display as an ample amount of well placed fog. One of
the biggest drawbacks of most commercially available
machines is the ability to deliver the fog at just the right
time. Most machines only have a limited amount of fog
available before they need to recharge, so you want to
make the most of it. A fog remote that can be fired only
when your trick or treaters are in exactly the right spot is
the ideal solution.
With a few simple modifications and additions to your
existing remote, you can incorporate a passive infrared
sensor to accomplish this. The ability to better manage
your fog machines may allow you to get by with a fewer
number, saving money and power — both of which can be
in short supply on the big night. I think every haunt would
benefit from this type of control to maximize the
disbursement and timing of this valuable effect (Figure 7).
8. Vacuum Forming —
and !!!
How many times have you been working on a project
and wished you could reproduce a part? Oftentimes, we
only have a single item but need multiple copies to
complete a build, or our original is too heavy and we
require something lighter. Building and operating your
own vacuum former can solve several of these problems.
There are many examples of DIY models available, and
they can be built with ordinary tools we already have. A
variety of plastics can be used to mold a piece to fit your
needs.
With 3D printers being all the rage these days, we
may overlook the usefulness of the vacuum former. Once
you complete the construction of your machine, creating
copies is fast and inexpensive, and no computer or
programming skills are required. One day, I’ll own a 3D
printer, but for now, the vacuum former fits the bill just
fine (Figure 8).
9. Banshee PICAXE
Controller —
and !!!
I had the pleasure of working with fellow Halloween
enthusiast, Steve Bjork on a previous project who is the
real brains behind this new board design. The Banshee
board will take many of the DIY printed circuit boards we
now use and allow the prop builder to replace them with
a single board. This board uses the 40X2 PICAXE chip as
its brains, and includes eight servo outputs, four MOSFET
drivers, a real time clock, and the ability to add a stereo
audio player.
This board will — among other things — allow for the
user to have two three-axis skulls talk to each other. (See
Steve’s article in this issue.) Like the previously designed
Frankenstein board, the Banshee will walk you through the
setup of the board with audio prompts stored on an SD
card and played by the audio board.
The last several years have seen a rapid improvement
in the number and functionality of DIY controllers,
allowing the home haunter to program their characters
and scenes just like the professionals. This board will
certainly enable you to take your haunt up a notch
(Figure 9).
10. Magic Mirror —
and !!
How would you like to be able to interact directly
September 2015 41
FIGURE 7.
FIGURE 8.
FIGURE 9.