# Moving Eyes Mechanism (with pause)



## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Here's the how-to for the Moving Eyes Mechanism I made for Frankie's Girl to use behind a painted portrait. It could also work for moving eyes behind a tombstone or in a static prop.






 MOVING EYES MECHANISM




Parts List
(1) 1 X 3" wood piece (7" long)
(1) Plywood piece ( 5+1/2 X 7")
(1) Plywood piece (1 X 7" long)
(2) Ping-pong balls
(1) Small length of aluminum "L" stock (1 inch)
(1) 12 volt DC , 5 RPM Motor (or similar)
(1) AC/DC Converter (100 milliamp)
(1) Small piece of 1/8" plexiglass
(1) 1/16th" Flat aluminum stock (1+1/2 inches long)
(1) 1/4-20 X 1/2" Machine screw
(1) 1/4" Lock washer
(4) 1+5/8" long deck screws
(2) 6-32 X 3" Machine screws
(3) 6-32 X 3/4" Machine screws
(6) 6-32 X 1/2" Machine screws
(6) #6 Flat Washers
(11) #6 Lock Washers
(17) #6 Nuts




PART 1: EYE MOUNTING BOARD

(1) Saw a piece of 1 X 3" wood making it 7" long. Measure 2" from one end and mark that spot in the center of the board. Using a hole saw attachment on your drill, cut a 1 + 3/4" hole. Repeat these same steps on the other end of the board. This will make the eyes exactly 3" apart (center to center).










NOTE: Apparently stores are now selling two different sizes of ping-pong balls. The only ones I can find now are slightly bigger than the ones I used to buy. If you end up with the smaller balls you can possibly drill smaller holes with a hole saw in the 7" board.

(2) Take one ping-pong ball and drill a 9/64" hole along the seam in the middle of the ball. This will be the TOP hole. Drill another 9/64" hole exactly 180 degrees from the first hole. This will be the BOTTOM hole. The only tip I can give for getting the holes exact is to wrap a piece of masking tape around the ball seam, take it off and measure it. Mark the halfway point on the tape and wrap it around the ball to find the opposite side. Repeat this step for the second ball.

(3) Drill a 9/64" hole into the REAR side of the ping-pong ball, right in the center. Use an exacto blade to cut out a small section of the ball below the hole you just drilled, about 1/4" square. (This will allow us to insert the #6 screw inside the ball.) Insert a 6-32 X 3/4" machine screw into the ball. The screw needs to come through the hole THREADS FIRST to the outside of the ball. I used a magnetic pick-up tool on the outside of the ball to pull the screw thru the hole. Hole the screw in place near the bottom with some needle-nose pliers and install in order a #6 flat washer, #6 lock washer and a #6 nut onto the screw threads. Hold the END of the threaded part of the screw tightly with the pliers and tighten the nut against the ball. Repeat these steps for the other ball.

(4) Stand the eye mount board upright. Drill a 1/8" hole into the top center of each eye hole, all the way through the bottom of the eye hole. It's very important to make these holes as straight as possible to make each eyeball pivot properly.

(5) Insert a 6-32 X 3" screw into one of the top 1/8" holes. Screw a #6 nut onto the screw once it passes into the 1+3/4" eyeball hole. Install one of the ping-pong balls onto the screw and rotate the screw until the it exits through the bottom of the ball. Insert another #6 nut on the screw at the bottom of the ball. (There's not much room to do this. I just kind of slid the nut in between the bottom of the ball and the wood, looked thru the bottom hole, and moved the nut around with a small flat-head screwdriver until I could see it was lined up with the screw hole.) Turn the 3" screw all the way until it threads onto the bottom nut and exits thru to the bottom of the board. Keep turning the screw until the head is flush with the top of the mounting board. Use pliers to turn the top nut all the way to the top of the hole, and the lower nut all the way to the bottom. These nuts give the ball a base to pivot on. Check and make sure the ball can spin left and right freely without binding. Cut off any overhang on the 3" screw at the bottom of the board. Repeat these steps for mounting the other ball. Mark the pupil area (front, center) of each eye with a round piece of tape for the purpose of checking the movement in a later step.











