# Cheap/ easy motion sensor



## Morbid Dreamer

Thank you! This is definitely a great tutorial from someone who is not very electrically inclined!


----------



## Effie

Very cool -- I think my husband could do that!


----------



## LadyAlthea

wow this is super helpful!!!! thanks!!


----------



## Terra

I love these kinds of tuts. Thank you


----------



## Zim

This is great. I made a grave grabber last year but burned up the motor from funning so long. I never thought of this idea. Duh. 

Thanks from a newbie.


----------



## MobileMayhem

I think even I, Mobile "10 Thumbs" Mayhem can do this! 

Thanks!


----------



## halloweenjunkienick

thats a great tutorial, thanks


----------



## senorita

Awesome! Thanks so much! I love all these tutorials with pictures! Even I could do something like this!

Question: What are some of the ways you use a motion sensor light in your haunts?


----------



## MobileMayhem

I made mine today!! Again, thanks for the tutorial!!


----------



## sikntwizted

senorita said:


> Question: What are some of the ways you use a motion sensor light in your haunts?


The sky's the limit. Sensors and switches are the key to most of the big scares. You can have an actor in a dark corner that lights up when the TOTers pass by. Or a prop that starts to move when the kids are near. Anything you can imagine can be done. It freaks people out when they look at a graveyard scene, and the lighting changes to a chilling blue, or red as they pass by.


----------



## sikntwizted

Oh, and it also helps when hooked up to big white lights on the nights before the big night. Nothing says "Don't steal me" than a bright light on a dark night.


----------



## Nox Arcana

GREAT tutorial! Thank you!


----------



## alucard

Great job, bro! You got to give it up for simplicity! Great tut!


----------



## Joiseygal

Thank you from someone that is just starting out with electronics. I would buy my motion sensor on ebay because I was worried about trying to do this, but you made it seem so easy. Thanks so much for the step by step with pictures! You saved me $25 dollars.


----------



## S1n1sterTech

i am going to have to use that


----------



## Kremlar

Wondering where you found that motion sensor flood light? Just came back from Home Depot, and all of the lights I found had a minimum 1 minute ON time, which is far too long for my use.

Thanks!


----------



## TNBrad

*TNBrad's Cheap/ easy motion sensor*

I have used one like this for the last few years
*08'*








*07'*


----------



## MarkOf13

Looking at your picture (where you connected the cord to the light) how do you know which cable to connect to the white cable and which to the black?

I don't do much electrical work primarily because I am not knowledgeable in that area. That being said, I have put in things such as ceiling fans with remotes as long as I have directions.


----------



## Growler

I'm curious as Mark is. I was wondering what wire when to what wire. My other question is, can I plug my pnuematic spider into this and have it work? Will it set off the solinoid? That way if it ran for a couple mins that would be great.


----------



## Aquayne

I went to the Regent page, sold at Lowes, and found that the "Test" mode is only 4 seconds.

check out the following link for details.


----------



## Aquayne

Sorry, I had to post at least once before I could provide a link.
http://www.cooperlighting.com/specfiles/InstGuides/113200531829_MSRU180W325-1052.pdf


----------



## sikntwizted

It doesn't matter which one is on the white or black. This works on AC current. DC current (battery) is the picky "got the wires backwards" one. So don't worry about mixing them up. And set the sensor to the "test" mode. Gives a nice short run. And Growler, if it fires off of a 120v solenoid, I'm sure it could be rigged up.


----------



## TNBrad

I did like a Ceiling fan White to White Black to Black and green to ground or in this case the Box I used. I also used a heavy Duty cord. and added socket to outlet adapters.
so when the light were to come they ran current to my (strobes, Props, Lighting, ETC).


----------



## Growler

Sweet! Ty for the quick response. If I can't get my relay and timer wired I will try this. I saw that Lowe's had some for $20.


