Difficulty Rating:

I started out trying to create a large scale monster in a box, something that would “wow” our Trick or Treaters due to its sheer scale. It seemed to me most pop-up type scares were on the small side, and not many were “life” size, so to speak. I also wanted to make something that wasn’t just a simple pop-up, but had a real animation sequence to it - preferably working in conjunction with some other element in the yard.

This meant a couple things:

1. 1. Aluminum wouldn’t work. The forces of lifting anything that’s got real heft would dictate I need to use steel, and that meant welding it up.
2. 2. I couldn’t weld, nor did I have a welder.
3. 3. Animating a sequence of events would require programmable prop controllers.
4. 4. I’d never used controllers before, and I hadn’t coded since around 1983 (and yes, I still have my Atari 16XL, my geek-fu was strong back in the day).
5. 5. All the above being said, I did have a secret weapon:

I’m too stupid to know when I shouldn’t attempt something.

The box and a change of concept
Step one. Originally the wife had signed off on a “Monster Farm” type theme, hence the monster in a box idea. So I set out to build a BASC (Big Ass Shipping Crate). Knowing a bloodthirsty monster would be a tad cramped in a small crate, I figured at least a 4’ X 3’ box would be needed if I was to avoid protests from PETM.

So off I went to Home Desperate, and got some 4 x 8’s of OSB (rather than plywood) because I’m cheap. Mistake #1. Get plywood; it’s a lot stronger when it comes to dealing with the forces a heavy duty prop mechanism will put on something. I ended up having to over-brace the box quite a bit. Buying a better material would have saved me more than enough time to justify the extra 15 bucks.

Fast forward two hours and the GoE team had built a perfectly serviceable 4 X 8 box to put the beastie in. The second I saw the box done I said, “Jesus Christ, a 4 X 3 box is actually pretty damn big”. Jesus quickly agreed (The Lords acknowledgement came in the form of a loud pop from my aging fridge). Heeding a sign from The Lord, I quickly grabbed another High Life, so as to lubricate my thought engine.

As I was looking at the proportions of the box, my muse finally spoke to me, and it said one word, “Crypt”. And just like that, the “Monster Farm” was thrown out the window and it was decided that we’d just keep expanding on our graveyard theme.

Within minutes team GoE brain-drizzled the following:

1. 1. Extruded foam “skin”, painted to look like stone.
2. 2. Make the top out of 2 doors, as if the top of the crypt had cracked down the middle.
3. 3. An armature that raised the prop as high as possible, hopefully around 6 feet or so.
4. 4. Fog/Lights/Sound, of course
5. 5. Some type of interaction with another yard element to divert attention before the scare.

The prop armature and adventures in welding
A trip to Harbor Freight netted me a 120V flux core welder. It’s rated at 90Amps with a whopping 60 second duty cycle. The finest in Chinese knock-offs, it sported the familiar blue paint of a high class Millermatic welder at a fraction of the price, and quality.

This welder should be perfect for me, as:

1. A. The low quality will make things tough for me, thus when I get a real welder I’ll be a champ.
2. B. If I break it, who gives a crap.

I was spot-on about point “A”, I’ve since used a decent MIG, and wow... this Harbor Freight thing sucks. The only issue is the damn thing seems to be holding up really well. A quick trip to my uncle’s house and I had an auto-darkening mask and other needed accoutrements. Within a day, I had bought some metal stock from Home Despot, and there I was in the Garage of Evil™ practicing. And practicing… and… wait for it…practicing.

My welding skills progression had thus far gone like this: “helpless, I suck” > “can’t make a weld that won’t break” > “makes a nice strong weld that looks like crap” > “one out of three of my welds look pretty good”.

And that’s where I still stand, but hey, I’m welding. Occasionally I get a burn and hop up and down yelling “Owie! Owie! Owie!”, then make my wife kiss it better. I’m certain this is against the welder’s code, but I’m a nerd by trade, not a welder.

My advice, you ask? Google welding how-to’s, read up on technique and reach out to someone who can weld. More than anything practice on scrap stock. Make sure you have the pieces VERY clean and well clamped. Pay attention to the voltage and feed speed, and adjust accordingly. Listen to your welding, is the feed speed right? You’ll hear it if it’s not. And Vice Grips are finally your friend, especially the big clamp looking ones. Also, make sure you get an angle grinder, as preparing/cleaning pieces with a bench grinder is a PITA.