(6) I used aluminum angle "L" stock to make my own L-brackets. I couldn't find any to buy that were either small enough or lightweight enough to use. Use a hacksaw to cut two sections of the angle stock about 1/4" wide. Drill a 9/64" hole near the end on each flat side of one angle stock piece. Use these holes in the first piece as a guide for drilling the holes in the second angle stock piece. It's important to try to make the holes match in the two pieces for proper movement of the mechanism. This completes the two L-brackets.

(7) Slide one L-bracket onto the #6 screw coming out of the back of one eyeball. Orient the bracket so that the flat (horizontal) part is on TOP. Secure it in place with a #6 lock washer and nut. Repeat for the other ball.










(8) Cut a square section of plywood or scrap wood measuring 7" long and 5+1/2" wide. Also cut a 7" long piece of 1/4" plywood, about 1" wide. This will be a spacer in between the eye mount board and the square flat piece we just cut previously. Lay it flat and place the front of the spacer board flush with the front edge of the square piece and centered. Turn upside down and drill a 1/8" hole about an inch from each end thru both the square board and the plywood spacer. Next remove the spacer and take the eye mount board and stand it up centered on the square board and flush with the front of it. Turn both pieces upside down and use the holes in the square board as a guide to drill two 1/8" holes into the eye mounting board. Turn them right side up and add the spacer board back between the eye board and the square board. Secure the three boards together with 1+5/8" wood screws. (The spacer is needed for the proper height of the motor shaft to pivot the mechanism.)

(9) I used some leftover 1/8" thick plexiglass to make the parts for the pivot mechanism. Cut a piece 4" long and about 5/8" wide. This will be called PIECE A. Drill a 9/64" hole near one end of it, measure 3" from that hole and drill another 9/64" hole. Measure 1" (toward the middle) from each end hole and drill two more 9/64" holes. So you should end up with four holes, 1" apart along this piece.

(10) Insert a 6-32 X 1/2" screw into the open hole (from the underside--threads coming out the top) in the right eye L-bracket. Add a #6 flat washer onto the screw. Repeat for the left eye L-bracket. Place the two end holes in plexi piece "A" over the two L-bracket screws. Install a #6 nut on each screw and turn it until it is SNUG. Add on a #6 lock washer and nut on each screw. Hold the lower (first) nut in place while tightening the top nut on both screws. Check the back and forth movement of the eyeballs. There should be a slight amount of resistance, but not much.

(11) Cut two more pieces of plexiglass measuring 4" long and 1/2" wide. These will be PIECES B1 and B2. Drill 9/64" holes in the ends of both B1 and B2, about 1/4" from each end. Place one end of B1 on top a piece "A" and line up the holes. Place a #6 flat washer onto a 6-32 X 1/2" screw and insert it thru both piece "A" and B1. Secure them together underneath with a #6 lock washer and nut. Repeat these same steps with PIECE B2 and the remaining hole. The 1/2" gap formed by B1 and B2 allow the eyes to hesitate momentarily before changing direction.




















PART 2: MOTOR ASSEMBLY

1) Take the 1/4-20 X 1/2" screw and hold it on top of the square hole in the motor shaft. You will see the screw is slightly bigger than the square hole in the shaft. We will use a screwdriver to force the screw into this square hole, basically “tapping” a threaded hole for this screw, which will later hold the crank to the motor. Use a pair of pliers tightly around the outside of the motor shaft to hold it while using your screwdriver and turn the screw clockwise and force it into the square hole. It might help to brace the motor against a wall or table top (while still holding the shaft with the pliers) to be able to use enough force to get the screw started. Be patient, sometimes it goes easy, sometimes it takes a while. Once the screw starts to rotate into the shaft hole, try to keep the screw as straight as possible as it goes further into the hole. Keep turning it until the head of the screw is about 1/8 inch above the top of the motor shaft. Just leave the screw in for now.










2) Use a pair of cutters to snip away the top portion of the black plastic that covers the two copper colored pins coming out of the bottom of the motor. Take some needle nosed pliers and carefully bend each pin upward slightly. This will give us more room to use soldering iron. Cut the round plug off the end of the DC voltage adapter, separate the two wires and strip them back about ¼ inch. (I usually solder a short section of wire to each pin and then later solder my DC voltage adapter onto those wires. However if you prefer, you can solder the wires of the DC adapter straight to the pins.