----------



## TNBrad

I made mine for about $40-50 
I used a heave duty 50' cord with 3 teeth on the plug (for the ground).
A steel weather proof electrical box 
And a $20 (2 light) motion sensor, 
Also the 2 socket to outlet adapters.
I'll look for it and get a picture if you would like.
Oh yeah and a can of cheep black paint LOL


----------



## sikntwizted

Sounds like Brad made his a little nicer. Show them pics.


----------



## Kremlar

Can anyone provide a source and/or part # for one that supports a timeout value of less than 1 minute?

Thanks!


----------



## vtswordfish

You can get the 4 second ones at walmart for cheap, that is where I got mine last year. I have also seen them at big lots. I would recommend being strategic about where you put these at, the ones that I got had a WIDE field of vision and would catch motion well before I wanted them to. I would recommend using a paper towel roll taped to the middle to direct the sensor to a smaller field of vision.


----------



## TNBrad

I got mine at Home Depot and I want to say it was 5-10 seconds in *TEST* Mod

It might take a day or two... LOL to find it... and get those pics If I'm not bured alive... LOL

Storage Unit #1


----------



## Kremlar

> You can get the 4 second ones at walmart for cheap, that is where I got mine last year.


Thank you, I will check them out!




> I got mine at Home Depot and I want to say it was 5-10 seconds in TEST Mod


All the units at my local Home Depot seemed to be 1/5/10 minutes. Mostly Zenith brand.


----------



## sikntwizted

If you put it on the test mode, they don't stay on long.


----------



## rick12667

I also made one and here is a pic of what mine turned out like

Halloween Forum - rick12667's Album: Halloween - Picture


----------



## rick12667

I would make sure you purchase one that has the test mode plus 1/5/10 minutes. Mine only has the test mode and 4/8 minutes and I wish I had one that had the 1 minute. I might even buy new ones and change them over.


----------



## MarkOf13

has anyone played with the sensor's field of vision? Can I take some duct tape to cover the sensor "eye" to keep it from reacting to everything around? A number of the one's I looked at have a 120 degree field of vision or more.


----------



## KCMongo

Mark: I used to install motions for an alarm company and we frequently would Limit the field of view with masking tape on the inside of the cover. We did it there so it didn't show but would be no problem to do it on the outside. Most of the time we did this due to pets or something else that would cause false triggers in an area. 

Anyone built one of these using the X10 Dual flood lights, I've got a couple laying around and was thinking with them I could go ahead and trigger other non-wired props.
Mongo


----------



## Papa_K

Great help. Thanks

I got to admire all you folks who take the time to take pictures. When I get started on a project I don't think about pictures till after the fact.


----------



## TNBrad

sikntwizted said:


> Sounds like Brad made his a little nicer. Show them pics.


Sorry it took so long. I did survive. and here are those puictures.
























Hope these help.


----------



## bmhughes

What an awesome and easy idea.

Where can you buy the socket to outlet adapters?


----------



## Kremlar

My local Home Depot had some.


----------



## sikntwizted

I got mine at Wal-mart for christmas a few years ago.


----------



## TNBrad

These are two different sockets, the screw in one only had 2 slots and I added the extercord adpter for the thing with a ground, (or third pin).
















AND YOU COULD UP THE NUMBER TOO.








BUT CAUSION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN THIS IS NOT totaly WHEATHER SAFE SO SOME KIND OF HOUSEING MAYBE NEEDED.


----------



## Bohica

Very Nice, very helpful!!!!


----------



## SeaHoCaptain

These are GREAT. I'm using two in my haunt. One for the Rocking chair and one for the coffin.

David


----------



## bmhughes

Used this in my first ever yard haunt last night and it was a huge hit. I hooked my leaf blower in to it and hid it in the bushes so when trick or treaters walked by the combo of the noise and the wind on their ankles caused quite a start.


----------



## dionicia

This is an awesome how to. Thank you for posting this.


