# Re-working my FCG



## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

I built an FCG several years ago and decided to make some improvements to both the ghost itself and the display. This is what I started with. You'll probably notice several potential improvements right away.








Here's a link to a video of the original...not too bad. 
http://www.brianredmond.net/halloween/ghost.wmv


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*New Skull for Head*

I wanted the final ghost to be a little scarier so the plain wig form would have to go.








Bucky skulls are heavy and I'm an x-ray tech so my anatomy knowledge is pretty good so I decided to just carve out a skull from the existing head. A Dremmel is a project-builder's best friend (or at least in the top 3). I drew out approximately where I wanted to carve right on the old head and fired up the Dremmel. About 30 minutes (and a lot of dust) later, here's what I came up with. I left the back of the neck intact because the hole for the mounting wire runs through it.

















I started by carving around the shape of the jaw because I may eventually have the jaw moving. It ended up being pretty easy to separate it from the rest of the head. A little carving on the piece and I had a pretty good mandible.









More to come...


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Installing teeth and jaw*

Next, I lined up the jaw on the head, poked a wire through the top of the jaw and marked where it hit the skull. I took a 1/8 inch metal rod and pushed it through what would be the back of the pallete, then marked the point on the other side of the mandible. With the holes all aligned, I took out the rod and re-installed it through the mandible this time. This can now be driven with a servo to be mounted inside the cranium.








Next, it needed teeth. I'm not going so much for realism as effect, so although the teeth look big and there are only a few, they'll look great in the final prop. I just used small chunks of the carved out styrofoam and pushed a small wire into them then into the appropriate spot on the skull or jaw. You can also see that I've cut off the top of the head at this point to hollow it out a bit. It looks really good.


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## piraticalstyle (Sep 1, 2009)

Brilliant!! Why didn't I think of that. Can't wait to see how creepy it is when your done.


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## LT Scare (May 21, 2008)

VERY COOL! Taking FCG to a new level. More, more , more!


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Animating the jaw*

Thanks for the comments. This project is becoming quite fun...big plans ahead. Bear with me between posts. I will keep them fairly regular.

The next step is important for two reasons. I needed to paint the skull with latex paint. Firstly because I will soon be poking several holes in various spots for wires, and the paint will keep the styrofoam from "chaffing" too much. Also because in the end, I plan on spray painting it with fluorescent paint which would otherwise dissolve the styrofoam. Wal-mart (and most other places) have paint that was not mixed to the correct color for a customer, or ended up not needed for some reason which they discount. I found a pale grey which was the perfect color and the whole gallon was only $7. I will soon put a second coat on it, but I only needed one for now. I let it dry overnight and moved on.

Probably the hardest part of the whole project is the control wire for the jaw. I simply used a large paperclip which I straightened out and tested various angles and locations. The best seems to be mid-way up one side of the jaw. I poked the wire up through the mouth into the now hollow cranium. It took several different bends to get it to work just right, but in the end it was fine. It's kind of hard to see in the picture so I circled it in red.








It will hook to a micro servo in the skull which I will be controlling with an ATMEGA 168 MCU (also for pulsing eyes and some hidden UV LEDs to be described later). Here's a short video of the wire being hand operated. (By the way, anyone know how to actually put the video in the post?)
http://www.brianredmond.net/fcgpics/jaw.mpg


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Microcontroller code*

I spent the last few days working on the code for controlling the jaw servo and green pulsing eyes with a microcontroller. I'm happy to say I got it working with a minimum of glitches. For anyone who's interested, the code (in C) can be found here. http://www.brianredmond.net/fcgpics/fcg01.txt
And here is the schematic:








More pics to come soon...


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Servo monuted*

I had some 1 inch wide aluminum stock on-hand so I cut a piece and shaped it with the Dremmel to mount the servo. I'll be adding a longer piece attached at a right angle and cutting into the inside of the cranium for stability.








The wires in the picture are for the eyes and some UV LEDs I'll be adding under each cheekbone and in the bottom opening of the neck. They'll provide some continuous fluorescence to the head and upper body so it doesn't fade as it moves away from the top mounted fluorescent UV fixture. 

I found a site with a great idea for the eyes, but I can't seem to remember where. Anyway, instead of obnoxious LEDs staring at you from the eyes, the LEDs are mounted in the top front of the socket and bent to face the back. Just the very tips are taped off and the sockets and un-masked LEDs are painted flat black with a quick spray of gloss over the top. That way, the LEDs aren't over powering and are just reflected from the back of the sockets. I went with green to break up the monotony of the blue/violet from the UV (and I think red is too harsh and distracting). These will be pulsing once the circuit board is finished and installed.