If you have someone to help you, have them hold each wire to its respective terminal pin while you solder them. If you are doing it by yourself, try to melt a blob of solder onto the end of the wire, then hold the wire to the terminal pin and hold the soldering iron on the UNDERSIDE of the pin to heat the pin and melt the solder at the same time. This is frustrating sometimes, but it will work. I don’t usually put any heat shrink or tape on these motor terminals after soldering, but you can if you want.










3) Cut a piece of the 1/16" flat aluminum stock 1+ ½ inches long. This will be the CRANK for our motor. Drill a 1/4" inch hole near one end of the crank. Measure one inch from the center of this hole and drill a 9/64" hole. Insert a 6-32 X 3/4" screw into the 9/64" hole and secure it with a #6 lock washer and nut.
Remove the ¼” screw from the motor shaft and slip a ¼” lock washer onto it. Make sure the #6 screw threads are facing UP on the motor crank. Insert the 1/4" screw through the large crank hole and then screw the crank onto the motor shaft. 
The motor shaft should be centered 3 inches from the back side of the eye mount board. Mark that spot and lay the motor assembly flat (shaft up) and slide the #6 screw attached to the crank into the 1/2" gap between pieces B1 and B2. Slide the motor to that 3" mark. Plug in the motor power and allow the shaft to rotate, thus moving the eye mechanism side to side. Observe the front of the eyes and slightly move the motor by hand to different positions until the eyes move an equal distance left and right. When satisfied, use two 1+5/8" wood screws through two of the motor mount holes to fasten the motor to the board.

PART 3: FINAL ASSEMBLY

(1) Cut a final piece of plexiglass measuring about 2" long and 1/2" wide. This will be piece "C" and is used to connect pieces B1 and B2 at the rear of the pivot mechanism. Lay "C" on top of the open holes in B1 and B2 and mark holes. Drill the two 9/64" holes in "C". Use two #6 screws, lock washers and nuts to fasten "C" to B1 and B2.










(2) Plug in and test the operation of the mechanism. 

(3) The eyes stick out the front of the mounting board about 1/2". If you plan to mount them against something flat (like the back of a painting or tombstone), make 2 small spacers out of 1/2" wood. Screw them onto the front of the eye mounting board (one on left side and one on right). Lay the mechanism flat (eyes down) and attach 2 or 3 "L" brackets to the eye board for mounting purposes.

(4) Paint the eyes as desired.

That's all! The End.


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2009)

Awesome!!! Awesome!! Awesome!!!


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Even with your very clear and precise instructions, I'd still find a way to screw this up if I'd attempted it myself.  So thanks again for creating this!

I posted my painting progress over on Haunt Forum too, and was asked if you had a tutorial for the eyes, (EVERYONE love the eye mechanism!) so I hope you don't mind that I'm directing them over to this!


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## theedwin (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks Dave!

I can see that you put A LOT of effort into this TUT! Kudos again to you!

I can't wait to get started!

E


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## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

Oh neat! Dave, another awesome mechanical.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Frankie's Girl said:


> I posted my painting progress over on Haunt Forum too, and was asked if you had a tutorial for the eyes, (EVERYONE love the eye mechanism!) so I hope you don't mind that I'm directing them over to this!


Sure, no problem at all. I am a member over at HauntForum, but I just don't frequent the site much. I'll pop in and post in case someone has a question about the tut.

Thanks for the compliments, everybody!!
Don't be discouraged by reading the how-to. It's really not that difficult. I just tried to describe the steps as detailed as possible.


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

Thanks for posting.Looks pretty easy.


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks for that, Dave!
Looks totally doable...just have to find a way to work it in


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## cylonfrogqueen (Feb 13, 2008)

Those are wicked cool Dave. Plenty of applications and I know we will be seeing these peeper pop up in alot of props and displays. Great Tutorial and pics. Makes me think that I can even do this. ( we all know I am eletrical and motor challenged) But that is because I am afraid of Burning up a motor and having to buy another. 

