Just an experience I personally had with octobanger… I have built quite a few halloween props with both fourbanger and octobanger, but they all have one flaw in common: the sound only plays every other turn the prop gets triggered. I posted this problem on a few boards, but no-one could really help. Since I was getting frustrated with it, I learned some Arduino sketch programming to do it myself rather than relying on octobanger, but I used the same components. For my first self-programmed project, I basically just rebuilt an earlier project. Guess what… it had the same issue with playing the sound only every other time the scare scene gets triggered. I guess, it might have to do with that specific mp3 module… Usually, you start the communication with the module in the void setup of the sketch once and then only trigger the soundfiles in the loop. When I had it set up like that, I ran into that very same issue. I’m guessing, that octobanger writes the sketch just like that in the background before it compiles it for uploading. You can’t do anything about that, since that is how octobanger is programmed. I found a workaround by re-triggering the mp3-module communication at the start of the loop. That makes sure, the communication is established for every time the scare scene gets triggered. It’s a shame, since octobanger is such an easy way to use an App with a graphic interface to sync events to sound. But unless you can edit octobanger’s sourcecode, I guess you’re either stuck with that issue, or learn to sketch-code manually.
@@a.a.werding2620 Interesting, fortunately I haven't had sound issues. I have heard the v. 2 module don't behave. My issue for one of mine was the scare sequence looping once triggered. I hope you'll share any fixes you find, octobanger has been a great asset for the haunt community, it'd be a shame if it were unusable.
awesome video! I will say that at the 2:02 min i was watching this late at night and in the dark, you kid scared the crap out of me. Seriously thought some thing was in my room about to pounce. haha, thanks for the scare!
The smaller relays can handle 120v also. I don't recall what amperage they can handle though. There are issues with them when powering some motors which can result in the arduino rebooting. Apparently, they're not truly opto isolated. Got in depth with them back in 2016 on my channel when building an electrocution prop with shiatsu motor and the 4 banger version.
Awsome to have you watch my video, I watched all your videos before I built it. You are right though they definitely can switch 120v, I think at least 5 amps. I had never worked with relays or arduino and was following mikes instructions on things pretty closely. I'm sure it would have been cheeper without the solid state relays but hey they work and have been serving me well. Thanks for the comment!
8:51 Thanks for posting this. Cleared up some questions I had on how to wire everything. What kind of boards did you use to mount everything inside the ammo box?
awesome video. I'm just confused about the power supply. do you really need 2 different supplys? one for the arduino and one for the relay board. can't you just use one supply for the arduino and that will put out 5v for the relay board?
@@dirtydrowningman4963the relay will switch using 5 volts. You need the power supply to power whatever you're turning on/off. Typically I'd be switching a solenoid 12v or a wiper motor. A power supply can be split between the arduino and the relay to power your device. Just provide enough amps (5 amp for wiper motor). I believe these relays can handle 10 amps.
So many variables its hard to say. Do you have a delay set for trigger/retrigger? Adjusting the sensitivity for the pir? Resending the sequence to the controller or reflashing the arduino? Good luck, hope you can get it working.
@@manzanitamurderhouse I build it 3 times, 2 x Arduino Nano and 1 x Arduino Uni with Shield.Same Problem... loop. It says on the start that it has triggered. OctoBanger TTL v8.2.0 Config OK Frame Count: 13 Seq Len Secs: 33.95 Reset Delay Secs: 20 Pin Map: Shield Trigger Pin in: A0 Trigger Ambient Type: Low (PIR or + trigger) Trigger Pin Out: A1 Media Serial Pin: A2 Media Type: Catalex Mp3 Ambient + Scare Ambient Volume: 20 Timing Offset ms: -0.405 TTL PINS: 7,6,5,4,8,9,10,11 TTL TYPES: 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 Ready Trigger detected on startup- Going cold for 30 secs
@@AndysBastelkanal i have only used defaultbpin map not shield but it should work fine. You have 20 second reset delay what about boot delay? After the first trigger does it play ambient for 20 seconds or just instantly loop? Proper firmware flashed for shield? My initial guess was bad connections or miswired pir but if you've done it 3 times I'm really not sure. Try leaving it on for 5 or 10 minutes to allow the pir to "warm up" The versions appear to be the same.
