An "upgrade" to a dolls head head using a Arduino/servo motor combination. Great hallowe'en prop or in my house..centrepiece on the coffee table.................

Step 1: INTRO TO THE MADNESS.....

Hi everyone and thanks for viewing my very first instructable. Very new to all this technology/Arduino craze thats around and also new to Instructables so if it's not the best you've ever read, please forgive me.

I HATE DOLLS..I MEAN REALLY HATE DOLLS..Some people get freaked out by clowns, some by Father Christmas, and some people even get freaked out by balloons my wife has just informed me??? Well it's dolls for me. Hated them from childhood, creepy, eerie looking things that never take their eyes off of you. However, i love horror..Horror movies, Slasher movies, Blood, Guts n Gore (40yrs old and still believe Michael Myers is my Alter Ego.) A few months back, after very sadly losing both of my parents, I inherited a few quid and have started my own business. While its taking off very well, you do find that when you start up you have alot of spare hours to kill. Enter Arduino into my life. I bought a few of these boards, some batteries, wires, servos, steppers, etc etc. Well its a cheaper hobby than alcohol:) Going through my late parents belongings, and there is alot of them, sat on top of a box is this dam doll that freaked me out so much as a kid and still staring at me. Well my new found love for Arduino, my eternal love for horror and gore and my hatred of freaky dolls gave me an instant lightbulb moment..Rip the dolls head off, stick a razor in its mouth,cover it fake blood, put a servo, some wires, a battery, a switch, a box and an Arduino together and it creates "THE CREEPY MOVING DOLLS HEAD" My wife said to me "that'll be great for Hallowe'en" Well everyday is Hallowe'en to me and at a flick of a switch she's a great little horror prop.

Step 2: PARTS LIST

Parts List...

1. Small wooden box (i used a hinged one bought for £1 from the Range UK)

2. Dolls Head (Sorry Mum, I had to do it)

3. Arduino Uno

4. Servo 9g with 3 wire hookup

5. A few extra hookup wires

6. 9v battery with clip and connector for direct plug into Arduino

7. Small on/off switch

OPTIONAL

1. Red paint for blood effect (I also melted some red filament from my 3d printer onto the box by her throat for a more realistic effect. Melted plastic works well too but only do so in a well ventilated enviroment and wear a mask if possible. Melting plastic can be dangerous and stays hot for a good 20 seconds after you've melted it, so touching it or moulding it with your finger for effect isn't advised. Also fumes from melted plastic can be lethal if inhaled so a face mask is recommended. Please take care...

2. Various tools of torture..Hook, Large screw, Razor blade, Metal nose ring, Broken watch face to embed in her forehead..the possibilities are endless.............................

NOTE. Please take care using razor blades, hooks, etc...although this is just a silly pastime for me, the components are very real and very sharp and can cause serious damage to someone if not handled correctly or used responsibly. IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE........

3. A very twisted and warped imagination:):):)

Step 3: PAINT THE BOX

Surely this step is self explanatory in the title....Paint the box. You could also make the hole for your on/off switch at the back by the hinges. I made mine on the base box in the middle.

Step 4: Doll Head Desecration

Unfortunately i wrote this instructable well after its completion. I would of loved nothing more than to show everyone various pictures of me slicing and dicing my tormentor of 35yrs. A quick run through of how i reached the desired effect was to burn an inverted crucifix into her forehead using my soldering iron. Again, please take care using anything hot, sharp or dangerous and if melting anything toxic or nasty please wear a mask and do so in a well ventilated area. Them fumes are lethal. Red paint allover, burn the hair partially, razor blade in the mouth chelsea smile style, melt out one eye and replace with hook, broken watch face sliced into skull, metal ring through the nose, large screw through her neck.. Basically though, in your hands you have a severed dolls head and enough instruments of torture to make Jigsaw from the Saw movies nervous.Use your twisted imagination...........

Step 5: ADD THE HARDWARE

To keep the weight of the dolls head stable on such a small servo motor, i placed a circular scrap of plastic i had into her neck, level with bottom of her neck. I made 2 small cuts either side of her neck for the servo attachment to slot into then screwed the servo horn to the plastic scrap. Her neck sits so close to the top of the box this extra piece can be overlooked but the head will lull to whatever side its turning to, which is ok if you dont add the melted red plastic for 3d effect to the box. I tried it and her neck gets caught on the melted plastic and if your not quick enough when the clicking starts going mad on your struggling little servo motor, the motor will break. Make the appropriate hole in the middle of the top box and attach your servo with 2 tiny servo screws FROM THE INSIDE OF THE BOX. I glued a small strip of scrapwood to the underside of the top box for the servo to sit on and also to wrap any excess servo wire around so its not just shoved inside the box, messy. Cut the red wire on your battery connector and solder each end to the 2 pins on the switch, doesn't matter which one goes where, then clip your connector to your 9v battery. Stick the 9v battery to the box base with double sided stickytape, put your switch in place. Hopefully your switch will fit without having to glue it in position unlike mine, i just used a little 2 part epoxy resin because it sets like concrete and does so in approx 5 min. Hot glue gun stuff is also very effective. Use the doublesided tape to attach the Arduino to the base box but do this after you've uploaded the SWEEP SKETCH FROM THE BUILT IN SERVO EXAMPLES IN THE ARDUINO IDE. Plug the connector into the Arduino and flick the switch to test your soldering skills. Lights on Arduino working = Happy days. On my servo wires orange is input, red is +5v, brown is ground. So orange goes to digital pin 9 on Arduino, red to 5v and brown to ground. You'll notice in the picture that the wires are 2 red and 1 green. These are just the hookup wires i had spare and their colour has zero bearing on what they do. They are just an extension of the orange, red, brown servo wires. I put a small piece of red insulation tape around the hookupup wires and the connector on the servo wire because they are notorious (and bloody frustrating) for popping out all the time. Everything is now in place...close the box, gather the family, flick the switch and watch in awe as your new supermodel looking dolls head turns repeatedly through 180 degrees until you flick the switch off(or an angry relative does, disgusted in the monstrosity you created that just scared the hell out of their young kid, how could you she's your niece and she's only 4yrs old and loves dolls hahahahaha) or the battery dies. 35yrs of Dolly torment has now been avenged:) Once again, please take extra care using sharps or hots and tools, electric or not. Misuse can be lethal or even fatal. I would also like to state that the burning of the inverted crucifix i made in the dolls head doesn't make me Satanist or devil worshipper of any kind. This is purely for maximum effect or shock value. I apologise if your religious and this has offended you, but hey, if you made it through this instructable to read this notice and are so religious, why would you wanna make anything so offensive. Theres also the little red X in the top right corner of your screen to close it....2nd Instructable coming soon....LIFE SIZE FRIDAY 13TH JASON VORHEES...

Step 6: THE FINISHED PRODUCT..ENJOY!!

A short video showing it working...She's a stunner!!!