Here's a video of the servo in action: http://www.brianredmond.net/fcgpics/servo01.mpg


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

Brilliant idea with the wig head! One thing that I've been planning on with my ghost for an Axeworthy rig is using the uranium (a.k.a. Vaseline Glass) marbles in the eyes. Ofc, that would necessitate using UV led's being that it's UV reactive. However, by far, you'll find far more uranium glass in green. So it may work out in your favor. Back lighting uranium marbles looks far more realistic to me, imho. 

There are other colors such as blue & red as well. But they are much harder to find in a solid singular colored piece of glass.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

I actually looked into doped marbles for eyes, but wanted to keep it a little simpler for the FCG. I may go that route in another project.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Circuit board*

Finished the circuit board with only one soldering glitch. Works perfectly now.









Here's a video of the pulsing eyes...and this is with just the grey primer! (Please ignore the rat's nest of wires in the head. They'll be enclosed very soon.)
http://www.brianredmond.net/fcgpics/eyes.mpg


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## darkpenguincowboy (Sep 28, 2008)

Eyes look great bkr! I absolutely love the effect of the reflected/dispersed light in the back of the sockets! Totally agree it is way batter than just th harsh LED pin points of light. Can't wait to see more


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*We Don't Need No Stinkin' Bucky...*

OK...after the holiday and a lot of call at work, I had time to get back to the ghost. I decided to give him a skeletal torso but wanted to keep it small and light. I ran across an Instructable on making skeletons out of paper mache and decided it would be a good route. Again, I'm mainly going for effect, but I want it as realistic as possible. First, I needed a spine. Enter the paper towel roll. I cut some notches at various spots to allow for the correct curvature and taped everything together.









The basic method for making ribs is to roll sheets of newspaper diagonally into long thin tubes. I decided to run some thin gauge wire through each tube so they would more easily keep their shape.









Each rib was then bent to form an unclosed oval. The unclosed part will attach to the sternum.









Next, I attached each rib to the spine at the back. I left them a little long and will cut them off during the front attachment. It looks messy and a little stupid at this point...but wait.









I ran a long piece of wire through the spine to attach everything to the coat hanger which forms the shoulder armature. The spine was pulled back and tied off with another piece of wire, then I started finishing the ribs. The top two are the shortest (my second was a little too short, but will work) and they get longer on the way down. Each rib is angled a little downward in the back then back up slightly in the front where they attach to the sternum (made by simply folding up some paper into the proper shape). The bottom ribs start to get a little shorter with more of an upward curve. The last two ribs do not attach at the front. I only gave him 10 instead of 12 to keep it smaller and lighter, but the overall look is pretty realistic. The scapulae (shoulder blades) are just triangular folded paper and the clavicles (collar bones) are two more tubes with wires inside for shaping. I used short pieces of tube for the "socket" of each shoulder joint.


















Next I'll finish the arms...


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## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

Fantastic changes so far. Love the LEDS facing inward. I had shut mine off 'cause hated the way they looked like laser beams. Belongs more on a robot than a ghost. 

This is a build to watch...


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## Pumpkin Butcher (Jul 27, 2009)

Very cool! I agree with Terra, this is a build to watch. Anxiously awaiting you next post........


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

Sweet! Looks like I'm going to have to start saving my paper towel tubes  Wire coat hangers ofc, never get thrown away  The LED eyes turned out very nicely btw.


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## TNBrad (Sep 12, 2007)

Yeah this rocks 
I want to know more
how do you if you programe the chip and the controler for the jaw ETC.


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## killerhaunts (Jan 6, 2010)

*VERY NICE! Terra's got it right. I'll be watchig this closely! I can't wait to see more!*


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

TNbrad...I've been learning about Atmel microchips for the past year. They come in a wide variety of chips with lots of capabilities. There is excellent support online and with a little studying, are pretty easy to use. I know a lot of people use PIC, but I just felt that in the long run, the Atmel chips were more robust and would give me greater options.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Arms*

OK...

For the hands I used drinking straws with notches cut for the joints. I ran the same wire through them as the ribs. The wire was pinched down at each fingertip and left long for attachment to the forearm. For the knuckles where the fingers meet the hand, I cut a thin piece of cardboard and punched holes in it for the straws. This keeps the fingers spread apart at the correct distance. 