----------



## serpensphile

Well I loved it. It worked flawlessly Saturday night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## msmello

That's awesome Serp. What did you use it for? Which props?


----------



## SpookyMuFu

is there some way to use these fixtures to fire off a fogger? I know you cant plug the fogger in and do it, but is there some way to rig the switch or something?


----------



## serpensphile

I used it to power a leaf blower set up behind a static ghost I had build around my light post. The sensor was at ground level and set behind two bales of hay that were set wide enough to control the sensors field. The normal field was 120 degrees, but by using the hay and aiming it between the bails, I was able to set the field to around 15-20 degrees.

This was really set up on the fly after I read the original post. Oh the potential for this little jewel!!! It should really go into the Haunting Hall of Fame!!!!!!


----------



## SpookyMuFu

Scott N. said:


> is there some way to use these fixtures to fire off a fogger? I know you cant plug the fogger in and do it, but is there some way to rig the switch or something?


bump?..........


----------



## sikntwizted

I'd be quick to say no, but I'm sure it's possible. If the "fire" button on the controller is 120v, I'd rig it to that. Would be worth a try.


----------



## scubaspook

Hey Brad I know the feeling of getting out alive. Just a note that may be helpful. It seems to rain a lot just after I put out my motion sensors and then they seem to act very quirky due to moisture or water being n them. i started wrapping clear glad bags around the sensor head to keep the water out. It seems to work fairly well and still triggers with movement with the bags on. I have purchased thses units and plug parts from walmart. The new 8120 model is around $12 and the time range is in seconds from 4 to like 800 rather than minutes.


----------



## phil121

Hi i live in the uk and i cant find the right kind of adapter for where the bulb would usally go


----------



## sikntwizted

Magicman121 said:


> Hi i live in the uk and i cant find the right kind of adapter for where the bulb would usally go


Take the bulb holder off of the base. Use the wires that power the socket, and wire them into an outlet, or the other end of the extension cord (the end that you plug stuff into).


----------



## phil121

ok thanks for the help


----------



## Crunch

I wish I could use the light for the motion sensor! Where'd you pick yours up? Cheapest I found (Walmart site) was $30!!


----------



## scubaspook

*Motion light*

Try this from walmart
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Heath-Zen...ecurity-Light-with-Alert-Flash-White/13029275

Our walmart carries these but they are harder to find around halloween. I just bought a couple last week for about $10 so I would have them if I need them.


----------



## HauntoweeN

Great how to! THANKS!


----------



## rick12667

Menards on sale $10


----------



## 4ToUov

Great tut indeed!

Thanxx


----------



## Crunch

I see your link. And that's cheap enough, however, being Canadian will have the prices change... 

http://www.walmart.ca/details?assetId=65431&fromSearch=true

The cheapest I have found at Walmart. Where I am, the only possibilities are, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Home Depot, and Rona, that I can think of right now. However, now that I said Canadian Tire I remember something about them having something for $15..

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...2B2x150W%2BHalogen%2BFloodlight.jsp?locale=en


----------



## LT Scare

I have a couple of these around my haunt for a few years. Initially one of them had too large a field of view and activated too early to get the reaction I desired when the prop was triggered. I used Electrical tape on the left and on the right ends of the lens to narrow the field of view for the electronic eye. It worked great after that.

The other sensor is in a very dark spot in the haunt and it didn't always trigger when a TOT walked by. I solved this with a cheap LED flashlight taped to a 6" piece of PVC, both painted black. The "tunneled flashlight" is duct taped (black tape) to a support accross from the electric eye. When the TOT breaks that beam , the eye is triggered. I also use this method to activate a few of my older props that only motion activated.

Hope this helps someone.


----------



## Crunch

Sounds good! Just gotta start building now


----------



## Haint

Thanks so much, I'm one of those electrical newbies!


