Cheap motion activated coffin

This is how I built a coffin that has sound, fog, lights, and a motion activated lid. To watch a video see my photobucket site.

Step 1 Building the coffin

I started by cutting a piece of plywood to the shape and size of the bottom of the coffin. From there I built a simple frame out of 2x4s. I attached 1x4s to make the exterior of the coffin.

Comments

[Brian Fuehrer]

That is a great looking coffin you built there. Too bad it got ruined in the flooding of your storage shed. I do have a question if you dont mind me asking. When you say you watered down the grey paint, how much water did you add to how much paint? Was it a 50 50 solution? Thanks!

[CMK4425]

I don't remember but I sprayed with my air spray gun It was pretty watered down from what I recall.

[bethehammer]

very nice, more details on parts used, sources, and close up pictures of the key assemblies. Thanks!

[CMK4425]

Thanks but during the next year my yard flooded and the shed where the coffin was had about 6 inches of water in it. So all of the mechanical parts were ruined. This year it will be my fog chiller. Here is the mechanical parts. http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n207/cmk4425/PneuControl.jpg

[CMK4425]

the motion detector is set on test mode so it only stays active for like 3 seconds at a time the flasher relay just makes in turn on and off while active

[rpg007]

using the flasher relay does the coffin continuously open and close once activated?

[CMK4425]

Its not actually split into 3 directions it is an in and 2 out. In order for the lid to fall back down I needed a way to let the air back out so the other out leg is just a piece of tubing with a regulator on it to control the speed of the air coming out and the speed of the falling action.

[savagemania]

Does anyone have more info on how the solenoid and pneumatics work.

[philipster]

if it is the valve yuor talking about look around in Google and look for sprinkler hack a mod of turning a sprinkler into a airtight valve pretty handy too i made one :)

[philipster]

a pneumatic or the air one is like a hydrolic ram and the electric one uses a motor to push it up and a solenoid is sorta like a valve that uses a pin to lift up a valve to let what every your flowing through the valve if your talking about the valve one thats my way i i think thats what it is...

[askickn1]

what is it that releases the air quickly when it shuts off? why is the air supply split into three different directions. Thanks for your info. great Idea.

[padfan]

May I suggest adding fake skeleton arms and hands to the door of the coffin. It will look like something is trying to escape.

[IAE]

what's your foto bucet site????

[place name here-]

Cool I like the DIY pneumatic actuator system

[eaglemanusa]

to cut down on the weight, I used L brackets instead of wood at all the joints and the bottom was just nailed into the sides. worked well.

[giustie]

wow amazing this would be a nice project to try...

[CMK4425]

It is too heavy for one person to move and too bulky. The materials could be changed in order to cut down on weight I just used what I had.

[jasonmphoto]

That looks fantastic. I'm curious about the weight of the coffin. Can one person lift and move it? Do you think 2x2's would be strudy enough for the inner framing?

[CMK4425]

I already have a fog chiller but is is too big to fit in the coffin. Thanks for the comments

[mbl85]

love it. have you ever thought about making a fog chiller to create a low lying for effect or fog waterfall to spew out of your coffin?

[zachninme]

All I can say is "Wow" Really, that's it. I am just so amazed. Awesome job! (And glad to hear about photobucket movies!)

[ewilhelm]

Sorry that we don't yet support movies from photobucket! I just added it to the todo list.

[CMK4425]

I added the chain and weathered the coffin.

[CMK4425]

This shows the layout of the interior of the coffin.

[CMK4425]

Here you can see the shape of the coffin and you can also see the motion detector at the bottom.