The forearms and upper arms were both rolled paper tubes taped to the coat hanger armature. The wires from the hand are inserted into the two tubes of the forearm.









So here it is, ready for a light coating of papier mache then paint primer. I will hopefully get to that tomorrow.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Base paint*

Here's the skeleton with the papier mache applied and the base coats of grey and black. These will be followed with some UV reactive paint.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Halfway done, but oh so cool!*

Now I've applied some UV paint. It's pretty cool stuff because it's totally clear under normal light (which doesn't matter for this project but is a great feature for others) but glows under UV. I had blue and white on hand so that's what I used. The images come out bluer than it actually is...the combo of the white UV with the black shadows is a very nice effect. The eyes weren't reflective enough with the flat black, and the LEDs stood out too much. I plan to cover the LEDs with black heat shrink and "shiny up" the back of the sockets.

This also gave me a chance to try out the power supply I hacked from a computer. I will eventually put actual plug connections on it, but for now I have 12V and 5V lines available for running several props. The buzzing in the video is an old computer fan I used for an inductive load (necessary for the power to activate). I will eventually replace this with a large resistor.










Video is here: http://www.brianredmond.net/fcgpics/uvtest.mpg

This coming weekend I'll get the cheesecloth whitened and hung and the ghost suspended from the frame. Stay tuned.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*Final FCG*

Today was ghost hanging day. I dyed my cheesecloth with RIT fabric whitener yesterday so it would be ready to go. I cut down the hanging wire , attached the monofilament line to it and threaded it through the top of the skull. I considered many ideas as to how to attach the top, but in the end I just used silicone adhesive. That means I'll have to cut it open if I ever need to get back inside, but that shouldn't happen. Next, I placed a piece of tulle (bridal veil fabric) over the face with cut-outs for the eyes. This is held in place with a little spray adhesive:









Next I had to hang the ghost on the newly painted rig. (Sorry...forgot to get a pic before I hung it, but it's the same as the original, just painted black to help hide it.) I replaced the old white hanging cords with black and re-hung it for draping.

The first drape was a whole piece (3 yard package) of cheesecloth draped over the shoulders and arms:









Next, I hung a half piece of non-whitened over the shoulders from the front:









The third piece was another whitened one draped over the head and cut to hang over the front and back. I ended with the other half piece draped over the shoulders from the back this time. I used a piece of monofilament line to cinch the waist a bit and cut the edges and ends to give a more ragged effect. You'll also see that I re-painted the eye sockets white to better reflect the LEDs. Looks weird in the light but great in the dark:


















Here it is in action (with my Halloween background track playing). The face doesn't show up quite as well as I'd like with just UV, so I may add a green or blue flood (fairly dim) just to accentuate it a bit. This will be pretty easy inside the room I'll build for the Pepper's effect. I'll post a new thread when I start that.
http://www.brianredmond.net/fcgpics/fcg01.mpg


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

Sweeeet!  It occurs to me that the veil over the face itself my be causing your issue with the face of the skull not glowing the way you want it to. Possibly remove the veil and retest? 

Btw, I've been reworking mine as well. Built a new folding frame, and will be experimenting with differing sized drive pulley for the hands to randomize the movement a bit. That being the fatal flaw with the FCG's imho, repetitive movement. Just waiting for the pulleys & drive belts to arrive to play with


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

Raven,

I've been playing with an idea for a modified ghost using small individual motors for each hand and the head (ghost height). I also thought about a track system so that each hand's motor mount could move left and right over a certain range (stepper motors?). All the motors could be controlled from one microcontroller with random times between movements and random travel over a specific range. This could even be taken a step further by incorporating specific movement routines into specific functions i.e. a function called BothArmsOpen would control the specific movements for that motion etc. This way, an entire script could be created with synchronized movements. I think the overall project would be pretty simple apart from the actual hanging rig, but the effect could be outstanding. Now...if only my Powerball ticket would pay off this weekend.