Speaking of which. Where do you get your supply of motors? MG? or do you go to the
junk yard pull it?


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks a lot, CFQ!!
I get most of my parts from "Electronic Goldmine". Right now this same motor is $8.00, but is sometimes on sale for $6.00. I think you'd have to try pretty hard to burn up one of these. Also don't forget the AC/DC adapter if you order the motor! No, I haven't been to a junkyard in quite a while.
Here's the link to it:

Super Power 12VDC Gear Motor-The Electronic Goldmine


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

It's amazing what you can do with those little motors. I got a bunch last year for tombstone poppers so I might give this a try.


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## TNBrad (Sep 12, 2007)

DaveintheGrave
sorry for the poor drawing; but, will the motor movement / works design work on it's side for a slimmer profile


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

If that's a poor drawing, I would like what your good drawings look like. You might put Davinchi to shame.


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

Thank you for posting this dave, that is a great mechanical piece that you designed there. Very very good work.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

TNBrad said:


> DaveintheGrave
> sorry for the poor drawing; but, will the motor movement / works design work on it's side for a slimmer profile


Poor drawing? Look at mine--I draw freehand with a marker then take a pic of it!  Your drawing looks great! Certainly--that would work and I was actually going to re-do the one I made just that way to save space, but it would have taken me too much time to re-make it after all the time I had already spent. But, yea-that should work fine and save space!



kprimm said:


> Thank you for posting this dave, that is a great mechanical piece that you designed there. Very very good work.


Thanks, kprimm!! I appreciate it a lot!!
I love these little motors!


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## OlderthanDirt (Jul 22, 2009)

Dave.. One question...
The only support for the plexiglass pieces are the pingpong eyeballs, is that right??
Thanks in advance


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## Salty (May 4, 2011)

Question regarding powering the unit.
I am in the planning stages of making my own version and wanted to bounce some ideas off you, if you don't mind...
So, I was thinking of a way to make it motion activated, so that's it's not constantly running. I once had one of those billy the big mouth bass toys, and "gutted" it and threw the innards into a creepy old doll, so when somebody went near it, it started moving. Not very precise or controlled, but still a creepy effect. Do you think the same principle could be applied to this? 

I think those bass toys were battery powered. But would a battery pack off that toy produce enough juice to run the motor? Or would I need to use multiple battery packs?
For instance, this:
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G17084
only produces 3 volts. Does that mean I'd need 4 of those just to power a 12V motor? 
That could get sort of cumbersome.
I think the bass toys also had an optional AC power adapter. I was debating buying one off ebay and using the power source with motion detector ahead of the motor you suggested.
Any thoughts?


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

WOOT! I never saw TNBrad's configuration... should have checked back on this thread!!

I'm going to see if I can't adjust my moving eyes mechanism to the slim profile this year... It was a huge hit at my party, and having it stick out in the back less means I can flush-mount the painting for an even more realistic look. 

(stay tuned for me on here whining about how I screwed up my lovely eye mech shortly...  )


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## Salty (May 4, 2011)

Frankie's Girl said:


> WOOT! I never saw TNBrad's configuration... should have checked back on this thread!!
> 
> I'm going to see if I can't adjust my moving eyes mechanism to the slim profile this year... It was a huge hit at my party, and having it stick out in the back less means I can flush-mount the painting for an even more realistic look.
> 
> (stay tuned for me on here whining about how I screwed up my lovely eye mech shortly...  )


Yeah, i was going to make the slimmer profile as well...
So, when you set it all up, how did you hide the power cord? I was thinking if you can't hide the cord in some way, having it run up from a socket is a dead giveaway (pun intended) that something is up, whereas if you could eliminate the cord, that would make it a little more sneaky. I was even thinking about making the range of motion on the eyeballs a little narrower, so people may even only *think* they saw them move....
Well, either way, i'm bidding on a "billy big mouth bass" on ebay and i just ordered my motor....once I get it all, i'll start fiddling....good luck with your modification!


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## Salty (May 4, 2011)

Sorry to keep asking questions, if anyone's even out there, but would 12v of battery juice be enough to power that motor? And would the output leads from a regular battery holder be solderable onto the brass prongs on the motor?


