48 SERVO 08.2016
adjusting your show on-the-fly a painless process. The
interface is simple to use and works on a time based
system. Terror Tech is
one of the
forerunners
introducing this new
technology to the
animatronics
industry. The
controllers are
flexible, fill a wide
variety of needs, and
are a great way to
direct your props to
do your will (see
Resources). Who
can ask for more?
The Arduino
system has become
very popular with a
wide variety of
programming
sketches available.
These are freely
shared and can be
downloaded as
needed. Having the
majority of the
programming already completed allows for new users to
quickly learn and integrate these controllers into their
projects.
One way to test the waters and see if DIY built
controllers are the way for you to go is to get a starter kit
like the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit (see Resources). It comes
with an Arduino compatible RedBoard and the parts and
instructions to complete 16 projects. It is an easy way to
start down the path of using more involved controllers
(Figure 3).
DIY Animatronics
Figure 5. Audio boards to give
your characters a voice.
Figure 6. The
updated Scuba
Board and
auxiliary
programmer.
Figure 2. Terror Tech may be the way of the future.
Figure 3. SparkFun kit can start you on the road to
programming.
Figure 4. My first button banger so long ago!
