This file is one of the Wolfstone archives of the Halloween mailing lists. You can find out more, and reach the entire collection here: http://www.pobox.com/~wolfstone/_r/HalloweenArchive.html This particular archive deals with "thunderstorm" topics. This includes: o fake rain o fake lightning It does NOT include related topics: o color organs - - - - - From: "Luis Flores" Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 18:54:15 -0700 Here is a completely different approach: Sound and flashing in sync, my way was to use a video tape! (which I would be happy to mail!) What happens is that it has a thunder loop on it, and the screen flashes. I was able to set it up on one VCR and have it "linked' to numerous small TV monitors (and a few Apple ][ monitors). Just an idea. .. Luis Flores ----------------- [klingon1@gte.net] Water Worx: A Spectacular to Light Up the Night! http://livecamera.dynip.com ***FREE*** Haunted Mansion Screen Saver http://members.aol.com/Klingon12/Haunted - - - - - From: "Fields, Karl" Subject: RE: HALL: Thunder & Lightning Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 00:03:21 -0400 We have a board that runs off the parallel port of a computer with an array of 16 relays. The strobes ($30 variety) are connected to a 120VAC line controlled by one of the relays. At each strobe we have a 12" speaker that also has one of it's leads tied to a relay. We did this so as to have other speakers doing something else off the same amp when it wasn't thundering. The program at the computer runs a SoundBlaster VOC file, through an amplifier to the speaker. By trial and error we come up with the correct strobe speed, when to power on/off and when/how long to play the VOC file. We have 3 of these units in different locations in the Haunt, all tied together and back to the two relays. I think whether you get Denny's box, or anyone's hardware, depends on whether you enjoy building and debugging this stuff or would rather just have it work and concentrate your efforts elsewhere. - - - - - From: milwiron at btprod.com Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 04:40:15 -0800 Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning At 05:47 PM 4/14/98 -0700, you wrote: >Hey All, >As long as we're discussing Thunder & Lightning effects... I'm looking to >have some sort of a T&L setup this year. Now, last year I talked to the >friendly folks a TheatreFX, who had a thunder box and strobe lights that >connected to it. I believe they were Thorz strobe lights, and you could >connect up to four. >The trouble is, that setup was pretty expensive. Anyone have any advice? >Basically, I want to connect 2-3 strobe lights to a box that will make >them flash... , it would be easy & inexpensive to mount these strobes far >apart (say, 25'-30' or so from the main box). >Is Denny's box the best? Or are there better alternatives? >Thanks in advance... Hi Mike, What I sell is simply a sound switch, you can build your own from kits or some of the schematics talked about recently on the list. IMHO I still don't recommend using strobes for lightning, a few incandescent flood lights look better. At the Transworld show we demonstrated our unit with a 75 watt strobe sold in a package with the controller, and also demonstrated it with a couple of 75 watt floods. Despite selling the 75 watt strobe at cost in the package, not one person, out of hundreds, preferred the look of the strobe light for lightning over the floods. Not a single person cared that the light from the floods was warmer in color. I make more money selling people big strobes through the year, but will always try to point them towards incandescent floods (not halogen) if they're planning on using them for lightning. The Thorz controller came out a few months after ours, I know a number of people on the list have them, maybe they could write a review for you. I have one here but will keep my opinions of it to myself. All the above are just my observations, the choices are yours. - - - - - From: "John Denley" Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:08:26 -0400 Buy Denny's Thunder Unit, the Theatre Effects Unit comes incomplete with a radio shack shopping list as long as my arm! It is a good thing I can at least solder! - - - - - Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:04:05 -0400 From: Ricky & Karen Dick Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning And if any brave soul would like a theater effects thorz to try to hook up, mine has never been touched. will trade for whatever you'd like. A cool mask, a couple of t shirts from your attraction, anything. Gravely Castle Blood - - - - - From: jim.fosse at bjt.net (Jim Fosse) Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 