----------



## Flipside

Now if there was only a way to put a 5 second delay on it and a scream sound FX. You could use this for alot of props


----------



## wackychimp

Flipside said:


> Now if there was only a way to put a 5 second delay on it and a scream sound FX. You could use this for alot of props


If you wanna do that, I'd just put a 5 second silence at the front of your sound file.


----------



## LT Scare

BTW, I just bought another two light motion sensor from walmart for *$6 *and it includes adjustments for duration and sensitivity. I haven't had a chance to put any calibrations on those adjustments as yet, but it's interesting to see more handy features on fixtures that are much cheaper than what I paid a few years ago.

FWIW


----------



## Crunch

$6 What a deal! I better get shopping >_<


----------



## blueknight40165

Thanks for the mentoring. I will have one....a FNG to this world of Garage Haunting. You did the right amount of photos and direction !


----------



## jimmy fish

I did not think that it mattered that it was dark for these things to work. They are designed for outside at night to make lights come on in the dark right?


----------



## sikntwizted

Right. They don't need no stinking light.


----------



## MumBO jUMbo

Thanks for the great tut!! I am going to head to the store in get the things I need to make this!!!


----------



## Crunch

Mumbo, if you have a Canadian Tire they sell these lights without the bulbs for about $15. I picked that up, a red light bulb and 2 socket adapters for $25 and change all at Canadian Tire. The one I got comes with wire nuts already so you won't need those. It works great once you get it figured out! I'm using mine for a MIB

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...2B2x150W%2BHalogen%2BFloodlight.jsp?locale=en


----------



## scary1215

can you tell me where you got that floodlight from?


----------



## MarkOf13

You can get motion activated flood fixtures from stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart...


----------



## kittyvibe

I made this awhile ago based on the tutorial. if I can do it anyone can! I got my floodlight at a yardsale but they are rare. But I have seen them cheap at Walmart.


----------



## CobhamManor

Good tutorial! This is an easy solution, and I like that the light bulb can be plugged into the other socket. 

Just as I was going to make another one of these, I discovered the motion-sensing outlet from Home Depot for about the same price, so I now use that method.


----------



## MarkOf13

What is a "motion-sensing outlet"? Do you have a pic of work?


----------



## Runfromron

I know that I'm a day late and a dollar short, but here's my two cents worth....

It really does matter which wires you hook to which on the motion detector. On a standard zip-cord extension cord, the wire that is striped is the common (white) and the smooth wire is the hot (black). If you wire them the other way, you risk a shock hazard. That's why the wires are differentiated by color in the first place. Otherwise, they would both be black. 

Sorry, that's just the old electrician in me (40 years of it) coming out. I'd hate to hear about someone getting severely shocked (or worse) by mis-wiring.

Be safe!

Ron


----------



## Bump In The Night

Hey Ron, 

Thanks for the input. I thought it was odd when someone said it didn't matter which wires went to which, but I'm not a electrician. I'm sure this thread will be around for a long time to come as it is a great idea!!

Thanks again!


----------



## CobhamManor

MarkOf13, it's an outlet that you plug into a wall outlet or three prong extension cord. Then you simply plug your prop into the back of the outlet. The other end of the device is a motion sensor, so you position it where people will be walking by. 

Sold at Home Depot (I can't find it at Lowe's!)http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C8TABE_RU4


----------



## sikntwizted

Bump In The Night said:


> Hey Ron,
> 
> Thanks for the input. I thought it was odd when someone said it didn't matter which wires went to which, but I'm not a electrician.
> Thanks again!


That would be this dummy here. Didn't think that it mattered much being AC current. But I'm a nurse, not an electrician. Thanks for clarifying that. Like you, I'd rather be safe.


----------



## creepingdth

wow, never knew it was so easy, def going to have to try it.


----------



## creepingdth

ok so i gave this a try with one of my shiatsu dudes. my problem is, it isn't giving the shiatsu enough power. it decreases the power by about 2/3rds. is this normal, can it not support a shiatsu? or did i do something wrong?