@@manzanitamurderhouse Hi. The PIR works now. I haver ordered a new one. All my 5 PIR are dont working, the new one is fine. But... i have now a problem with the sound. I have buy the YX5300 UART Control Serial MP3 Music Player (the new Version with a new Chip). In Fourbanger it works fine, but with Octobanger i have only each second sequence a ambient- and scare sound. Trigger = no sound but the sequence is playing. Trigger 2 = sound and sequence fine Trigger 3 = no sound..... etc.
Thanks for the helpful content. Your prop looks great! I'm a beginner looking to build an Octobanger this year. Is it possible to use the 4 channel relay to power other props instead of just 4 relay lights? For example, could I have some additional MP3 players and box fans hooked up to turn on in a sequence of 4 events? Thanks for any guidance you can offer.
In my case I have a 12volt dc power supply connected to the 4 channel relay that powers whatever I'm switching. I used solid state relays to switch ac power. I used the 4channel for leds and air solenoids and the solid state for wiper motors and larger ac powered flood lights. I'm far from professional though and just followed directions from buttonbanger.com
I know you might not know but I'm getting frustrated any idea on why mine doesn't go back to ambient sound? Even on the "test" they give us? Mine starts in ambient then triggers then goes quiet..... ahhhhh
Hmmm, that's not an issue I've had. Does it retrigger when no ambient sound is playing? I think i would first reflash the arduino, format the sd card and reupload sounds. If that doesnt help possible wiring problem. Hope you can get it worked out, the octobanger has been pretty reliable for me, but they can be a little temperamental at times.
You could, but it would only flicker when triggered. You could probably repeat it on a loop to create a constant effect but not ideal. I used it to create a flicker effect in my haunted radio seen in my 2020 diaplay. th-cam.com/video/4In3jlORfAk/w-d-xo.html
@@manzanitamurderhouse thanks for the reply. Im new to this so thanks for the help. Basically I'm making a walking dead themed cabinet the doors of the cabinet are slightly open and chained with zombie hands trying to come out. I want to make the hands move in and out slightly and maybe a solenoid or actuator to bash on the fake doors a little. So they move a little with the walking dead theme as ambient sound. and zombie noises when trigged with sensor. Do you think this possible with the setup in your video? Thanks again for the video. Very useful stuff for newbies like myself
All of that sounds absolutely possible. Have you been to buttonbanger.com download the parts list in fourbanger section and i reccomend the octobanger program. I've built four total and have run pneumatics with 12v solenoids projector using sprite player wiper motors 12v and 120v leds. From what I've seen they are as versatile and more so than many other purchased prop controllers. Give it a go, and feel free to ask me questions as they come up.
Absolutely, in this video I'm using pins 2,3,4,5 for my 4 channel relay and pins 6 and 7 for my two solid state relays. I have pins 8 and 9 empty. The 8 channel relay would simply use all pins 2 thru 9.
I have another question, now that everything is ordered, can you have multiple sound tracks play on trigger? Example: first track is ambient sound, say birds chirping, second sound is a voice over welcoming guests to the show, third sound is the attraction sound, like a bear growling? Can this be done in the program or is it limited to the two tracks?
@@stanwill7337 As far I know you are limited to just the two tracks. I have found it best to have general ambient sound (wind, lightning, rain, birds) separate and always on. However if you wanted a different sound to trigger you could use one of the relays to activate a player. Off the top of my head not sure the best way to do that though.
I hate to bother you again, but, I have the 8 channel and the mp3 working, now I need to figure out how to get a trigger working. What pins do I hook a manual trigger to and what pins do I hook a PIR too? Pins 2 through 9 are the 8 channel and every pic or video I see has the pir in pin 2. Any suggestions? I really do appreciate the help.
Just an experience I personally had with octobanger… I have built quite a few halloween props with both fourbanger and octobanger, but they all have one flaw in common: the sound only plays every other turn the prop gets triggered. I posted this problem on a few boards, but no-one could really help.
Since I was getting frustrated with it, I learned some Arduino sketch programming to do it myself rather than relying on octobanger, but I used the same components. For my first self-programmed project, I basically just rebuilt an earlier project. Guess what… it had the same issue with playing the sound only every other time the scare scene gets triggered.