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

bkr, 

I know what you mean on the lottery! Lol! I'm starting to get worried already, that my ideas concerning current projects, may outrun my budget by a decent measure this year.  The individual hand movement is a great idea. I decided on the pulley method simply to keep costs & weight down, though I do worry about possible belt stretch (and the need for a mechanical tensioner). I had envisioned it as a chain drive for durability, but decided that the noise floor would be a little to high that way. There is always a necessary compromise when toying around w/ new ideas 

I'd also considered individual stepper motors, though for a trolley mechanism to allow horizontal & vertical movement (think 3 axis CnC, but with the mechanism under slung). I thought about it until, I actually started tabulating costs... Ouch, the whole budget in only one prop. One year, maybe. Just not this one! But, an individually controlled stepper for each component would certainly be incredible. Yes, lottery...that is the key to these custom designs we speak of. I'd certainly be interested in any conversation to expound on your (or my) ideas.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

So I took the shroud off the face and also cut away the cloth from the ribcage. Why go to all the work of building the ribs if they're not seen? The face and ribs still don't show up on the video very well, but I think it will look good "in person." I think dying the cheesecloth made it bright enough that it overpowers the paint. I had not dyed my cheesecloth on the original and it glowed pretty well, but the contrast between the pieces I dyed for this vs. the un-dyed is dramatic. How do you think it would look to tack dyed cheesecloth directly to the face?


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

bkr1969 said:


> How do you think it would look to tack dyed cheesecloth directly to the face?


Worked out pretty well for Here's Johnny with his wall breaker ghost. I have a wall breaker of his design as well, and found the cheesecloth shrouding the face to be a bad idea. Same problems you've run into. Adhered to it, looks quite good imo.


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## LT Scare (May 21, 2008)

bkr1969 said:


> The eyes weren't reflective enough with the flat black, and the LEDs stood out too much. I plan to cover the LEDs with black heat shrink and "shiny up" the back of the sockets.


Great job, looks Fantastic!!.

Regarding the eyes ... if you can still get at the leds, you might try using some sandpaper or a file to scratch the plastic surface of the led. Done properly, this will send the light out on defused paths. All of the Defused LEDs I've purchased look dull and flat until lit, then the light is "fuzzy.".

Also, if you want more light, you might try crumpling some Aluminum foil and gluing it to the top half of the eye socket. If it's not crumpled too much, it will reflect the black on the bottom half of the eyesocket, as well as the bulb (in different directions). You might need to experiment with how much or how little the foil needs to be crumpled.


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## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

Wow...that looks incredible!! I would love to make some props this year. I'm not sure that'll be possible though. Time...and the fact that I have limited space are not on my side.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

Trinity,

Apart from the mounting frame which was already built (but would only add a couple more days) this took me about a month total, and I didn't work on it every day. Time does seem to go fast, but my bigger challenge is money.  I'm sure there are some props you could do in the couple months until Halloween. I'm still planning on building the whole room for Pepper's over the next month.

Thanks for all the comments everyone.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

*One Last Touch*

OK...I have to say...Freakin' sweet! I took what little leftover dyed cheesecloth I had and spray glued it to the face. It stands out so much better now. I think I'm going to get one more package and do the ribs and sternum so they stand out better, probably still with a fews sprays of black here and there for depth. I will post one more final pic and video then.


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

bkr1969 said:


> OK...I have to say...Freakin' sweet! I took what little leftover dyed cheesecloth I had and spray glued it to the face. It stands out so much better now. I think I'm going to get one more package and do the ribs and sternum so they stand out better, probably still with a fews sprays of black here and there for depth. I will post one more final pic and video then.



Pics & vid or it didn't happen  J/k, can't wait to see them. I'm happy that worked out for you


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

OK, Raven...you asked for it. A final look at the ghost in the light and a dark run movie.


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

Bkr, I have to say that is the best take on an FCG I've seen yet.  No question. I'll keep you updated w/ my progress on the mechanical randomized movement project I've got going on. Thanks so much for sharing mate


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## imindless (Sep 16, 2010)

I am interested in the rig you used for your ghost. Ive seen it before, but have not seen a tutorial on it. Its small, but strong enough to hold a ghost of some weight and very maneuverable.


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## Raven's Hollow Cemetery (Jul 3, 2011)

imindless said:


> I am interested in the rig you used for your ghost. Ive seen it before, but have not seen a tutorial on it. Its small, but strong enough to hold a ghost of some weight and very maneuverable.



Here you are, a full set of plans for the DIY guy/girl.  They can be downloaded in .PDF format here:

http://www.rockymountainhaunters.com/flying_crank_ghost.htm


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

I also have Doug's originals on my site at http://www.brianredmond.net/fcg


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## Zombiegirl1 (Oct 22, 2007)

U totally had me rivited until u got to the code in C. I wasnt sure if that was electronics or programming. I guess its programing so you are going to control it w/a computer? I thought you might be working out a way to solder an electronic controller together. Either way u lost me there lol. Cant do that one anytime soon. 