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Don't know about the motor stuff (hopefully DaveInTheGrave will check in soon - or one of the other mechanical wizards on here), but as far as the cord, I just put the portrait up over the fireplace and the cord ran behind the stuff that was on the mantel. I hung the picture so that it was balanced on the mantel, and had a plug near there (tho I didn't tuck the cord down or hide it once it dropped off the mantel)


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## Nepboard (Sep 21, 2009)

Thanks Dave!


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## Salty (May 4, 2011)

looks good, i like the way you draped the fabric on the sides...and I definitely don't even notice the cord....


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## BeaconSamurai (Nov 5, 2009)

Dave that is sooo SWWEEET! I'm going to try this! Just another thing on my long list of to do's! Thank you so very much for sharing.


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## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

Salty said:


> Sorry to keep asking questions, if anyone's even out there, but would 12v of battery juice be enough to power that motor? And would the output leads from a regular battery holder be solderable onto the brass prongs on the motor?


Sure it would but you will be going through a lot of batteries. You could probably get away with using a 9v battery because I just tested one of the motors on 2 AA batteries (which is 3 volts) and the motor turns...but at a really slow RPM. Heck a lot easier just using a 9-12 v power supply.


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## mickkell (Dec 27, 2008)

surplus center has those motors for 2.99,fyi.....


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## Salty (May 4, 2011)

mickkell said:


> surplus center has those motors for 2.99,fyi.....


i actually just ordered two on friday...looking forward to messing about with them.


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## mickkell (Dec 27, 2008)

You only got two????Never have too many of these....


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## Salty (May 4, 2011)

mickkell said:


> You only got two????Never have too many of these....


yeah, one for each eyeball!
if they work well, i'll get more....the shipping was a little pricey.....almost as much as the motors and DC adapter....


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Sorry--I just now saw this resurrected thread. LOL
Thanks for all the compliments, everyone!

Salty-yea, what MadMax said: these motors will run fine (just a bit slower) off a 9-volt battery and supposedly the power lasts quite a while from the battery. 
I thank member IndianaHolmes for this information.
I hope the suppliers never run out of these motors. I love 'em!

Frankie's Girl---If you mess up the mechanism trying to re-engineer it, just send it back to me and I'll repair it and send it back. Or just send it to me anyway for re-engineering. (No charge--it's included in your warranty! LOL).


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## Phantom Blue (Sep 28, 2008)

Hey Dave, I know that this is a old thread, but wanted to say Thanks for the how too on this! Helps out with a project I am working on.

Happy Haunting!

PB


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

That's great, Phantom Blue! I'm happy I could help.


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## foolishmortal42 (Sep 5, 2010)

Dave...great tutorial. Question for you...is there a way to modify this for a Leotta tombstone like the one at the haunted mansion at Disney? The key difference is the addition of eyelids. The eyes are closed on the tombstone and it looks like a stone face. The eyelids open and the eyes move from side to side. Finally the eyelids close again. Have you seen anyone modify this mechanism to add the eyelids? Thanks!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks, FoolishMortal! First off, I see the video at the beginning of the tut wasn't working, so I fixed that.

No, I've never seen anyone add eyelids to this mechanism. I can't come up with a good idea of how to do it, except for using another motor just for opening the eyelids. Seems like there would be an easy way to do it.
I'll keep thinking about it and if I think for a solution I'll post it here.

Sounds like a great idea, though!


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## OlderthanDirt (Jul 22, 2009)

The first problem I see would be that a slot would have to be cut in the top of the eyelids to allow the eyelids to rotate past the verticle "shaft" of each eyeball to allow the eyelids to open. 

The second problem would be that the eyeballs would interfere with the "shaft" or axel for the eyelids..(could maybe use screws in each side of the eyelids so that a "shaft or axel wouldn't be needed.

I can see how one motor could work going by the original "how to" but using a longer bolt in the end of the crank arm and use the verticle configuration. The rotation of the motor would move both the eyeball sideways and with the longer bolt and a connecting rod (or arm) connected to the eyelids move the eyelids 
up and down.


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

What a slick idea! I would have NEVER thought of this but it is brilliant!


