Any ideas how to make this work-mod of old animated skeleton prop

[Orville]

Okay, have an old skeleton the electronics finally just wore out, so removed them traced the wiring to know what does what, and have an issue I'm trying to work out, first I thought maybe a relay and a hex-inverter IC may do what I want, but seems I can't recall how to make this work.

 

the skeleton has two wires that make his head turn left or right, the wires are red and brown, if red is positive and brown negative, head turns left, if the polarity is reversed, red is now negative and brown is now positive his head turns back to the right.   So swapping the two wires polarity makes his head turn right or left.    

 

Anyone know of a circuit somewhere that will allow me to use these two wires and reverse their polarity with a small delay before his head changes direction.  

 

Sorry can't use the question mark, my stupid laptop has lost the ability to use the shift key for uppercase or some punctuation.   Sure makes it interesting to type using the caps lock key for the shift key, but caps lock doesn't let you use all characters.   No idea why the shift keys on both sides stopped working and tried an external keyboard, but computer wouldn't use it.  ugh1

 

Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, suggestions or where to find an automatic polarity reversing circuit with a delay of a second or two, that would sure help me get this guy ready for the 2014 Halloween display.

[a31ford]

So let me get this right.... you want the head to (on it's own, when power is applied) move say, left, then hold for a second or two and then right, hold for a second or two, back left again, and so on ??

 

IF this is so, then a pair of 555's (or a 556) hand full of cap's and resistors, and TWO, small relays (one can be SPST, the other MUST be DPDT).

 

One timer runs the "on off" (SPST) this will pause the head at each end, and the other times the polarity for direction.

 

you can trigger the direction timer from the start of the movement timer (feed the one into the other as the trigger in monostable mode for the second timer), this way it's NOT timing direction UNTIL the pause cycle is complete.

 

Would be happy to draw up a schematic if you need one.

 

Greg

Edited November 3, 2013 by a31ford

[Orville]

Hi Greg, yes, that is exactly what I'd like to do.   I was hoping there was a way to do this without the use of any mechanical components such as a relay.  I had a schematic years ago of I believe was a 7404 Hex Inverter, which could take a dual color LED, the 2 lead type and change the LED color from Green to Red, pause, then from Red to Green, pause and repeat.  But I lost that schematic a few years ago.

 

But if relays have to be utilized, I can do that, would have just preferred no mechanical components that may wear out over time.

 

So if you can provide a schematic for this, that would be awesome/   

 

I'm using 4.5-6vdc to turn the head and also same power supply makes the skeleton "dance", sway back and forth and move his arms up and down. So this would be wired into that power supply as well. 

 

The head turning is where I got stuck at because of the polarity reversal to make it turn back and forth.

[a31ford]

You will have to give me at least the weekend (Long one here) remembrance day, I'm up to my eyeballs in making product for the yard (gravel & bedding sand) ( I run a rock crusher during the day) and this week has gone from nuts, to mental in the last 12 hours.....

 

OH, BTW, I was under the assumption the timer would have to trigger a 120 VAC system, since it's 5 VDC (there abouts), I'm quite sure we can use 2N2222A transistors instead of relays.

 

Greg

Edited November 7, 2013 by a31ford

[Orville]

No worries Greg.  Whenever you get the time.   I completely understand how busy one can get.   A Rock Crusher eh?  Sounds interesting, I watch the guys that do that along the rail lines here when CSX drops off hoppers of rock to our cement and road rock yards.   Can sit and watch the guys unload the train hoppers and operate the machinery for hours.

[a31ford]

OK, I have a bit of time to work on this,.......

 

Orville, what type of timings do I need (so I can select delay capacitors that will be in the time frames that you need:

 

Example, L to R, 4 seconds, pause at R, 3 seconds, return to L 4 seconds, pause 3 seconds, and so on.

 

the L/R and R/L are the same time, the delay at each end is the same time.

 

Greg

[Orville]

Hi Greg, if you can do it, 2 seconds would be ideal for all timings, if not, the 3 seconds would be fine as well.

[a31ford]

2 second pause, 2 second movement, 2 second pause, 2 seconds the other way movement, pause, back, pause, back... 