I guess, it might have to do with that specific mp3 module…
Usually, you start the communication with the module in the void setup of the sketch once and then only trigger the soundfiles in the loop. When I had it set up like that, I ran into that very same issue.
I’m guessing, that octobanger writes the sketch just like that in the background before it compiles it for uploading. You can’t do anything about that, since that is how octobanger is programmed.
I found a workaround by re-triggering the mp3-module communication at the start of the loop. That makes sure, the communication is established for every time the scare scene gets triggered.
It’s a shame, since octobanger is such an easy way to use an App with a graphic interface to sync events to sound. But unless you can edit octobanger’s sourcecode, I guess you’re either stuck with that issue, or learn to sketch-code manually.
@@a.a.werding2620 Interesting, fortunately I haven't had sound issues. I have heard the v. 2 module don't behave. My issue for one of mine was the scare sequence looping once triggered.
I hope you'll share any fixes you find, octobanger has been a great asset for the haunt community, it'd be a shame if it were unusable.
I have been using this build for awhile. Great video, nice clean setup with the ammo box. Good job.
Thanks
awesome video! I will say that at the 2:02 min i was watching this late at night and in the dark, you kid scared the crap out of me. Seriously thought some thing was in my room about to pounce.
haha, thanks for the scare!
Wonderful setup. Keep doing this great work. Soon you'll be a pro. Of course safety first.
The smaller relays can handle 120v also. I don't recall what amperage they can handle though. There are issues with them when powering some motors which can result in the arduino rebooting. Apparently, they're not truly opto isolated. Got in depth with them back in 2016 on my channel when building an electrocution prop with shiatsu motor and the 4 banger version.
Awsome to have you watch my video, I watched all your videos before I built it. You are right though they definitely can switch 120v, I think at least 5 amps. I had never worked with relays or arduino and was following mikes instructions on things pretty closely. I'm sure it would have been cheeper without the solid state relays but hey they work and have been serving me well. Thanks for the comment!
8:51 Thanks for posting this. Cleared up some questions I had on how to wire everything. What kind of boards did you use to mount everything inside the ammo box?
Thanks, glad it could help. I used some scraps of some white hardboard I had laying around.
awesome video. I'm just confused about the power supply. do you really need 2 different supplys? one for the arduino and one for the relay board. can't you just use one supply for the arduino and that will put out 5v for the relay board?
@@dirtydrowningman4963the relay will switch using 5 volts. You need the power supply to power whatever you're turning on/off. Typically I'd be switching a solenoid 12v or a wiper motor. A power supply can be split between the arduino and the relay to power your device. Just provide enough amps (5 amp for wiper motor). I believe these relays can handle 10 amps.
Hi. I have build this setup 2 times, but both systems are only loop. Can you tel me what the problem is? The PIR is OK, i habe test 3 new PIR sensors.
So many variables its hard to say. Do you have a delay set for trigger/retrigger? Adjusting the sensitivity for the pir? Resending the sequence to the controller or reflashing the arduino? Good luck, hope you can get it working.
@@manzanitamurderhouse I build it 3 times, 2 x Arduino Nano and 1 x Arduino Uni with Shield.Same Problem... loop. It says on the start that it has triggered.
OctoBanger TTL v8.2.0
Config OK
Frame Count: 13
Seq Len Secs: 33.95
Reset Delay Secs: 20
Pin Map: Shield
Trigger Pin in: A0
Trigger Ambient Type: Low (PIR or + trigger)
Trigger Pin Out: A1
Media Serial Pin: A2
Media Type: Catalex Mp3 Ambient + Scare
Ambient Volume: 20
Timing Offset ms: -0.405
TTL PINS: 7,6,5,4,8,9,10,11
TTL TYPES: 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
Ready
Trigger detected on startup-
Going cold for 30 secs
Can you send me your Version from Octobanger? I think the problem is only by the newst version.
@@AndysBastelkanal i have only used defaultbpin map not shield but it should work fine. You have 20 second reset delay what about boot delay? After the first trigger does it play ambient for 20 seconds or just instantly loop? Proper firmware flashed for shield? My initial guess was bad connections or miswired pir but if you've done it 3 times I'm really not sure. Try leaving it on for 5 or 10 minutes to allow the pir to "warm up"
The versions appear to be the same.
