Halloween Foot "Trip" Sensor to Trigger Or Activate Lights, Sounds, Scary Effects

Skill level: Super Easy.

Time needed: 5 minutes.

Expense: $10.00 - $20.00

The major bummer with most store-bought Halloween stuff that gets triggered is it's lame. A few tiny eyes may light up, or perhaps it will create a tiny shriek. I've yet to come across anything substantial (Loud, flashy, large, etc.)

"Startle People with a Photo Sensor to Trigger Effects"

You can assemble a little photo-sensor that triggers when people cross it and break the light beam. You may have seen something like this in small stores-when you enter, the attendant gets alerted to your presence.

Ingredients:

Photocell switch

2 Extension cords

Bright L.E.D. Flashlight

1 cardboard tube from paper towel (cut in two halves) or 2 toilet paper cardboard tubes.

1) Take the photocell switch and plug it into your extension cord. Take the other extension cord and plug it into the outlet on the photocell. Whatever devices you will be triggering will be plugged into this cord later. If you don't know what to plug in, see our "scare tactics" article.

2) Tape one of the cardboard tubes to the "eye" photo sensor on the sensor unit so that the cylinder projects out from (and shields) the light senor. This is merely to keep any ambient light (from other decorations or lamps) from interfering with our trigger. This is our "receiver."

3) Tape the bright L.E.D. flashlight to the end of the OTHER cardboard tube. This will be the light beam projector.

4) Find a place along your walkway to set-up the beam. The light (beam) emitting side must directly face the receiver. Remember to place the receiver (which requires power) on the side of the walkway that has outlets and/or leads to your effects. The light emitter side is totally portable. You may want to try to hide each of there in bushes, between rocks, or simply put decorations or things over the devices (being careful not to cover the holes of the tubes.) CAUTION: Do not place the receiver anywhere near water or where it can get wet (sprinklers, ponds, etc.)

That's all there is to it. The L.E.D. flashlight should last beyond any single nights of Halloween scares. We recommend plugging strobe lights, sirens, or other "gags" into the sensor. Check out the "scare tactics" for project ideas.

Halloween Decorations are certainly the foundation of a Happy Halloween, but adding some great effects or illusions and some "scare tactics" are the frosting on the cake. Yes, you may trigger them yourself, but it's much more fun to automate some stuff. This way you are free to hand out candy, laugh with the "victims," or simply just enjoy and take-in the whole exciting experience. For our trick-or-treaters we set up at least three triggered "effects." We were fortunate enough to have a forked drive-way; so we gave parents with "kiddies" an option to take the less-scary route. You may choose to warn anyone with little kids that there are some scary things ahead. It's fun to scare the older kids, teens, and adults, but not so nice to terrorize toddlers.

Bill Lae is an award-winning visual effects artist and Halloween Haunter. As one of Hollywood's effects artists, Bill worked for all the networks using his magic touch on TV's top shows including The X-Files, Buffy, & The Outer Limits. He created BigScreamTV http://www.BigScreamTV.com a series of DVDs anyone can use to create in-home Halloween effects with a TV. He also shot a how-to DVD called X-Treme Haunted House Make-Over where he shows folks how to haunt the house for little cost. His love for Halloween started long before he came to LA. As a child he made haunted houses in his parents' basement. In LA, he began mixing easy-to-use technology (DVD players, computers, printers, lights) with other household items to "trick out" his own house every Halloween. At last count, he had 700 trick-or-treaters. "It's my favorite holiday," Bill says. "I especially love amazing the hardened, media-savvy, teen-age critics. And it truly is the one time when everyone has the opportunity to give unconditionally-giving candy to strangers!" For more Halloween Projects: http://www.booityourself.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to Make the Lights and Power Go Out When Your Strobe Lightning Flashes on Halloween Night

Halloween Decorations and Halloween tricks have remained fairly stagnant over the years. I strive to load my Halloween treat bag with original, exciting treats. I will not be covering any baked goods with orange frosting, and there's no point in discussing pumpkins. Sure, we all do this stuff, but let's get a little more "cutting edge!"