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

Unfortunately I can’t see the drawing for the vertical configuration but this design seems like a great idea for eyelids. 

I’m modifying this owl.





Dalen Rotating Head Owl, Natural Enemy Scarecrow at Tractor Supply Co.


Find Dalen Rotating Head Owl, Natural Enemy Scarecrow in the Scarecrows & Decoys category at Tractor Supply Co.Dalen's Rotating Head Owl helps r




www.tractorsupply.com




I want to have it breathe (reindeer motor with cam) but I also want to create eyelids that open and close. The head moves in the breeze but I’m trying to figure out how to move it indoors with no breeze. Not sure if I need another motor for that. All it needs is a little push to make it move. That’s an awful lot of stuff to go in that tiny head though.... wonder if they make mini reindeer motors....


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Daphne, I don't know of any mini reindeer motors. Can you make the owl breathe? He looks like hard plastic. Probably a small, low RPM motor would work for eyelids. If there is enough room in his head to do that.
Anyway, he looks like an animated owl I bought from Lowe's a long time ago. The head and beak move and it alternates between hooting and singing "Hoo Can It Be Now". I don't know why the pics on this tutorial are so fuzzy. Photobucket hates me. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

Thanks for responding. You're correct, the owl body is hard plastic. My idea, which is potentially ridiculous, is this... Drill a hole in the chest. Mount a motor inside the chest with a rod coming out through the hole. Attach a fake chest to the rod. As the linkage on the motor turns, the fake chest moves away from the real chest and then back again. The theory was by having it move forward and back that would simulate breathing. I would have to cover the entire owl in feathers to hide that it has a fake chest stuck to a rod. I came up with this so there is a good chance it is both stupid AND impossible ha ha.

Thankfully owls don't move their eyes so only the eyelids would move. I figured I could add a counterweight to the back of the head to balance the motor. It has a small counterweight already to balance the head. I assumed I didn't want a servo since they are loud (I think)? This is so not my area.

I'm trying to also figure out how to have a motor in there to move the head randomly but don't have a solid plan for that. It wouldn't have to go in the head, it could go in the upper body but would have to be where it didn't interfere with the "breathing" motor. It doesn't take much to get the head to move and I don't want it to spin around like Linda Blair is trapped in there.

If any or all of this sounds impossible or a disaster in the making, please tell me! Thanks for staying till the end of this novel!


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I'm going to bump this just in case anyone has clearer pictures for the construction of the mechanism, pictures to fill in the missing blanks, and hopefully a reproduction of the drawing showing how to make the mechanism take up less space by the sideways mount. I'm afraid I'm one of those who often can't see something unless I actually see it. The words help to refine the instructions, but the pictures really help me understand what it is I'm actually supposed to be doing at any given moment. I know we can't go back and edit older posts anymore, but just posting the pictures and diagrams again would be a great help. THANKS... for whatever comes of this plea.


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> I'm going to bump this just in case anyone has clearer pictures for the construction of the mechanism, pictures to fill in the missing blanks, and hopefully a reproduction of the drawing showing how to make the mechanism take up less space by the sideways mount. I'm afraid I'm one of those who often can't see something unless I actually see it. The words help to refine the instructions, but the pictures really help me understand what it is I'm actually supposed to be doing at any given moment. I know we can't go back and edit older posts anymore, but just posting the pictures and diagrams again would be a great help. THANKS... for whatever comes of this plea.


Wait... y'all can't edit your older posts? Let me know if this is true, as that is not good and should let the admin know to fix so any author can go back into their posts to fix/edit them. It's vital to make sure since this site's collection of postings tend to rely on visuals/photos, and we keep getting stoopid things like Photobucket being a jerk and ruining older tutorials...

I am hopefull that Dave sees this soon and can locate his photos and upload them to an album here. If he can't edit, I can fix if I can find them in an album, or he can post an album link directly to the entire album - either way, if they're on HF, then they're "safe" from future chicanery regarding off-site photo hosting sites anyway. 

I can edit anything as a moderator, but I assumed that the original poster of any specific post could edit/update indefinitely as well, so I hope it's possible (barring glitches that happened due to the mass-site move a few years ago that left a string of broken links we're still going through and fixing).


