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Convert a totally underwhelming foam skull into a Halloween speaker system.
-=Backstory=-
I was at Abott's party store in Littleton, NH a couple days ago and saw a foam skull. Upon first glance it looked like your basic Halloween prop, until I saw the LEDs in its eyes. I immediately knew this would be the prop of a lifetime... with the sort of technology it was hiding in its cranium, the skull might be able to:
a) Scare the daylights outa the neighborhood kids
b) Dispense fortunes when it detected questions directed at it
c) Do the dishes, walk the dog and fetch me a beer
d) All of the above
With visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I reached down with hands trembling in anticipation and flicked the "ON" switch.
Its eyes lit up.
they didn't even blink.
I was utterly devestated.
It was then and there that I decided to remedy this great injustice. I purchased the skull and began brainstorming.
Ten Redbulls later I hit upon an idea...
What if the skull could talk...
what if his eyes lit up while he talked...
Brilliant!
so I set to work...
-=Backstory=-
I was at Abott's party store in Littleton, NH a couple days ago and saw a foam skull. Upon first glance it looked like your basic Halloween prop, until I saw the LEDs in its eyes. I immediately knew this would be the prop of a lifetime... with the sort of technology it was hiding in its cranium, the skull might be able to:
a) Scare the daylights outa the neighborhood kids
b) Dispense fortunes when it detected questions directed at it
c) Do the dishes, walk the dog and fetch me a beer
d) All of the above
With visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I reached down with hands trembling in anticipation and flicked the "ON" switch.
Its eyes lit up.
they didn't even blink.
I was utterly devestated.
It was then and there that I decided to remedy this great injustice. I purchased the skull and began brainstorming.
Ten Redbulls later I hit upon an idea...
What if the skull could talk...
what if his eyes lit up while he talked...
Brilliant!
so I set to work...
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Signing UpStep 1Gathering Materials & Disassembling
I used the following materials for my skull:
note: double all amounts for stereo setup
1x foam skull with led eyes ($12.99)
1x 8ohm speaker (scavenged)
1x TIP31 npn transistor ($1.59 at radioshack, :( )
1x 1/8th inch mono phone jack (6 for $3.99 at radioshack :( )
1x stereo to mono 1/8th inch adapter ($2.99)
lots of thin wire (scavenged from a previously mutilated usb cable)
soldering skills
The first step is to remove the four screws holding the base on and snip the wires to the leds, leaving a stripable amount attached to both the LEDS and the battery box
note: double all amounts for stereo setup
1x foam skull with led eyes ($12.99)
1x 8ohm speaker (scavenged)
1x TIP31 npn transistor ($1.59 at radioshack, :( )
1x 1/8th inch mono phone jack (6 for $3.99 at radioshack :( )
1x stereo to mono 1/8th inch adapter ($2.99)
lots of thin wire (scavenged from a previously mutilated usb cable)
soldering skills
The first step is to remove the four screws holding the base on and snip the wires to the leds, leaving a stripable amount attached to both the LEDS and the battery box
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http://www.instructables.com/id/E1K7SJ2ZG6ERIE36TP/?ALLSTEPS