Categories: Visual Effect. Cool. Clever. Technical based effect.

Skill level: Simple.

Time required: 5 to 15 minutes.

Cost: $15.00 to $20.00

"Power Interrupt"

Use your strobe lights more like lightning striking and less like a disco dance party light show by controlling them with a "winker" (or flasher) to light them up intermittently (because lightning is typically not always flashing).

Also, when the lightning strikes, have the "house" lights go out! Aside from this happening occasionally in reality (and always in scary movies) it adds more "light power" to the strobes because they are not washed out with ambient lighting. In fact, it will take you far longer to get the parts, organize everything, and read this than it will to build this Halloween Effect.

The simple idea: We will use a photo cell switch to "cut the power" when the strobes are engaged. You've seen these photocell switches before. They're typically built into light sockets for outdoor lamps. When the sun comes up, off go the lights. The only difference here is you want a photocell (search Amazon for "plug-in Lamp Photocell") that has an outlet rather than a light socket built into it.

Of course you'll want to have Thunderstorm sound effects playing during all of this. Since the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, when you see lightning in real-life, the thunder follows afterwards. Ironically and thankfully, the random soundtrack that is not-in-sync-with the random lightning will be all-the-more life-like and convincing!

Here are the ingredients:

2 extension cords

PIN FLASHER or "winker"

Photocell switch

Night-Light (one with a small C7 "nightlight" bulb)

You'll also need:

strobe lights

tape

A "project box" to house this in---like a shoebox, food box, cardboard coffee can.

Clearly, you will also need some sort of other lights for the ambient lighting (the lighting that will "go out" with the power!)

Extension cord "A" will be your power source. You will plug this into the wall when you are finished.

1) Take the photo-cell switch and plug it into extension cord "A".

2) Plug the PIN FLASHER or "winker" into another outlet in extension cord "A".

3) Take the other extension cord, "B" and plug it into the PIN FLASHER.

4) Plug the C7 night-light into extension cord "B".

5) Plug your strobe lights into another outlet in extension cord "B."

6) Plug your ambient lights (window lights, outdoor lamps) into the outlet on the photocell switch. (300 watt max!)

The nightlight will be the light that triggers the Photocell to shut off. The enclosure will house this project so that outside light will not affect the operation.

7) Place the cords and devices into an opaque (no light can get in or out) enclosure. A shoe box or other small box is ideal. If you use one of those small plastic storage boxes (readily found at every store) then make sure it is opaque. If not, spray paint the outside of it.

8) Adjust the location of the nightlight with respect to the photocell sensor so that when the nightlight is dim or off (and strobe lights are now off) the nightlight does not provide enough light to switch the photocell off. When the nightlight is bright (and strobes are on) the photosensor should switch off.

9) Use the adhesive tape to tack down the location of the nightlight and the photocell socket so that the device works when you re-locate it to your party or outside decorated location.

That's all folks! Make certain you add this to your bag of Halloween Tricks. So few people do this "extra" effect, that you will stand out in the Halloween crowd!

Bill Lae is an award-winning visual effects artist and Halloween Haunter. As one of Hollywood's effects artists, Bill worked for all the networks using his magic touch on TV's top shows including The X-Files, Buffy, & The Outer Limits. He created BigScreamTV http://www.BigScreamTV.com a series of DVDs anyone can use to create in-home Halloween effects with a TV. He also shot a how-to DVD called X-Treme Haunted House Make-Over where he shows folks how to haunt the house for little cost. His love for Halloween started long before he came to LA. As a child he made haunted houses in his parents' basement. In LA, he began mixing easy-to-use technology (DVD players, computers, printers, lights) with other household items to "trick out" his own house every Halloween. At last count, he had 700 trick-or-treaters. "It's my favorite holiday," Bill says. "I especially love amazing the hardened, media-savvy, teen-age critics. And it truly is the one time when everyone has the opportunity to give unconditionally-giving candy to strangers!" For more Halloween Projects: http://www.booityourself.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.