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## bobby2003 (Oct 5, 2017)

Frankie's Girl said:


> Wait... y'all can't edit your older posts? Let me know if this is true, as that is not good and should let the admin know to fix so any author can go back into their posts to fix/edit them. It's vital to make sure since this site's collection of postings tend to rely on visuals/photos, and we keep getting stoopid things like Photobucket being a jerk and ruining older tutorials...
> 
> I am hopefull that Dave sees this soon and can locate his photos and upload them to an album here. If he can't edit, I can fix if I can find them in an album, or he can post an album link directly to the entire album - either way, if they're on HF, then they're "safe" from future chicanery regarding off-site photo hosting sites anyway.
> 
> I can edit anything as a moderator, but I assumed that the original poster of any specific post could edit/update indefinitely as well, so I hope it's possible (barring glitches that happened due to the mass-site move a few years ago that left a string of broken links we're still going through and fixing).



I went back to fix a typo I noticed in another thread and got the following message. "You may not edit more than 10 different post(s) within 7 days".

I don't edit any of my old posts because usually there's no reason to, but I made a long post and corrected a couple of spelling mistakes and must hit some flood control limit. I will have to wait a few days to see if I can go back and edit a very old post though.

Edit: Strangely it allows me to edit this one. Maybe because it is new.


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

bobby2003 said:


> I went back to fix a typo I noticed in another thread and got the following message. "You may not edit more than 10 different post(s) within 7 days".
> 
> I don't edit any of my old posts because usually there's no reason to, but I made a long post and corrected a couple of spelling mistakes and must hit some flood control limit. I will have to wait a few days to see if I can go back and edit a very old post though.
> 
> Edit: Strangely it allows me to edit this one. Maybe because it is new.


I'm checking with Admin if there are time/amount of posts allowed restrictions. There absolutely should not be any and it may be a glitch or may be a standardized setting they can change. Will clarify with them.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Frankie's Girl said:


> I'm checking with Admin if there are time/amount of posts allowed restrictions. There absolutely should not be any and it may be a glitch or may be a standardized setting they can change. Will clarify with them.


While I agree that there shouldn't be restrictions on editing posts, the last time I checked, there was only a 24 hour period to edit posts, and a 5 minute period to edit conversations... yeah, 5 minutes. That one I know is in effect because I bumped up against it in a private conversation just a few days ago when I tried to edit one of my posts. It takes me longer than five minutes to edit the things, let alone having that limit to notice any mistakes I might have made.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

A bit of an addendum to my previous post. If I go back in to edit an older post I now get this message:










This of course isn't accurate, as I've not edited a single post in the last 7 days. But the site is keeping me from editing posts via a notification that I can't do it. I remember in the early days of the site being retooled, I complained that I couldn't go back in and edit tutorial posts as I progressed on a project. There were explanations given about continuity being disrupted by someone being able to go back and edit a 4 month old post and the like. I accepted the fact that there was a time limit to how long I had to edit any post. Back in those days it actually gave a notice that said that we couldn't edit a post after a certain amount of time. I thought it was 24 hours, but I could be wrong.

What I did notice, was all those posts in the Site Issues and Feedback section have now been removed. So have many of the posts asking for the pumpkin emojis to be brought back. They're all gone. I have a feeling that certain issues that are important to us are not important to the site owners and rather than address them, they simply delete the posts. However they go about it, and whatever error notice they may give, the ability to edit older posts doesn't exist for me. It has nothing to do with how many times I attempt to edit posts. It simply has to do with a timer ticking down.

*How do I know that? What you're reading here is something I added after posting the original post above. Moments after I posted it, I clicked Edit. Unlike my older posts that tell me I can't edit more than 10 posts in 7 days, it popped up the post and allowed me to edit it without a single notice that I had edited too many posts. So, yeah, there is a limit to how much time we have to edit posts. The notification may have changed, but the limitations are still in place.*


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> A bit of an addendum to my previous post. If I go back in to edit an older post I now get this message:
> 
> View attachment 728435
> 
> ...



Well, that's not good. 