----------



## Otaku

Sounds odd. My Shiatsu has a 30W motor in it, so it'll draw only about 0.2A. Yours is probably similar, so it doesn't sound like you're drawing more current than the sensor can handle. What's the max wattage that the pass-thru socket can handle?
Do you have a Kill-A-Watt meter or a DMM that you can use to check the voltage coming from the sensor's socket? The only thing I can think of is that the motor is an inductive load as opposed to a resistive load, like a light bulb.


----------



## madmax

Otaku said:


> Sounds odd. My Shiatsu has a 30W motor in it, so it'll draw only about 0.2A. Yours is probably similar, so it doesn't sound like you're drawing more current than the sensor can handle. What's the max wattage that the pass-thru socket can handle?
> Do you have a Kill-A-Watt meter or a DMM that you can use to check the voltage coming from the sensor's socket? *The only thing I can think of is that the motor is an inductive load as opposed to a resistive load, like a light bulb.*





I think you hit the nail on the head with that last part and under load I bet the motor draws even more power. Also lower voltage causes a higher current which can burn the motor out...I think I read that somewhere a few years ago 

I never used or looked at one of the plug in motion detector but I bet they are made to handle nothing more than a 100 watt or lower light which would probably cover 99% of the lights people use in their homes.


----------



## trentsketch

Call me dense if you have to. What's the purpose of splicing in the extension cord? Is it wired like a ceiling lamp that you have to splice in to something? Or does it have a short cord already? Can you get a motion sensing flood light unit with a cord already?


----------



## sikntwizted

trentsketch said:


> Call me dense if you have to. What's the purpose of splicing in the extension cord? Is it wired like a ceiling lamp that you have to splice in to something? Or does it have a short cord already? Can you get a motion sensing flood light unit with a cord already?


It's wired like a ceiling light. I just used the extension cord as a plug end. Didn't feel right by sticking 2 bare wires in an outlet. Though I could get my neighbor do do it


----------



## LT Scare

jimmy fish said:


> I did not think that it mattered that it was dark for these things to work. They are designed for outside at night to make lights come on in the dark right?


The problem I had with the first one I built (about 5 years ago) was that the range was too wide. It had no adjustment and movement too far away would set it off. So I used some electrician's tape on each edge of the sensor to narrow the field it could "see," but that also reduced the light coming in. I've since replaced it with a newer sensor that has adjustements and works pretty well even in low light situations.

However, for store bought props that are motion activated only, I find it essential in my low light haunt, to set up a small LED flashlight with a tube on the end of it, pointing at the prop in such a way that the TOT will break the beam and trigger the prop. 

Fortunately, most props are sound and motion activated today. The only downside to this is that the props tend to set each other off as the first one is activated. 

Spirit is selling more and more props that can be pad activated. These worked well for us last year. These allow the TOT to get right up to the prop (mat placement), before setting it off.


----------



## trentsketch

Gotcha. Thanks, sikntwizted.


----------



## Ouizul1

Someone asked about controlling fog machines with this type of sensor. We put relays into ours to control fog machines and sound modules. Here's the link to a short tutorial-type thing about it. http://home.comcast.net/~ouizul/Page7.html

I'm an electronics tech, not an electrician (yes, there is a difference). Other than feeding a power supply, AC is still a black art to me. So don't hold me too tightly my theories about how AC gets hooked up. Trust the real electricians who responded in some earlier posts.

P.S. If any of the electricians spot some no-nos, Please let me know so I can make corrections. Thanks.


----------



## Predator35

This is such a cool idea.Thank you for the detail pics, will definitely have to try this out.


----------



## thekillabeejc

Is there anyway someone could explain why which way the wires are hooked up a little better? Anyone have a pic of this before the caps are put on?


----------



## Ouizul1

thekillabeejc said:


> Is there anyway someone could explain why which way the wires are hooked up a little better? Anyone have a pic of this before the caps are put on?


