Simple Halloween Skull

Maybe it’s too late to present an Halloween project with a lot of function, so we decide to develope a simple application to show how controll a mandible of a skull.

[iframe_loader src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/jsKBcH7xZBg?hl=it&fs=1″ height=”349″ width=”425″ ]

In this project the skull speaks and moves the mandible according to the sound level.
An Arduino analyzes the level sound of a audio source and drives a servo motor connected to the mandible.
All very simple.

The video show how it works.

[iframe_loader src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/1i28teQTdpQ?hl=it&fs=1″ height=”349″ width=”425″ ]

The sketch:

/* Skull
 created 2011
 by Boris Landoni

 This example code is in the public domain.

http://www.open-electronics.org
http://www.futurashop.it
*/

#include <Servo.h> 

Servo myservo;  // create servo object to control a servo 

int potpin = 0;  // analog pin used to connect the potentiometer
int val;    // variable to read the value from the analog pin 

void setup()
{
  myservo.attach(9);  // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object
} 

void loop()
{
  val = (analogRead(potpin)*3);            // reads the value of the potentiometer
  val = map(val, 0, 1023, 50, 0);     // scale it to use it with the servo
  myservo.write(val);                  // sets the servo position according to the scaled value
  delay(15);                           // waits for the servo to get there
}

The schemtaics shows how we connect the servo to Arduino.

     Download the Fritzing file

Inside the skull we use an old PCB to fix the servo (you can use what you want).

This project wants to be a start point for yours ideas….
Have a good work