17:59:29 GMT Dan, >My experience was in trying to use a color organ to power the strobe. >Because of the type of color organ I was using (cheap kit type) >I was getting a half-rectified output that wasn't enough to drive >my (again cheap) strobe light. > >Using that same color organ with an incandescent light gave a good >effect. > >A question for Denny (or whoever may know) - why not halogen? Halogen's have to run at almost full power to achieve their higher light output and longer life. If you run them at a low power, their light output is no better than the much cheeper incandescent lamps. You can run them this way but, you are wasting an expensive lamp. - - - - - Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 09:56:25 -0500 From: Dan.Oelke@aud.alcatel.com (Daniel R. Oelke) Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning > I make more money selling people big strobes through the year, but will > always try to point them towards incandescent floods (not halogen) if > they're planning on using them for lightning. My experience was in trying to use a color organ to power the strobe. Because of the type of color organ I was using (cheap kit type) I was getting a half-rectified output that wasn't enough to drive my (again cheap) strobe light. Using that same color organ with an incandescent light gave a good effect. A question for Denny (or whoever may know) - why not halogen? - - - - - From: CREEPSHOWS Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 11:43:44 EDT Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning An all new thunder and lighting box is coming out from Automated horrors. I talked to my buddy up there and he said i believe it will be coming out early summer.It works just like Denny's but instead of a strobe it's a flourescent light i believe. If you want more info give him a call. Take care buddies! Erik (Creepmaster) Carlson www.hauntworld.com/creep - - - - - From: milwiron at btprod.com Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 09:42:57 -0800 Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning At 09:56 AM 4/15/98 -0500, you wrote: >A question for Denny (or whoever may know) - why not halogen? >Dan Hi Dan, Too slow to warm up to full brightness with the ones I played with. There very well could be faster halogen bulbs available. - - - - - From: "Derek Schwab" To: Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 16:34:25 -0400 You may be able to solve this problem by preheating the bulb. You could use a dimmer or large resister to supply just enough voltage to make the filament glow, but no enough to produce any visible light. A relay would then bypass the dimmer, sending full voltage to the bulb. This "preheat" technique is used in some stage lighting control systems and I believe the voltage is abou 6-8 volts. Take my advice, I don't use it anyway. X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X Derek Schwab email: flippers at bellsouth.net Halloween Web Site - Home Of The Halloween-L Glossary Of Terms http://members.tripod.com/~silverball/ X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X -----Original Message----- From: milwiron at btprod.com To: halloween-l at netcom.com Date: Wednesday, April 15, 1998 11:59 AM Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning >At 09:56 AM 4/15/98 -0500, you wrote: > >>A question for Denny (or whoever may know) - why not halogen? >>Dan > >Hi Dan, > Too slow to warm up to full brightness with the ones I played with. >There very well could be faster halogen bulbs available. - - - - - From: htraver at dreamsys.com Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 21:31:18 -0700 Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning (Denny on lights and halogens) I would cateogrically refuse to use a halogen in the operation of a haunt. Reason being HEAT. Halogen lights are very well known to make things catch on fire and make people dead.... - - - - - From: SMessin983 Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 20:59:05 EDT Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning In a message dated 98-04-14 20:46:45 EDT, you write: << Now, last year I talked to the friendly folks a TheatreFX, who had a thunder box and strobe lights that connected to it. >> I've heard that strobe lights are pretty fickle to use for thunder. You might want to use flood lights. Or, if the lightning is going to be inside your haunt, just use a regular superbright light bulb from a flashlight. As Jerry Chavez notes in his book, in a dark room, any light source seems bright. << The trouble is, that setup was pretty expensive >> I found a light organ kit at a local electronics store for less than 25 bucks. I have some ideas about