Are you talking about the twist on caps that connect the relay power wires to the lamp wires? If so, just cut the lamp wires and strip both ends...about a half inch of exposed wire should be good. Strip one of the relay power. Twist those three ends together, then screw on the cap (aka wire nut). Do the same for the other lamp wire. Since it's AC, it doesn't really matter which relay wire is connected to which lamp wire. 

To tap splice...don't cut the lamp wires. Carefully remove about 1/4" to 1/2" of the insulation, try not to nick the wires. An Xacto knife works pretty good for this. Strip the end of the relay wire, wrap it tightly around the exposed wire and solder it. Then insulate the connection. You can use electrical tape, but I always worry about it coming undone and exposing the wires. That's why I use hot glue. The hot glue will also seal the connection against moisture.


----------



## thekillabeejc

Sorry I wasn't more clear. I was actually curious about determining which side of the extension cord goes to the black/white wires on the motion lamp. I saw that an ex-electrician said that it is important, but when you strip the extension cord, it is just two naked wires.


----------



## Ouizul1

If the extension cord is a two-wire model, one of the two prongs should be wider than the other one. The wide one is the one you want connected to the white wire of the motion sensor. That wire should also have either a painted line, or some molded ridges on it.


----------



## haunt on virginia

followed these directions, and my motion sensor just keeps triggering, like a timer... stays on for 10 seconds and then stops for 5, then repeats, without anything triggering it


----------



## Crunch

haunt on virginia said:


> followed these directions, and my motion sensor just keeps triggering, like a timer... stays on for 10 seconds and then stops for 5, then repeats, without anything triggering it


I don't know how to help with your problem but I do know when we built our MIB the sensor needed to calibrate itself a little bit then it would work properly.


----------



## madmax

haunt on virginia 

Do you have a strobe anywhere near it? How about the wind, was it in a windy condition? That's a couple things that can affect the motion detector. 

Set the sensitive setting lower and it might help.


----------



## [email protected]

Set the sensitive setting lower,on mine it looks like a triangle, with the point side as less senitive.and check your timer.it may be in test reset mode.


----------



## ollieee

Hey sikntwizted I did notice that only one person mentioned using a 3 wire grounded cord and this light being a metal housing I would bet a Doubloon or two that it also has a ground wire or ground screw terminal somewhere on it. I would recommend using a grounded cord for proper protection against electrical shock out doors especially in wet areas, Grass, rain, sprinklers ... this will also insure that if you are plugged into a GFCI receptacle it will be able to do its job in insuring your safety. But I do like your Tut it has lots of Apps. Maybe for my cannon! Oh and the cord should be labeled for out door use I think you will find they will be a jacketed cord with individual wires inside which will be color coded and that will end the wich wire to connect where issue. This may raise the price of the project a couple a bucks but you should not put a price on safety.


----------



## haunt on virginia

the funny thing is, is that i had the sensitivity on min. and facing a wall, with no wind, or strobes


----------



## Big_B

So I don't mean to cross post/derail threads but this one and the timer hack thread crossed paths for me, and I posted a working motion sensor/relay/fogger setup in another thread. It's over here.


----------



## Samhain1031

I've been thinking about doing some motion sensors and looking for a reasonable price to do it. Thanks.


----------



## Crunch

Samhain1031 said:


> I've been thinking about doing some motion sensors and looking for a reasonable price to do it. Thanks.


I bought the base of a motion sensor light (no bulbs) for about $15 bucks last year at Canadian Tire. Do some lookin' 'round locally and see what you can find is the best advice I can give.


----------



## Big_B

I have a couple of these now, and the only one I can get to reliably work is the cheap no frills one, which actually has a time dial on the bottom and not a switch. At its minimum setting it is on for 5 seconds. The other ones I have (Dual Bright something or other) won't work the way I want them to and have a long test setting. So if you're shopping around for these stay cheap and see what kind of settings they have. Pretty sure I got the cheap one at Walmart but I don't remember.


