue stick to attach the paper so it
doesn’t come off. Use a straight edge to smooth out the
By Kevin Goodwin
September 2014 19
FIGURE 2. The voice card, PICAXE, and PIR sensor
shown together.
FIGURE 4. Peek-A-Boo
glued onto foam
core board.
Qty Description Manufacturer
1 PICAXE-08M2 servo driver PICAXE
1 PIR motion sensor Parallax #555-28027 or equiv
1 Voice sound module LC Technology ISD1820 or equiv
2 9 gram micro servos HobbyKing HXT900 or equiv
2 LED Ice cubes Party Time ice cubes or equiv
1 8 ohm PC speaker
1 Assorted scrap PC wires
Post comments on this article and find any associated files and/or downloads at
www.nutsvolts.com/index.php?/magazine/article/september2014_Goodwin.
FIGURE 3. Tools to
have handy.
Parts List for the Peek-A-Boo
