Animated Skull

[davisgraveyard]

I think the easiest way to control the recording of an servo animated prop would be with a good RC transmiter.  The controls are easy to manipulate and you can do many things at once with just 2 hands.  I believe this is a common interface for effects shops when controlling animated props.  It makes for a good puppeteer interface.   I think multiple analog joysticks would be difficult to operate at once.

But we Halloween prop builders like our props to run stand alone and without human intervention.  So we need to record the movements and then store them on a controller that can be played back.   Sort of a one button operation. 

[J Pettis]

Is it possible when using a computer to control the animation that he could use the Parallax 433 MHz RF Receiver/ transmitter. I noticed in the documentation it stated that you could connect it via serial using MAX232 and a few parts. I am only asking because I am also making an  animated skull and would like the ability to have the laptop away from the prop.

Jarrett

[JonnyMac]

You may want to ask Parallax for more specifics -- the transmitter uses inverted baud mode which means the output from the MAX232 would have to be inverted; maybe you can loop the first output through a second stage to get there.  Of course, you'll need a local 5v supply for the transmitter that is sitting near your PC.

Update:  You know, a MAX232 seems overkill for this -- you can buffer the PC with a transistor; this is what I'd do:

[SkulTroniX]

Hi all, I encourage everyone to try to build their own SkullTroniX but I'll let you know a couple of things I ran into when developing the SkullTroniX. First, the bucky skull doesn't have enough room inside to house all the servos. No matter how much dremeling you do it won't fit. And when you get done dremeling you'll still have a heavy skull made of a weak plastic and a room full of plastic shavings.

A heavy skull puts a tremendous strain on the servos. Especially the nod servo since the skulls are very front heavy. Beefing up the servos to higher torque models will double their cost. Expect to pay $30+ for each servo. Don't even think about using less than standard sized servos for the head nod and pan. They won't last and won't perform well. The heavy skull is also hard to get started and hard to stop. That creates a slower moving head that bounces when you try to stop it. The bouncing looks bad and tears up servo gears. Been there, done that.

The electronics  parts alone will cost you upwards of $300, bearings cost about $30. Add the costs of cables, power supply, software and a license from Mike Fox for the cool routines.  Each SkullTroniX still takes over 20 hours to assemble, not counting the time or money for making the molds or running the business side of the operation. Development of the molds cost $18K last year and this year an additional $8K will go into new molds. Each skull is hand cast in silicone molds. Our skulls have roughly 4 times the interior volume of a bucky and are a fraction of the weight.

The eye circuits are microprocessor boards about the size of your fingernail. They have a surface mounted microprocessors, voltage regulator, capacitor, resistors and RGB LED on them and use custom code to respond to commands from the servo board. They are expensive little circuits but they add a lot to the overall product. The eye fronts are from dolls.. You should be able to find similar eye fronts for $10 a pair or less. Ours are custom ordered from the manufacturer.

For control we use VSA software from Brookshire.com    Nice package for about $45 or less.  For realistic animation expect to spend 5 hours for each minute of dialog.  VSA also has an addon called VSA Console which lets you control VSA from other programs such as VB or Macromind Director.  Console is included with the SkullTroniX along with VSA.

We're bringing out a new USB board soon that will allow multiple input triggers to the PC that will activate different VSA routines under all kinds of rules that you set up. So you can use PIR sensors, mat switches and other triggers to activate multiple SkullTroniX skulls and/or run your DMX lighting or even your pneumatic props all from one PC under carefully controlled parameters and synched to audio. 

There seems to be objection to the PC but trust me, when you want to make last minute adjustments to your routines nothing beats having the program source right there in the haunt. The PC also allows us to create all those cool addon features like our input board. You can also look at the RAPU, which frees the SkullTroniX from the PC. 

And last comment, the SkullTroniX is just a door stop without all the cool audio and animation. Mike Fox does a superb job of both and turns my piles of servos and plastic into something truly realistic. So you could spend your time and money developing the hardware and then have no animation or you could order a SkullTroniX and spend your time developing cool sounds and animation.  As it is, I like the hardware development, Mike likes the animation development. So it works for us.

I'm more than happy to answer questions and help others develop their products (as long as you aren't creating a competing commercial product). Many times your ideas can be developed into a commercial product and I'm always open to joint development and marketing possibilities.  Please contact me at my usual email address though. I don't haunt these woods often. info@skulltronix.com

Best regards to all,

Jerry Jewell, Owner SkullTroniX

[J Pettis]

I love your product.  Unfortunately the love only goes as far as watching the videos over and over.  Something to do with not being able to justify the cost.  With the help from "GRIM" at GRIMVISIONS.com I managed to animate a skull.  I still need to complete the jaw.  Here is the link. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTpOJ-aZaeU

Jarrett

[davisgraveyard]

Thanks Jerry for the detailed insight into the skulltronics skull.    The products you use and the way you went about building the skull explains a lot about the cost.  The main purpose of this thread was to see if we could build an animated skull that did what yours did but at a much lower cost.    Would also like the Skull to not be teathered to a PC so we can have the skull outdoors and be more of a solid state device where you just power it up and push a button and stand back. 

