Servo - November 2015

stresses you will be putting on them. We never want to take shortcuts that may put us or our guests in harm’s way.

What Else Can I Do with Air?

How about attaching an oscillating fan to a triggered relay? This would allow you to use air to move ghosts or other characters clothed in lightweight fabrics that motion with the slightest breeze. Sometimes a simple solution is the best. We often have a tendency to make our designs overly complicated even when an easier method is available. Keep it as simple as possible. This will keep your costs down and there will be less to go wrong.

An idea I have that is just waiting for a little time to experiment with is developing a method to simulate the chest movement of a character’s breathing. It would use a heavy duty balloon sealed to a rubber stopper with two holes for an inlet and outlet. Now, I just need to figure out the best way to pump in the air and then release it. I don’t quite know how it will work yet, but I am anxious to give it a try.

If you’ve got an idea about how this might be accomplished, please share it by posting it in the forums in the new DIY Animatronics thread at http://tinyurl.com/nvpa53g. I would like for us to take advantage of all the incredibly knowledgeable builders we have here, so post your ideas for all to see (like the ones in Figure 17 and Figure 18). I am certainly looking forward to learning from all of you!

Last Thoughts Before They Blow Away

If this sounds like something you would like to try, maybe you can add a compressor to your Christmas list and get started. You will be doing your family a huge favor by providing them with that perfect gift choice for you (that line worked with my wife as she surprised me with a fantastic new compressor, but your mileage may vary).

I am always discovering new ways to utilize pneumatics. Adding the confidence and knowledge to work with them will serve you well as you design larger and ever more complicated characters.