Author Topic: Animated Santa?  (Read 6100 times)

Offline pokey

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Animated Santa?
« on: December 07, 2011, »

Perhaps I'm jumping the gun a bit - I've never even considered animating something, but am anxiously awaiting the Bobcat kit so I can roll up my sleeves and get in over my head.

Clearly it won't happen this year, but I am very excited about the prospect of an animatronic for next year...but everyone seems to be talking about animated skeletons/skulls which won't really mix well with my Christmas display! Has anyone considered Christmas animation?  Santa seems the obvious one, but anything Christmasy will do...just not a dismembered skull.

I've done some quick searches on the Internet and not really found much...hoping to get ideas and and advice...

Offline dlhoppe

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2011, »
Santa waving his arm. Reindeer moving their heads. Bells swinging/ringing.

One plan I'd like to try next year is having large wire-frame lit musical instruments that move on a pivot. The movements along with the lights will be synchronized to their instrumental solo parts.

Offline n1ist

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2011, »
You could use a Santa head instead of a skull (or possibly a Santa mask over a skull).  Another option would be a group of animated carolers.

You could also use it to create scenes like they do in the Macy's windows or the animated teddy bears at Filenes.

/mike

Offline shaunkad

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2011, »
I think with this and an Aether you could make a nice yoke light. Some changes to the Aether will have to be made.  AllI need is some 8 channel slip rings. Any where a wire frame uses more than one channel for movement is a good place for this controler.     
« Last Edit: December 07, 2011, by shaunkad »

Offline dlhoppe

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2011, »
I'm happy that this kind of discussion has finally started. I'm really looking forward to seeing what ideas and designs are implemented using this new controller.


Dave

Offline jess_her

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2011, »
Nut crackers are big here in the PNW, We have a covered porch (20' set back from the street). Sooo I thought about taking a couple of   30" to 40" nut cracker's  and have a micro servo control the jaw. Be a nice simple affect for the show.
Only limitations in life is your imagination

Offline pokey

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2011, »

My rough thoughts were a Santa head and partial torso inside a chimney which raises up to do his "thing" and then settles back down inside.  Of course I've got no idea how to do any of it, but I've got a whole year to figure it out!!!!

Offline typoagain

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2011, »
There is a guy in California who does a nice display that has a large animated snowman. I have wanted one every since I saw his.

I want a snowman who will talk, turn and nod his head, wave his arms and shake his hips (dance).
then I would like to mount it on a platform that will twist.

PM me with a reminder and I will try to send you a link this weekend. I believe it was a guy that goes by Mike Z in LA?

I hope that I can work on this for next year. But first I need to finish up a bunch of stuff on the workbench that did not get finished for this year.
One of the new guys in Odessa TX.

Offline dlhoppe

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2011, »
I love these ideas. However, it will take some creativity to implement some of them with RC servos. Remember that you only get a few inches or less of travel with RC servos. If you use high gear ratios (short travel driving long travel), then you won't have enough torque to move it. I suspect you might have to resort to using servos to operate switches to drive larger and longer-throw motors/mechanisms. That allows you to use more powerful long-throw mechanisms while still having the ability to sequence it via DMX.

Offline caretaker

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2011, »
Having done some animatronics for halloween displays there are some big servos out there that could be used to move a full size Santa but large servos = big $$$ servos would be better for movements of the mouth and eyes and maybe the head depending on the weight. Pneumatic cylinders would be a better choice for moving heavy body parts. You can use a MR16 to control the solenoids to run the pneumatics.
Jeff Squires
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Offline JoeFromOzarks

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2011, »
I'm beginning to look into using wiper motors controlled with a PWM h-bridge.  Anybody already travelled this road?

:) joe
"If it was easy, everybody would be doin' it!!!"        :)

Offline rimist

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2011, »
Not yet, but I am planning on  doing something with windshield wiper motors.

- Rimist

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- Rimist

Offline pokey

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2011, »
Sounds like we've got people here who know a lot more than me!!!!   This sounds like it's gunna be fun!

Offline dlhoppe

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2011, »
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Having done some animatronics for halloween displays there are some big servos out there that could be used to move a full size Santa but large servos = big $$$ servos would be better for movements of the mouth and eyes and maybe the head depending on the weight. Pneumatic cylinders would be a better choice for moving heavy body parts. You can use a MR16 to control the solenoids to run the pneumatics.


Pneumatics is an excellent idea. One could also operate mechanical valves with servos. That way to could have variable flow to control the speed of what you're moving. Interesting...

Offline knguyen916

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Re: Animated Santa?
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2011, »
This is something I wanted to do for the last 3 years when I saw this but never had a chance too until now and guess what I missed the coop  <fp.


Check out the frosty snowman and the dj elf and of course the projector display
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You could use a Santa head instead of a skull (or possibly a Santa mask over a skull).  Another option would be a group of animated carolers.

You could also use it to create scenes like they do in the Macy's windows or the animated teddy bears at Filenes.

/mike