The Armature
So now that I’m welding, it’s time to make the armature. As you can see it’s a parallel linkage design, using a cylinder that extends to 27”. I can make this puppy rise up almost 6 feet in the air (helped by the floor of the box, which sits 6” off the ground). To help design it, I used a 4 bar linkage simulator, available on our site HERE. The whole thing is designed to be bolted into the crypt, eliminating the need for a complicated base.

As you can see from the pictures, it’s a pretty stout piece, made from 1” square stock, 1/8” thick angle iron, and smaller square stock making up the lifting arms. The linkage arms are through-bolted affixed with aircraft nuts, and the clevises are all cut and shaped from 1/8” angle iron. My philosophy is build things like a Russian toilet, then you don’t need to sweat any last minute fixes. While it takes more time on the front-side, you’ll have more beer drinking time later.

After a day of cutting, drilling and welding, you have what you see in the 1st video, and then it’s time to bolt it in, temporarily plumb it and fire it off a few hundred times as you sit back and drink beer.

   

The Prop Body
With no plan for the prop body, I got bored and decided to make things tough on myself. I bought some (fairly thick gauge) steel rod, and went all sculpture-like on it. After much bending, cutting, welding (and bleeding, and swearing) I ended up with the vaguely torso-like bust you see below. I welded the sucker right onto the lift arms, and plan to cover it with whatever material I eventually decide on. Looks pretty neat, and it’s damn strong! It should make a good framework for the eventual prop. Unfortunately, I’m still at a loss for fitting arms in the ever-tightening space I provided for the prop body. Much like Monty Python’s Black Knight, my ghoul may be armless when all is said and done.

More of the Crypt
Now then, on to the doors. The top was simple; I cut a jagged crack down the middle with a jig saw, and hinged the doors to the crypt. Like anything on this prop that moves, aircraft (nylon insert) nuts are used for extra safety, as they will never work themselves loose. Flow control valves on the exhaust of the solenoid valve keep the return action gentle.

   

The Brains
Radio Shack has the worst project boxes on earth. I know this because I just mounted all the program boards into the two I bought from them. I’ll be using a Prop1 for control and triggering of the pneumatics, an AP8 for sound, and an RC-4 to trigger 110V items, like the lights and a fog machine. Four-way solenoid valves provide power in each direction and were used to allow for flexibility should I re-purpose them in the future. As a four-way solenoid provides force in both directions, flow control valves are used for the “reset” action. The guts will all be bolted to the “backboard” you see, which will in turn be bolted into the crypt once I’m satisfied with the program sequence.

Wiring & Code

So now the question remains – how in the hell will I wire all this crap? Part of this is very much predicated on the fact that I don’t want this prop automated.

Assuming a prop is within your field of view, why would you not push the action button yourself? As a little kid did you spend hours building a model airplane, stick a firecracker in it and let someone else light the fuse?

Of course you didn’t! Nope, your friend only got involved after Chuck Yeager Jr. ejected through the garage window. Someone needed to take the fall, and that jerk broke like 100 of your Hot Wheels, serves him right.

So this means I want to trigger this remotely. I want to have the satisfaction of scaring the TOTs by proxy, the man behind the curtain.

And this leads me to another issue: I don’t like scaring the beejesus out of the toddler set.

< --- cut here --- >

[EDITORS NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A RANT, SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE]

C’mon people, be a little sporting huh?

If a two year old in a stuffed lion outfit walks up to your yard haunt, and you decide this is a good time to trigger the blood spewing chainsaw massacre, you’re an a$$hole, and clearly got stuffed into too many lockers.

Forgive me for being a purist, but Halloween is the one night a year when the fabric separating us from the dead becomes dangerously thin. Ghosts can walk the earth! The departed mingle among us! As a kid, that was pretty creepy. My seven year olds eyes go wide with awe just thinking about it.

So that the hell do we need all the blood and gore for? Actually, what the hell do murderers have to do with supernatural horror anyway? Did everyone collectively forget the difference between the supernatural and psycho-slasher murder movies?