----------



## tupes

I finally just made mine for use this year. Great tutorial. What are some of the things that ya'll have used this for... Thanks again


----------



## BangingCoffin

I use this type of motion activator all the time. Basically I use it two ways. First....I have some props that are still and only light up. I hook up lights so that when someone walks by....the prop lights up. This is especially great if the prop is hidden or in the shadows.

THe second way is that I have some moving props, and same principle....they only start moving when they are activated.

THis is a cheap and easy way to do motion activation.


----------



## Lumpy

Thank you sikntwizted for this great idea. I expanded on your idea and added my own twist to it. I buy the cheap light set from Home Depot for like $12.98 and then run it through a bandsaw and cut the section off with the lights on it. Then I mount the sensor to a 4x4 blank cover after I drill a hole for the wires to pass through. Next I weld a couple large nails on the bottom edge of a 4x4 box. Cut an extension cord and run it through the back of the box, wire everything together, mount the cover on the box, spray paint and you have my version. Here is a picture of my version....










For those who wonder what I use them on, here are a couple videos of my props I built while they were in their construction and test phase.


----------



## Myis300

Hi, could you please tell me where you picked up the flood light so cheap?


----------



## bert1913

walmart carries those porch lights for $12


----------



## sikntwizted

bert1913 said:


> walmart carries those porch lights for $12


that's where I got it. Other places have them too.


----------



## Ghost Ninja

Very cool indeed. I just did this tonight and I also hooked up a second pair of outlets spliced off of the incoming power before the motion sensor. This way I can also have constant power for background sounds and then a motion activated "attack" sound in my MIB. But this tut helped me get it one step further, thank again!


----------



## Bone Dancer

*Good job on the photos for this easy to follow how-to. This will make a great add on for those doing animated props. Thanks for sharing this. Book mark this page for future use.*


----------



## ScaryCanuck

I have done this set-up for the past couple of years, last year I had a strange problem. I have a prop that I am using an old oscillating fan to turn the head. Using this set-up for the trigger, the fan does not work, like it isn't getting enough power. Any ideas?


----------



## Ghost Ninja

I assume that you've checked obvious like;

-Are the connections tight and correct?
-Are any of the cords frayed or broken?
-Are you sure of the power source? Is working, check the breakers, GFCI?
-Check the Breaker Switches on any power strips as well as consider that the fan may have burned out.
Fan motors have a tiny little thermal fuse that will blow before it overheats and starts a fire. It's almost always cheaper to just pick up a new fan at a thrift store than to try to source and replace the thermal fuse. I hope that this help a bit.


----------



## Tiffany Faming

This is great. Thanks for your tutorial!


----------



## Spook Show

I know this is old, but I'm new here and was doing a search. If the OP is still around, thank you and thanks to Runfromron for letting everyone know the right way to hook up the wires. Page 8 has the post where he tells you what wire gos where if you don't know. I will be making at least two this year.


----------



## theric85

I did a similar one last year. Pretty easy to do and affective


----------



## Col. Fryght

This is simply one of the best hacks ever. I made two of them a couple of years ago and will probably make two more this year. When you want your prop to simply activate when someone is near, why spend a 200 dollars on a fancy system.


----------



## dassi87

Great idea. I will check on my next shopping trip what I can buy. Thank you =)


----------



## Comfortkittie

Exactly what I needed for a mini carnival scene in the pitch black portion of my woods!


----------



## Castart

Might be even cheaper to just buy the motion sensor part. I know Home Depot sales that section by itself as a replacement. I then wired the section that attaches to the light fixture directly to a plug. Should work, I have not actually finished, will do it this weekend.


----------



## Tim Correia

That is an awesome idea. I will definitely be making a few of these this year.


----------