how to do lightning and thunder under "1998 Plans" at my Halloween web page - http://members.aol.com/smessin983/Halloween/Halloween.html/ (shameless plug!) Take a look there. I haven't actually tried these ideas yet, so I'd appreciate anyone telling me if I'm wrong. - - - - - Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 22:32:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Bertino Subject: Re: HALL: Re:Thorz? On Wed, 15 Apr 1998, Ricky & Karen Dick wrote: > Hey , > > The theater effects thunders/lightning box I had for trade is gone, Thanks, > > Gravely > Castle Blood BTW, for those who would like lighting, I mean lighting... Take a look at http://bertino.tierranet.com/halloween/images/1997/hallwn97.avi 10.2 mb Thorz and TheatreFX's 700 strobe. I just got a video capture board for $43 delivered to my door and I'm trying it out. I'll look at compressing it, adding audio and other stuff.... www.ebay.com is way, way too scary for my wife.. :) :) :) - - - - - Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 22:41:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Bertino Subject: Re: HALL: Thunder & Lightning On Wed, 15 Apr 1998, John Denley wrote: > Buy Denny's Thunder Unit, the Theatre Effects Unit comes incomplete with a > radio shack shopping list as long as my arm! It is a good thing I can at > least solder! Hi John! Just to let you know, Nathan was *not* very happy about the amount of work the end user had to do. But he didn't make them, Cyberimage did. Craig of Cyberimage overstated what he could produce by a certain date, unfortunatly. It was alot of soldering, but I'm happy with it. We will see if Cyberimage comes out this year (or next) with anymore stuff... >From what I heard, it sounded like some way, way cool stuff. If I didn't have such high wattage, I'd gone with Denny's or built one from scratch. - - - - - From: JMeils42 Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 03:00:21 EDT Subject: HALL: Re: Thunder and Light Guys, First of all, I just got one of Denny's boxes....It's the ginchiest! :) For a pittence, you can own a little unit that will supply you with fantastic lightining FX, and he even throws in the CD to do it with! Second, the idea of using strobes for lightining is all wrong to begin with. Strobes only flash precisely timed, full intensity bursts of light. They don't look like real lightining at all. No, real lightining consists of a series of flashes of VARIABLE INTENSITY. Something that the "color organ" or Denny's Triac does very well. Some of you have noted that household incandesents are too yellow. This is true. However, there are two solutions to this. One: buy clear bulbs instead of the frosted kind. This will also give you a point light source, which will let you cast very dramatic shadows. Second, use photoflood bulbs. These are incandescents which have had their Kelvin color corrected for photography. They are much more blue/white. - - - - - From: SkinkSim Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 21:59:11 EDT Subject: HALL: Another THORZ trade I know when to admit defeat. I have a THORZ unit, with the sound effects cd, instructions - AND the proper radio shack parts and cable -- it works ... sorta. I figure any number of the technical wizards on this list could probably make it sing -- I just don't have that kind of patience or technical skill. Like Ricky, I am willing to trade this device for "something cool." E-mail me off list if you are interested. Scott Simmons - - - - - From: Orniske at aol.com Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 01:48:10 EDT Subject: HALL: WAS:lightning? now Rain FX In a message dated 8/20/98 2:09:25 PM, klingon1@gte.net writes: >Well at DL (correct me if I am wrong) two effects are used, the lighting >on the back wall >and for the "rain" they use that shiny angel hair christmass stuff. When >a fan blows on it, it looks liek hard rain falling... Disney patented a really neat rain effect, which works as follows (anyone can build this easily...) A line of low-pressure wide-spray sprinkler nozzles are fitted in a row on a pipe (likely PVC). These fire horizontally onto a short curtain of plastic, which has its bottom edge cut into a series of wide zig-zag serrations. The water forms into larger drops on the plastic surface, and 'rains' down off of it. I believe this is in use in the jungle section of The Land pavillion at EPCOT. Try it - it looks really decent. This is re-circulation pump territory, too, if you install a catch-basin below your 'drop-curtain.' - - - - - Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 07:04:10 -0800 (PST) From: Edward Morgan Subject: Re: HALL: Self-contained window storm-o-rama ---Robert Andrews wrote: > > I just rented "Murder By Death" (a Neil Simon movie with lotsa actors who > are now dead), and I thought that a cool project would be a device that > would attach to the outside of your window and give the illusion of a > violent thunder storm. It would be a box like thing with strobes, pump and > speakers that would be fairly simple to make and would help set the > atmosphere at a Halloween party or will reading. Whaddy think? > Bob Andrews > bandrews@inreach.com > the_boss@restin-petes.com > http://www.anaserve.com/~BoBandrews > http://www.restin-petes.com > Fisrt let me say that this is my first post to the group. My wife and I have been doing our annual Halloween party for 13 years now and we've always loved "scaring" the kids on Halloween. I just wish I had enough time and money to work on all great ideas I'm hearing and seeing here. Anyway your idea has been one of top "must-dos" for sometime. But I have it a little easier than you because I only need the effect for basement windows. The smaller scale makes the effect a little easier to pull off. Also I wouldn't go with the pump and real water for rain. I'm not saying that you shouldn't, I'm just saying I wouldn't. First (as always) you have to ask yourself, "How real do I want the effect to look". If I were doing a whole window effect like you describe, I wouldn't build a box to cover the window. I'd simply mount my stobes and speakers outside next to them. This way your guests can look outside and see 'real' things instead of just the inside of a black box. I'd also see if I could balance the effect by having a couple of strobes light the yard (or whatever) besides just flashing in the windows. Sync it all together with a color organ. As to the rain, I'd personally go with just an illusion here depending on how good it looked. Either just drape plastic over the window to diffuse the outside or use a clear medium with a clear silicone caulk on it to simulate the look of rain going down the window. I suppose you could fill a 35 gallon trash can up with some water and use some kind of pond/sump pump to pump the water through a hose to the windows. Have it run to some PVC pipe mounted over the window. The PVC could have holes or slits cut in it so that the water would spray out onto the window. But this is a little to intrusive for my tastes. It would probably look great from the inside, but (totally my opinion) if your guests walk up to your house and see a big box and a lot of hose covering your windows it takes away from it.Ê - - - - - From: "Andrews, Bob" Subject: RE: HALL: Self-contained window storm-o-rama Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 10:39:16 -0600 Then you need more storm boxes. I was thinking that a sync cable could be used so that lightning and thunder would work more realistically. BTW, we had a thunder storm on Sunday night, and sure enough, all of our bedroom's eight windows flashed in sync. -----Original Message----- From: owner-halloween-l at majordomo.netcom.com [mailto:owner-halloween-l at majordomo.netcom.com]On Behalf Of Jim Kadel Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 8:07 AM Subject: Re: HALL: Self-contained window storm-o-rama Bob, What if there's more than one window in the room? - - - - - From: Spookyfx at aol.com Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 21:43:37 EST Subject: HALL: Self-contained window In a message dated 1/18/99 4:02:43 PM Pacific Standard Time, the_boss@restin- petes.com writes: << I just rented "Murder By Death" (a Neil Simon movie with lotsa actors who are now dead), and I thought that a cool project would be a device that would attach to the outside of your window and give the illusion of a violent thunder storm. It would be a box like thing with strobes, pump and speakers that would be fairly simple to make and would help set the atmosphere at a Halloween party or will reading. Whaddy think? Bob Andrews bandrews@inreach.com >> I made a few of these, but they are designed to hang on a wall were there is no window. It is made to look like a stained glass window. You can see the outline of leaves and branches that touch the "out side" of the glass. Inside the unit is a camera flash and a speaker for the sound. - - - - - From: Hauntedfx at aol.com Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 22:21:01 EST Subject: Re: HALL: Self-contained window storm-o-rama i have done the water effect for a few years now I do like you say i have 2 wallpaper troughs i think thats what you call them one over the window and one under the window the one above has holes in it and they pour down to the other and are pumped back up we have very thick curtains and so you cant look out and up so its all concealed and my