I love to see everyone's fcg. Its funny how they can turn out so very different. Mine looks like an etherial blue lady hovering over an old fountain in a cemetary. She has long flowing robes/hood and looks up to the sky somewhat. She also has a tendancy to squeek so i have to get out my pam & fix her good~ Then she's quiet again.


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## Zombiegirl1 (Oct 22, 2007)

I have to put a blue spotlight on my fcg to help w/the glow effect.


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

Zombiegirl, 

The computer code was for an ATMEL microcontroller that controls the jaw and eyes. The circuit board was very simple to solder together...just the MCU and a few resistors and connectors. Still, the project could be done without the electronics in the head. 

The C code is free to copy for anyone who wants it.


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## rebelxwing (Oct 7, 2008)

BKR, that has got to be one of the best FCGs I have ever seen! Superior appearance and performance, there is a point in your sound effects track where it looks like the low groan matches the jaw movement of the FCG... fantastic! You did such a good job of creating skeletal detail while keeping the weight way down (by the way, what is the total weight of your finished FCG, minus the rig?). 
I may consider changing my plain ol' "floating lady" FCG to one like yours after Halloween this year. Since I have no circuitry or programming knowledge, do you think this would be too difficult to tackle as a first electronics project?


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

Thanks for the comments!

Just guess-timating, I'd say the weight is somewhere between 5 & 10 pounds (probably toward the 5). It is just barely heavy enough that it will turn the crank manually once it's off until the torso is at it's lowest point, but not so heavy that I need a counterweight for operation.

The circuitry for this is very simple if you want to try it as a beginner's project. It's a little messy as far as all the point to point wiring, but even that's not bad. I ended up only using 2 of the UV LEDs also, so there's not even that many connections to solder. I spent much more time learning the MCU side and programming similar chips with similar functions, but as I said, you're welcome to use my code. Just let me know if you need any help.


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## cpnbnanamn (May 3, 2010)

OMG.. I LOVE this! I built my FCG about 2 years ago, but because I moved, wasn't able to use him last year. I would LOVE to do this. I'm no stranger to building the circuitry, but might need a little assistance getting the controller IC programmed correctly. (I've been using PICs that others have flashed for me) I hope you don't mind a little imitation.. I could use your design as part of my FCG and, with luck, incorporate the spooky fingers that Mano Rodriguez created (I'm still working on the design for that). 
One question.. Did you have to hollow out the skull for the servo? How did you do it without tearing up the foam? I've got a skull already on my ghost, but I'm thinking that with an X-Acto knife and a little patience, (and ultimately, the vacuum for the mess), I could create something similar!
A BOM might help too.. so that I can get the same or similar servo.. 

-Roger

Edit: I should add that eventually, my ghost will be part of my computer-controlled (DMX) light show.... Some of the points you've made will be helpful, like the part about the LED's... Dammit, I need to order parts!!


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## bkr1969 (Nov 29, 2009)

Roger,

Yes, I hollowed the skull out. Just used the Dremmel cutting bit on low speed. The foam was nothing but dust (and a lot of it) but I had really good control of the cut so it left me with a good outside rim and plenty of depth without cutting into the mouth. You are more than welcome to copy...I wouldn't post details of a project if I was worried about that. 

Programming the chip is no problem at all, especially if you have a (must try not to retch) Windows computer. It's not hard with my Apple either, but there's more detailed support for setting up with Windows, especially using AVR Studio. I looked into PIC too, but I just think Atmel has a better variety of chips and they are a little more robust if you need them to be. Worse case, you could mail me a chip and I could take care of that part for you. Oh...the servo is a HITEC micro servo, but I don't remember the specific number.

Thanks for the comments!


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## cpnbnanamn (May 3, 2010)

bkr1969 said:


> Roger,
> 
> Yes, I hollowed the skull out. Just used the Dremmel cutting bit on low speed. The foam was nothing but dust (and a lot of it) but I had really good control of the cut so it left me with a good outside rim and plenty of depth without cutting into the mouth. You are more than welcome to copy...I wouldn't post details of a project if I was worried about that.
> 
> ...


What servo motor did you use?

-Roger


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