@@manzanitamurderhouse Hi. The PIR works now. I haver ordered a new one. All my 5 PIR are dont working, the new one is fine. But... i have now a problem with the sound. I have buy the YX5300 UART Control Serial MP3 Music Player (the new Version with a new Chip). In Fourbanger it works fine, but with Octobanger i have only each second sequence a ambient- and scare sound.
Trigger = no sound but the sequence is playing.
Trigger 2 = sound and sequence fine
Trigger 3 = no sound..... etc.
Thanks for the helpful content. Your prop looks great! I'm a beginner looking to build an Octobanger this year. Is it possible to use the 4 channel relay to power other props instead of just 4 relay lights? For example, could I have some additional MP3 players and box fans hooked up to turn on in a sequence of 4 events? Thanks for any guidance you can offer.
In my case I have a 12volt dc power supply connected to the 4 channel relay that powers whatever I'm switching. I used solid state relays to switch ac power. I used the 4channel for leds and air solenoids and the solid state for wiper motors and larger ac powered flood lights. I'm far from professional though and just followed directions from buttonbanger.com
@@manzanitamurderhouse thanks for your quick replay. Much appreciated.
I know you might not know but I'm getting frustrated any idea on why mine doesn't go back to ambient sound? Even on the "test" they give us? Mine starts in ambient then triggers then goes quiet..... ahhhhh
Hmmm, that's not an issue I've had. Does it retrigger when no ambient sound is playing? I think i would first reflash the arduino, format the sd card and reupload sounds. If that doesnt help possible wiring problem. Hope you can get it worked out, the octobanger has been pretty reliable for me, but they can be a little temperamental at times.
Do you know if I can hook up a led strip on this setup and make it flicker like horror movie lights?
You could, but it would only flicker when triggered. You could probably repeat it on a loop to create a constant effect but not ideal. I used it to create a flicker effect in my haunted radio seen in my 2020 diaplay. th-cam.com/video/4In3jlORfAk/w-d-xo.html
@@manzanitamurderhouse thanks for the reply. Im new to this so thanks for the help.
Basically I'm making a walking dead themed cabinet the doors of the cabinet are slightly open and chained with zombie hands trying to come out.
I want to make the hands move in and out slightly and maybe a solenoid or actuator to bash on the fake doors a little. So they move a little with the walking dead theme as ambient sound. and zombie noises when trigged with sensor.
Do you think this possible with the setup in your video?
Thanks again for the video. Very useful stuff for newbies like myself
@@manzanitamurderhouse sorry for the long message
All of that sounds absolutely possible. Have you been to buttonbanger.com download the parts list in fourbanger section and i reccomend the octobanger program. I've built four total and have run pneumatics with 12v solenoids projector using sprite player wiper motors 12v and 120v leds. From what I've seen they are as versatile and more so than many other purchased prop controllers. Give it a go, and feel free to ask me questions as they come up.
Does this work with pneumatics?
Absolutely
Where can I buy these components?
Everything in the video was purchased through ebay.
Do you know if the Uno run the 8 channel relay board?
Absolutely, in this video I'm using pins 2,3,4,5 for my 4 channel relay and pins 6 and 7 for my two solid state relays. I have pins 8 and 9 empty. The 8 channel relay would simply use all pins 2 thru 9.
Awesome, thank you very much for being so quick to answer. I hope I can ask more questions when everything arrives.
I have another question, now that everything is ordered, can you have multiple sound tracks play on trigger? Example: first track is ambient sound, say birds chirping, second sound is a voice over welcoming guests to the show, third sound is the attraction sound, like a bear growling? Can this be done in the program or is it limited to the two tracks?
@@stanwill7337 As far I know you are limited to just the two tracks. I have found it best to have general ambient sound (wind, lightning, rain, birds) separate and always on. However if you wanted a different sound to trigger you could use one of the relays to activate a player. Off the top of my head not sure the best way to do that though.
I hate to bother you again, but, I have the 8 channel and the mp3 working, now I need to figure out how to get a trigger working. What pins do I hook a manual trigger to and what pins do I hook a PIR too? Pins 2 through 9 are the 8 channel and every pic or video I see has the pir in pin 2. Any suggestions? I really do appreciate the help.