I'm hoping Admin will remove the editing restrictions/limitations for members. I agree that the ability to go back and edit/update information is vital for many aspects here as you pointed out for tutorial/how-to posts, and it may be a day, week, or even a year later that things could need to be changed or improved upon - so locking people out from fixing or changing their own posts makes no sense in this type of forum that relies on its members to post valuable content and keep it relevant. I do hope they see that.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Frankie's Girl said:


> Well, that's not good.
> 
> I'm hoping Admin will remove the editing restrictions/limitations for members. I agree that the ability to go back and edit/update information is vital for many aspects here as you pointed out for tutorial/how-to posts, and it may be a day, week, or even a year later that things could need to be changed or improved upon - so locking people out from fixing or changing their own posts makes no sense in this type of forum that relies on its members to post valuable content and keep it relevant. I do hope they see that.


You can't see the conversations anymore because they've been deleted, but all those arguments were made before and squashed by the new owners of the site. The unique nature of our community doesn't hold sway in the homogenization of all the websites the corporation manages. It's why when "improvements" are introduced, you don't see pictures of Halloween stuff, you see cars or other hobbies showing you how to post. It's why we don't get pumpkin emojis, because they don't fit into the mold of standardized websites. It's why they're offering premium memberships that let you chat with just a small subgroup of paying members as if we thought that was a good thing. When I post a tutorial, I want everyone to be able to read it. I think most of us are the same. We love sharing with everyone, not just some small group that has the cash to keep their posts for an elite group. 

Mind you, I'm happy that the site still exists. I'm grateful that many of the aspects of the old site are still in place. But that doesn't mean I don't complain about the aspects of the retooled site that patently ignore the nature of our community and how we do things. It's a compromise, and I know our side is the one that will always have to acquiesce, but I will complain and they will delete those posts because haunters gotta do what haunters gotta do, and corporations gotta do what corporations gotta do.  <--- wouldn't this look so much better as a frowning pumpkin emoji?


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Hey Daphne,
Sorry. I haven't checked in in a while. LOL
I think what you are describing sounds do-able. Sometimes I just have an idea for movement and have to just 'jump in' and start to see if it's even feasible. 
I will say that a few years ago I wanted to add a small motor to a stuffed Snoopy plush toy, to make a waving Snoopy to go along with Snoopy's Christmas Doghouse I built. It ended up being waaaay harder than I thought it would be, with such a small confined area to work with. But I'm not trying to discourage you. Give it a shot. You never know until you try.
The head movement might not be too hard. I don't know how to make it random, but if you used a synchronous motor like this:








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If you can somehow mount the head on it, you can put a screw or something that will stop the motors rotation at a certain point and the motor will automatically reverse itself. (This is the same kind of motor that is in the plastic case of a reindeer motor.)
Good luck with the project. I'll try to check in more often. Or PM me if you need help.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

chubstuff said:


> I'm going to bump this just in case anyone has clearer pictures for the construction of the mechanism, pictures to fill in the missing blanks, and hopefully a reproduction of the drawing showing how to make the mechanism take up less space by the sideways mount. I'm afraid I'm one of those who often can't see something unless I actually see it. The words help to refine the instructions, but the pictures really help me understand what it is I'm actually supposed to be doing at any given moment. I know we can't go back and edit older posts anymore, but just posting the pictures and diagrams again would be a great help. THANKS... for whatever comes of this plea.


Chubstuff, sorry about the late reply. I'm trying to eventually find time to either fix most of these old tutorials or totally re-do them. I hate what PhotoBucket did to the picture links.
Anyway, if I remember correctly, what I did to make the sideways movement was to simply add a couple of small "L" brackets to the bar behind the eyes. Then mounted that 'three-sided rectangle' (that the motor crank rotates inside of) to those L brackets. (one 'bar' to each "L" bracket, left and right. Then add the bottom piece to connect the two). So, that three-sided rectangle would be vertical, instead of horizontal.
Then, just mount your motor vertically also, with the crank inside the open area, just like in the horizontal (original) build.
If this doesn't make sense I'd be happy to draw up another (crude) design picture. LOL
I hope this helps some.
I may just have to build another one of these from scratch to re-familiarize myself with it.


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