strobe is on the inside facing out ......the light shoots out the window and reflects in and it really looks real ...of corse i have a looped thunder track going...By the way another reason they don't get to close to the window i have a small table in front of the window...it really does look real....and sounds real ..i have a piece of tin between the house and the 2nd trough...and it sounds like rain beating down...I Only have it on one window but the strobe is realy bright and lights up that side of the yard ....also this side of my house is facing the woods and can not be seen..so thats something that falls in my favor........... - - - - - From: Spookyfx at aol.com Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 03:09:31 EST Subject: Re: HALL: Self-contained window Keeba writes: Wouldnt mind some info on this one myself... Jerry ^v^ writes: I am not sure what info you want. It is a box, about 4 inch wide. It is built out of wood and clear plastic. The frame looks like a stylish window frame. The "glass" is just plastic with colored plastic cut and glued to look like a stained glass window. Inside is plastic fake tree branch, a strobe and a speaker. The unit uses a VOX to synchronize the lightning with the sound of the thunder which is piped in on a 2 conductor wire.... I still have not used the roll of film with my Corpulator and chainsaw, as I wanted to get my tree project on this roll as well. But maybe I can also put a picture of the Self contained window on this as well befor I get it developed... - - - - - From: "Neal" Subject: RE: HALL: Self-contained window storm-o-rama Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 12:21:42 -0800 I was thinking about the storm window...how about a storm painting? I got a couple extra picture frames so I'm going to give it a try...What is Chris's URL? - - - - - From: TDDoggett at aol.com Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 11:28:22 EDT Subject: Re: HALL: outside lighting At the Hallowed Haunting Grounds we have traditionally used spotlights in a clamp-on fixture clamped to a brick to keep it low to the ground and covered with a black box with a hole cut in the side to control the area of illumination.Ê The hole is is covered with appropriate color media and the lights are plugged into wall-type dimmers to control the level.Ê These can be focused at a shallow angle down a row of headstones to give an eerie look and save fixtures. We have also built some light "fixtures" out of 4" black ABS drain pipe which hold an MR16 lamp or a small halogen PAR spot.Ê The socket mounted in the pipe segment is adjustable to control the beam spread, but we usually narrow it even further using black gaffers tape and black-wrap on the end of the pipe.Ê (black-wrap is matte-black aluminum foil available from theatrical supply stores.Ê Black-Wrap is a trademark of Great American Market.Ê Similar material is also distributed by Rosco, Lee-Colortran and others.) In addition, a set of lightning fixtures are placed to illuminate the trees, the fog, the "outside" of the windows in the music room and certain other props.Ê These are standard flood lights that are colored a very pale blue for contrast with the red/amber of most of the 'candle'-motivated light.Ê These are connected to color organ channels which are driven by an audio track which is run in parallel with a thunder track.Ê Using a separate 'impulse' track to actually control the lights gives us more control over the timing and the appearance of the lightning.Ê This way we can simulate an approching storm by having the light flash slightly before the thunder is heard. Lastly, many of our props are illuminated by flickering 'candles' (miniature christmas-tree lights on flicker circuits) in the form of candelabra, sconces, votives and lanterns.Ê We also use a few real votives in controlled locations. - - - - - From: CLUSTRCAJJ at aol.com Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 01:45:45 EDT Subject: HALL: Lightning Ê Here's one for beginning haunters, or haunters on a limited budget.Ê There was a string going on a few days ago about creating a good lightning effect around your haunt.Ê There are electronics available, as were talked about, that will sync up a thunder sound track with your lights and make them flicker when the thunder rumbles.Ê Sounds great.... I may get one myself soon.Ê But for those who don't want to put out those kind of bucks right now, here's a good way to do lightning with things you probably own right now: Ê Use any common video camera (or borrow one from a friend or relative).Ê Go into your bathroom or any small windowless room.Ê Put the camera on the counter, put it on RECORD and turn out the lights.