 

Consider it done, (555, and a 4013 dual D flipflop, Have to use a relay though, because I can't get the motor leads reversed, unless I run tri-state devices, and that is getting too complex).

 

I guess I could look at some form of motor control IC, but that would be special order.

 

I'm trying to use stuff I have to do this. (the dungeon..... )

 

[Orville]

Sounds good too me.  Will be waiting to see what you come up with and parts list.  Hopefully everything may be available at the local Radio Shack or some of what I'll need at SkyCraft Parts and Surplus, about 5-7 miles from my house.

[a31ford]

Well Well, Good morning !

 

So far, it's good, the board to put it on is a radio shack part, the IC's I have no idea, as R/S is now called "the Source" up here, and carries very few parts. I'll see if I can do R/S numbers from the states, where I can.

 

the Circuit itself is done, going to sketch it now, should have it in about an hour.

 

Greg

[a31ford]

.

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Here you Go !!!!

.

 

 Greg

[a31ford]

Just a thought.....

 

It would NOT hurt, to install a diode (1N-4001) inline with the positive terminal (the band would be facing the regulator), this way, if for any reason the power supply wires where backwards, it would NOT fry.

 

For that matter, a bridge rectifier with the + and - connected to T2 and T1 respectively, this way even a cheap AC wall-wart could be used to power the thing.

 

Capacitor C3 and C4 are important values, others can be bigger if you have.

 

ALL the Resistor and potentiometers values need to be real close to the amounts in the parts list.

 

The 2N-2222A Transistors will sink about 300 Ma, this should be good enough for your motor if not, a larger transistor can be used for Q1 (this is the motor drive) the important thing is that the 10K ohm resistor on it's input be close to that value, or it might not trigger the 4013 correctly.

 

The entire circuit could be built on R/S circuit board #276-170 the relay I used was from R/S also 275-249 the rest of it is way cheaper from Mouser or Digi-key.

 

Greg

[Orville]

Thanks Greg!    I probably have around 90% of those components in my "electronics junk boxes" in my shed.

 

I always use a full wave diode bridge on any circuit, learned that lesson a long time ago aftrer blowing a few IC's, Transistors and Popping a few L.E.D.'s, what an awful smell they make when the magic smoke comes out of an L.E.D. that got too much voltage. ROFL

 

So I always build in a "wrong way battery or power option" in all my circuits, that way if I accidently connect an adapter that is wired reverse of one I may have used, everything still functions and no issues.     I do this will all the L.E.D. lighting circuits that I modify my G gauge train passengers cars with, as well as Locomotive headlamps.

[a31ford]

Hey Orville did you ever get the thing done ?

[Orville]

hi Greg, it's on my "hopefully" to get done list in early 2014.   Currently going through all the crap I've removed from Public Storage that's now stored in my spare bedroom and unfortunately, it's got my Undertaker Skeleton buried and I have a second skeleton that I will also be redoing and trying to also redo him at the same time that I upgrade the first one.   As soon as I get him{them?} done I'll let you know how it all works out.   But plans are to get them done and usable {I hope} for the Halloween 2014 display.   Going to try and make them as weatherproof as possible so I can use them outdoors, if possible.

[Max-Paul]

2 second pause, 2 second movement, 2 second pause, 2 seconds the other way movement, pause, back, pause, back... 

 

Consider it done, (555, and a 4013 dual D flipflop, Have to use a relay though, because I can't get the motor leads reversed, unless I run tri-state devices, and that is getting too complex).

 

I guess I could look at some form of motor control IC, but that would be special order.

 

I'm trying to use stuff I have to do this. (the dungeon..... )

 

Impressive and gee how crammed your dungeon is. LOL  Bet you even have some of them 7400 series stashed away in there some where.

[a31ford]

Impressive and gee how crammed your dungeon is. LOL  Bet you even have some of them 7400 series stashed away in there some where.

 

 Max... If you only knew... 7400 series(not even LS or HCT) 4000 series, New old stock of linear, steppers, caps, resistors, etc. etc. etc. try this one... 74154 LMAO ! 4 to 16 line decoder. or worse, the 2 wire "vara-light chip" (for par64 control), brand new- 100 pcs.

 

Good chance I could open a radio shack, see here's the thing... the photo above is the electronics "SHOP", NOT the storage room.............

 

Greg