This project is based on the fantastic work “Mike’s Talking Skull Project (JawDuino)” (no relation). Table of Contents: Components I used the same idea as he did, basing the circuit around the The KA2284 LED sound meter module, but I ran 4 wires instead of 3. I also desoldered and removed the four straight header …
Author Archives: Mike
Cal 2024
In 2024, the tried-and-true mechanism that has kept his head doing that unnatural turn finally failed. (That’s actually not the only thing that has broken on Cal, but it was the big one this year). So, I decided to upgrade Cal, and equip him with the new “Smart Head”. Instead of Cal giving a sideways …
“Malone” – the Greeter
In case you haven’t been paying attention, most of our prop names are a pun of some kind. “Malone” is our greeter — at the sign post. (think about it) Malone came together in two days. He’s taking advantage of my pet project over the summer. The “Smart Head”. We needed a sign-post to display …
“Egger” the Witch
One of the new props this year came courtesy of the CHB Make&Take in August. Shout out to Mike Yazumbek of Hallucinations Creations for the pneumatic frame that drives the action. Here is the mechanism: It doesn’t lift the character very high, but it was enough to inspire me to imagine a crouching figure, leaning …
“Ray” 2024
This year, Ray got a major upgrade! We finally finished the wings. He got a new face-sculpt, paint job, and a whole new wardrobe. The Wings The metal frames that we finished last year were only the start. Most people thought those were all the wings were going to be. They were really the armature …
2024 Social Media Links
DEMONGROUND: The Hidden Haunt https://demonground.com Facebook If you enjoyed your visit and would like to support Demonground: The Hidden Haunt, you can leave a tip using the links to the right. All money collected by Demonground goes to supporting and expanding the Haunt. We appreciate your donation! tiptopjar.com/Demonground Chicago Haunt Builders https://chicagohauntbuilders.com/ 2024 Haunt List …
Haunt 2024
Sat, Oct 5 – Thurs, Oct 31, 2024 Welcome to our 2024 Haunt! Props Added: Do you want to see how we did it? Follow the links below…
“Ray” 2023
So…I’m driving back from the store, and I drive past a house that has the Home Depot red reaper prop. “Darn, I think to myself. We had the only one in the area last year.” Then I turn a corner, and there’s another one. And then I spy a third one the next block over …
“Stanley” 2023
Building a Haunt on a hill … where our house is … on a … house on haunted hill! Oh! I just got that. Anyway … when you build structures that are meant to go on an incline, you have to engage in some additional engineering to make them stand “up” (where up is based …
“Grim” 2023
One of our oldest props is “Grim”, a pneumatic pop-up that sits center-front in the display. Kids love him. Dogs hate him. We first built him back in 2006, and every few years his face – up until now usually a latex mask over a foam skull – rots and falls apart. We saw signs …