Take this test. If you fail it, PLEASE don’t build a yard “haunt”

Now then, situations one and three should have been matched up with responses two and four. Situations that warrant police responses don’t have their own holiday yet. That’s just the way it is.

Someday, Hallmark will no doubt create a “Homicidal Serial Killer” holiday. Beer companies will hop on, and we’ll have a valid reason to get drunk and wear Friday the 13th goalie masks. Until then, stick to script, because it’s a pretty good one.

[END RANT]

< --- cut here --- >

Where was I?

Oh yeah, no hardcore scares for the little ones.

That means I need to not only trigger it remotely, but I need to be able to trigger more than one action from the same control box. That way (for the little ones) I can make a sequence that’s tamer than the full scare.

And you know what? Maybe I’m so damn crazy I’ll want to put the trigger for my fog chiller machine AND the fog machine for the prop on the control box as well.

That’s when it hit me. I work for a data engineering company, why not use network patch cables? Good ‘ol Cat5 UTP baby! A buddy of mine at work hooked me up all the wall jacks, cable, and ends I needed. I already had the crimping tool. Better yet, I have a bunch of buttons left over from building arcade cabinets. And thus my crazy plan was hatched.

I would connect everything like so: A Control box with a bunch of arcade buttons will be built. I’ll wire up a Cat5 jack into the box. On the back end of the jack I’ll have a cat5 jack punched down to it, and I’ll use each of the 4 pairs to wire up buttons, one pair per momentary switch button.

One 8 conductor Cat5 cable gives me 4 momentary buttons. On the other end, I put a Cat5 jack into the Prop-1’s enclosure, and make a similar wiring harness on it, only splicing into the input pin connectors. So I got some of EFX-TEK’s 12” extension cables, and cut them in half, giving me (2) three pin connectors with pig tails per 12” cable. I solder a pair from the Cat5 onto the pigtail, and then plug it into the input pins of the Prop-1. I only need the red and white pins, the black is cut off. I connect all for to PINs 0-3, and now I’m almost there.

I made a long black patch cable, clicked one end into control panel, and one end into Prop-1 enclosures jack, and I was done. Not only that, but its modular. The jack plate in the control box has room for another jack, and the top four buttons are there for expansion. Whatever next years prop will be, it will be controlled from the same panel as this one.

So there. We’re all wired up, and it works freakin’ great!

Soon as this was complete I wrote code with three actions. While not specified as sub-routines, they work as such.

It looks like this:

======================================================================

'   File..    07 Haunt Controller

'   Author..  Steve O..GoE

'   {$STAMP BS1}

'   {$PBASIC 1.0}

'   {$PORT COM1}

======================================================================

' -----[ Constants ]--------------------------------------------------

SYMBOL Door1        = 6

SYMBOL Door2        = 4

SYMBOL Prop         = 5

SYMBOL IsOn         = 1

SYMBOL IsOff        = 0

SYMBOL Baud         = OT2400

SYMBOL AP8Addr      = %00

SYMBOL RC4Addr      = %10

SYMBOL Serial       = 7

SYMBOL Trigger1     = PIN0

SYMBOL Trigger2     = PIN1

SYMBOL Trigger3     = PIN2

SYMBOL Trigger4     = PIN3

' -----[ Variables ]--------------------------------------------------

SYMBOL IDX   = B2

' -----[ Program Code ]-----------------------------------------------

Main:

IF Trigger1 = IsOn THEN Door_Slam

IF Trigger2 = IsOn THEN Fog

IF Trigger3 = IsOn THEN Crypt_Pop

GOTO Main 


Door_Slam:

FOR IDX = 1 TO 7

  SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 2, 1)

  HIGH Door1

  HIGH Door2

PAUSE 100

  LOW Door1

  LOW Door2

PAUSE 100

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 2, 0)

NEXT

GOTO Main 


Fog:

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 1, 1)

PAUSE 1000

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 1, 0)

GOTO Main 


Crypt_Pop:

FOR IDX = 1 TO 7

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 3, 1)

PAUSE 50

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 3, 0)

PAUSE 150

NEXT 


SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 2, 1)

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 1, 0)

HIGH Door1

PAUSE 70  'pause to synch door open

HIGH Door2

PAUSE 100 'pause for door open

HIGH Prop

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!AP8", AP8Addr, "P", 1)

