Each hacker appreciates how off-the-shelf components will be mixed into one thing better, and [bryan.lowder] demonstrates this fantastically together with his organ-playing skeleton, an exquisite entry to our 2023 Halloween Contest!
Skelly the 3-foot-tall novelty skeleton animatedly performs Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor whereas perched at an outdated (and non-functional) Hammond organ. The small animatronic skeleton has canned motions that work very properly for mock organ taking part in whereas an embedded MP3 participant takes care of taking part in the music.
That’s to not say the challenge didn’t have its challenges. Integrating off-the-shelf elements right into a challenge all the time appears to carry its personal little inconveniences. On this case, the skeleton the MP3 participant each count on to be triggered with button pushes, however taping the button down wasn’t sufficient to get the skeleton shifting when energy was utilized. [bryan] ended up utilizing relays to simulate button pushes, and a 555 timer circuit to care for incorporating an acceptable delay.
As [bryan] places it, “a technical feat of power it ain’t, however it’s sensible and it really works and it was executed on time” which is properly stated. Watch Skelly in motion within the video, embedded beneath. There’s additionally a second video displaying the homebrewed controller and MP3 participant, each hid beneath Skelly’s gown.
