Talking Faces

[EmmienLightFan]

I am going to make several talking faces for Halloween.

 

I normally don't like singing faces, I think they distract from the lights, but for Halloween I just want people to enjoy it.

When people who have never seen a light show before see several faces on a house that can talk, they will probably be impressed.

 

I don't know where to start with it though.

 

I can't use lights like you use, because I am in the UK. The lights we have here wouldn't work as they can't be held in place very well and are expensive, so I will be using dumb RGB.

 

I have some plastic stuff which I made my matrix out of and it is very good. It held the pixel nodes straight and is strong. I want to make the faces out of it.

 

How many mouth positions is most common? Last year I had singing pumpkins which just light up. The sequences for them I got from some nice people on here and modified for one channel, but I want to use those sequences again but for proper singing faces.

 

As well as this, my house looks like a giant face, with the windows and gutter line. I might make a huge singing face but I don't know I can do it.

 

 

Thanks.

[mpageler]

Note sure what the light "we have" that you can't get?  Faces can be made from 12v/120v incandecent/led rope, 120v mini lights or 8mm led nodes.  The "plastics stuff" is corrugated plastic.

From several past threads, I think many would suggest in not going overboard with a bunch of colors in faces.  Keep mounth or eyes channels the same color.

The norm for shared/purchased singing sequences is 5 mouth, 2 eyes and 1 outline if you want to use it for a total of 8 channels.

For more threads on the subject, do a thread title search on "singing faces".

[EmmienLightFan]

Note sure what the light "we have" that you can't get?  Faces can be made from 12v/120v incandecent/led rope, 120v mini lights or 8mm led nodes.  The "plastics stuff" is corrugated plastic.

 

Over here in the UK we are 220v. Most lights have transformers, and are a different type of LED that are really narrow, and we have ropelight but another LOR controller would be really expensive, also I have yet to find a supplier who can cut rope light in less than 4 meter sections.

 

RGB is one of the only ways.

[canadianchristmas]

This is what you are looking for: http://boscoyostudio.com/products/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=34&products_id=71 These faces are made out of coroplast the same "plasticky material" you mentioned above that you used on your matrix. Just build a simple wooden frame for them out of 2x2s or 2x3s. These faces are made for dumb or smart bullet node style pixels, so they should work fine for what you need.

[EmmienLightFan]

I want to make my own as the ones from Boscoyo studios are expensive.

 

Does anyone have any complete designs with mouths?

[kingfish]

http://forums.planetchristmas.com/uploads/monthly_06_2011/post-7353-0-58841800-1308371803.jpg

[kingfish]

[EmmienLightFan]

Thanks, Kingfish, the two images above really helped! I now know the common mouth positions used in sequences and I have started designing my faces for next year!

[EmmienLightFan]

We need a UK Coffee Shope section for you my friend to focus resources for UK needs. =)

 

Here in the US we are taught the rest of the world is backwards and doesn't have indoor plumbing. So to us 220v is for air conditions and we just don't know any better. LOL

 

Drew

You have 120v for most appliances and 220v for special things, although your 220v is different. It is two 110v lives and one neutral, but we have one single 220 lives and one neutral. That is why your 220v plugs have 4 prongs. 

Over here, industrial and huge use 415v, but it is actually three 220vs phases, one on each coil of the generator. It is much more uncommon, only used by businesses, like shops for large fridges and ovens, and factories and warehouses, and high current lighting stuff, but you can request that your home power is upgraded to 3 phase 415v.

 

I wish there were more UK people. There are less than 20 animated displays in the country, and most are in Scotland, for some reason.

Edited January 18, 2016 by EmmienLightFan

[jerrymac]

There is a  guy on the board that has the end of his house that is a giant face, big smile, (he is in Canada it believe) but can't think of his name at the moment.   Rope light zip typed to black mesh plastic garden mesh works great and gives a non visible backing to hold the rope light.  I suspend mine with PVC frame to make it easy to hold up and tight.