FOR IDX = 1 TO 20 ' flash lights

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 2, 1)

PAUSE 75

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 2, 0)

NEXT

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 1, 0)

LOW Prop

PAUSE 550 ' pause for prop drop

LOW Door1

PAUSE 50  'pause to synch door close

LOW Door2

SEROUT Serial, Baud, ("!RC4", RC4Addr, "R", 2, 0)

GOTO Main 

As you can see, the code loops at the beginning, looking for a button press. If a button press is registered it send the code to the applicable action, then returns it. It’s a very simple way to drive different actions remotely from one Prop-1. I’ll admit it’s not the most efficient use of code, but Prop-1’s are cheap, so kiss my Irish ass. Twice.

And here we are; the box is done, the guts are wired, the code is working. It’s time to make this look like something. As usual, our good friend extruded foam will be used.

Finishing the Crypt

As you can see from the pics, the doors get a foam skin first. Using a hack saw blade with an improvised handle makes quick work of the cuts. Then the sides go on. Gorilla glue works great with foam, and it’s way cheaper than the liquid nails foam caulk. Glue, then use drywall screws to tack in place (gorilla glue expands, don’t be shy about using screws).Once this phase is done, use an orbital palm sander with 60 grit to freehand the bevels. With the bevels done, the doors get another layer. Once this is dry, I contour the top and sides. Wood filler is used liberally to fill smaller gaps.

Just say yes!

Say yes to cracks!

Now that it looks great, let’s make it look decrepit. Using a hobby knife, I free hand the cracks holding the knife at a 45 degree angle, I come in from the other side at the same angle, creating a V shaped crack. Then, lightly (at first) get a small stiff wire brush and gouge out the crack. Then follow it with a softer nylon wire brush to clean it. Viola, a crack a fat hooker would be proud of. Continue placing cracks where appropriate. Then, round off all sharp edges with sandpaper.

Now time for paint.

Want an instant stone texture for your foam skinned prop? Use DryLoc. It’s thick as mud and has silica (very fine sand) and waterproofing sealants built in. When comlete it actually forms a really touch skin, with a slightly rough “weatherd” looking texture. For this project, three coats of white DryLoc went on for a base. I let the last coat setup, but while still tacky started the dark “wash”.

In a separate container, I pour off some white DryLoc, then add some flat black and make some gray. Grab a detail brush and one crack at a time, paint the interior of the crack with gray, then get your big brush and “pull” the gray down, creating streaking. Keep the white handy, and the gray handy, and add either as required to make the streaky weathered look. You can’t screw this up! Even it comes out terrible you can always let it dry and try again. Go nuts. Up and down strokes, up and down… you’ve been practicing for this all your life, unless you’re not male. For god sakes don’t take the shower massager to it.

Now then? What about the beastie?

The Beastie

Warning

Great Stuff is evil. If you get this crap on your hands, and it cures even a little, well brother I hope you either like your new appendage, or you have a high tolerance for pain. On the website, it lists the removal process of cured product from skin as “mechanical”. Go to Home D, and buy a box of disposable shop gloves. Please.

On the bright side, my knuckles aren’t very hairy anymore. My dream of being a hand model is almost complete; just need the redness to subside.

Anywho, I carved some vertebrae out of foam, and slotted the back so they will fit on the wire frame. I then jumped into step one and I squirted a bunch of the great stuff cheese wiz into the skull mask I was gonna use, then I plopped the wire rod “head” into the mask. I attached the vertebrae with more great stuff, and left the whole thing turned upside down to cure for an hour.

Returning, I put the bust back into my vise and carved ribs and a sternum out of foam. Any nod to anatomical accuracy was tossed out the window. I needed strength, and it was going to be covered in burlap.

More great stuff, then the foam, then more great stuff and another period of curing. Then a lot of carving and sanding. Then white semi-gloss latex, followed by a blast of black spray paint. Then back over the white making a dirty gray wash. A little dark green here and there and that was that. From there some burlap, some 3M spray adhesive, and a bunch of safety pins finished it off.

And that my friends, is that. 2007 has it’s new prop, and the Red Sox just clinched another World Series.

Life, is good.