I also understand that a lot of the  "Oooo Aaaaa" factor with your product is Mike's voice and animation programming skills.   But I do believe that there are others out there who could could duplicate it.  We probably all know someone who has a great voice worth recording.  And given enough time and practice some of us could probably animate our own skull to do what we want it to do. 

The key is finding the right components to make it possible to do.    I'd like to find a way to do it with a EFX-TEK  Prop-SX board and a combination of high-torque servos, standard servos, and even micro servos.    The weight and space issue is definately a problem but am hoping that we can come up with a solution through bearings, and maybe nylon ball joint that makes it work.   I think one of the great ideas of this project is the concept that someone call buy a buckey and then through some detailed step-by-steps create their own animated skull.  If the stock skull won't work then I'd suggest casting a bucky in Rigid Foam and then using it.  At least the head would look the same on the skeleton.    Well, enough said.  I think think it is an interesting challenge and I for one will try to build one this year.

[JonnyMac]

I wrote an SX program for my May Nuts & Volts column that will run on the Prop-SX and can take a control stream from the PC; it will control eight digital outputs and eight servos.  Luckily the Prop-SX has a built-in serial port.  The program is written mostly in SX/B with some assembly language to handle the serial I/O and servo management; still, for the energetic programmer it won't be hard to customize.  Once the article is out and the Prop-SXes are rolling I'll port the code to deal with the Prop-SX serial port specifics.  I've attached pictures of my control bard (from the article) and test panel (written in VB).

[DougLowe]

Jeff, do you think the issue of the small space inside the Bucky skull itself could be mitigated by placing the servos outside of the skull (in the chest) and running control cables into the skull?

[dokcal]

Twiddling knobs and joysticks might work for some folks, but what I've been dreaming of, input-wise, is something similar to one of the controls that the Jim Henson company uses: Basically a puppet mouth mounted on a gimbal, with pots connected to measure the mouth movement and three axes of the gimbal.

Not all that hard to fabricate, but I'd need something (software-wise, and I'm not much of a PC programmer) to log multiple pot readings simultaneously in real time, then convert them into data files for a controller--like that spiffy SX-based controller in Jon's N&V column.

And while we're at it, it would be nice if I could overlay data tracks, punch in and out in the middle of tracks, and manually tweak data tracks in a graphic timeline interface.

And it should make perfect, evenly-browned toast.  ;)

--Doktor Calamari

[davisgraveyard]

Had a GREAT time at HAuNTcon last weekend.  I got a chance to chat with Jon W about ways to do this animated skull.   I also spent some time talking with the folks at Character Dynamics who had an animated Terminator head they used in a seminar.  It used a custom milled spring joint in the head and then ran cables up from servos in the chest.   I am thinking about going a similar way.  I want to cut down the steel rod in the bucky to a couple of inches above the top of the spine and then attach a Univeral joint on a bearing so it spins and turns in all directions.  I will then bolt the u-joint to the base of the skull.  Then using cables to 3 servos mounted in the chest I can turn the head in all directions.  I will still mount servos in the head for the jaw and eye movements. 

Jon has some great ideas on how to use the Prop-SX to do the animations and how to use  some free software from Vixen Lighting Automation www.vixenlights.com that can be used with a plugin to do show control.   I will let him tell you more when he is ready.  I am going to go off and build the hardware first anyway.  I should be able to control the servos with a RC transmiter to get the movements right.  My goal will be to replace the transmiter with a Prop-SX that contains Jon's program and the data from Vixen when I get it all setup.   Then Just plug it in and watch it go.

Jeff

[JonnyMac]

The Library section will soon include a Vixen sub-category.  I've been working with KC Oaks, the creator of Vixen, on drivers for the Prop-SX (working), the Prop-2, and yes, the Prop-1.  The Prop-1 and Prop-2 drivers require additional handshaking from Vixen due to their single-threaded nature; we're working that out now.  Stay tuned.  And Vxien 2.0, something KC is working on now, is going to be even cooler in regards to animatronic control, and will also allow external triggering via serial interface.

[davisgraveyard]

After much research and pondering I have decided on a approach to the mechanical side of the Animated Skull.    I'm going to use the 3-axis approach that a number of people have done.  Here is a closeup of the concept.  http://www.halloweenforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=463&d=1175624367
There are a number of people who have built this type of talking skull  on the halloweenforum.   The concept is pretty simple really.  The nice thing is it works great with an existing bucky skull.   I just need to get a friend to machine me the metal block with the bearings in it.  Then using just 3 servos inside the head you can turn, nod, and jaw movement.  I am hoping to have a  working prototype in a few weeks.   Once I get it to the point that I can puppeteer it with a regular radio transmitter I will be looking into Vixen and seeing where Jon is with the software.

[JonnyMac]

I actually have that skull in my possession at the moment -- I'm going to animate it using Vixen for MHC.  It is not a Bucky skull, but a lighter model skull.  What's not shown in that photo that is installed in the skull right now is a rubber band to pre-load the pan servo (tilt servo is preloaded by the forward-biased weight of the skull).  The preloading prevents the backlash from the servo gears and smooths the movement.

[brad g]

I know this isn't program related, but I really would like to see a picture of your pan servo preload set-up Jon.

[JonnyMac]

I'll be documenting the whole thing after I get the animation done -- will upload a small video clip, too.  In the meantime, checkout the pictures at www.socalhalloween.com -- that's who built and owns this skull.