Ê Now use the light switch and flicker away!Ê Make your lightning flickers very random, some longer, some super quick. Do this for at least twenty minutes of taping before you quit.Ê It goes faster than you think. Ê Now, rewind the tape, plug the camera into a VCR and record the twenty minutes of flashes onto a master tape.Ê At the end, rewind the camcorder and do this again.Ê Do it six times total and you now have two hours of pre- recorded lightning. Ê For your haunt, use a TV set that you can move easily.Ê Now use the VCR to play the tape on the TV set.Ê The TV actually becomes your lightning projector. When the tape is black, the TV will be black.Ê WHen the flashes of light come on, the TV will flicker VERY brightly.Ê In fact, you can use the brightness control on the TV to adjust it to your taste.Ê Now, just put the TV/VCR setup somewhere where it is out of view, like around a corner, behind a curtain, etc., and it will bounce lightning wherever it's pointed.Ê Ê For my last big H party, I had this going upstairs, positioned in a darkened bedroom so the light projected all across the upstairs ceilings.Ê Really looked like there was a raging storm going on outside all through the party.Ê I'm sure it would work outside just as well, long as you protected the setup from the weather. Best part is, the cost is next to nothing. - - - - - Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 19:35:32 -0500 From: Todesco Subject: Re: HALL: thunder and lightning control box Last Halloween I recorded about 6 thunders randomly on andless loop cassette from a wav file.Ê I also put one good wolf howl (also from a wav) in between the thunder.Ê The tape player was connected to an 80 watt amp and speaker, actually a GK keyboard amp/speaker, located it in an upstairs window. The neighbor across and down the street thought the weather had turned.Ê A little trick-or-treater tugged on her dad's jacket pocket and said, "Dad, we should get home before it rains!"Ê It was a great success.Ê This year I plan on doing the same thing but, the sound will be on one track.Ê The other track will have the thunder sound like the first track except about 2 seconds earlier. This track won't be heard, but will modulate a 'lightening lamp'.Ê BTW, halogen lamps are much whiter than traditional lamps and should look a bit more realistic. - - - - - From: "Esch, Michael A" Subject: RE: HALL: thunder and lightning control box Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 15:52:20 -0700 I have one of Denny's.Ê He and I suggest that you use normal floodlights. These are much more realistic. Strobes and halogens don't give off the desired effect AND are not quick enough.Ê He includes a CD of Lightning /storm tracks, Sub DIVE alarms, etc.ÊÊ For the price, you can't beat it!! Mike in NM >From: BOBSTER31 at aol.com [mailto:BOBSTER31 at aol.com] >does anyone have one of these DENNY has them i was wondering how good they >work and how they would work with a radio shack strobe light - - - - - Subject: Thunder & Lightning Machine (TLM) From: "Doug Lowe" Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 13:13:26 -0800 I added a description and parts list for my Thunder & Lightning Machine (TLM) to my Web site. It's based on two one-channel Velleman light organ kits I purchased locally and assembled. I got TONS of comments about the Thunder & Lightning this year. It's one = of the few effects I have that most people who visited my house had no idea = how it worked. 30 years ago I could have said "It's just a color organ" and = most visitors would have replied, "far out." The most common response I got = last week to "It's just a color organ" was a blank stare. --Doug - - - - - Subject: Re: Question about TLM From: "Doug Lowe" Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 23:06:57 -0800 I didn't make any modifications to the kit...just built two of the kits = and mounted them in the same box. One kit goes on the right speaker, the other on the left. I added a schematic to my site that might clear it up. --Doug ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 8:01 PM Subject: Hall: Question about TLM > What modifications did you actualy do to the kit? I love the idea of having > it stereo, it gives it more realism because the entire sky usualy = doesn't > light up all at once, only part(s). - - - - - Subject: Re: Howl - Lightening & Thunder From: "Tyler Henthorne" Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 12:50:41 -0800 The best way to replicate lightning is to use fire evacuation = unsyncronized strobes....when powered on the same circuit using a short duration timer (like an X10 Program with a 3 second interval run >from a Stamp Controller) they starve each other of the energy they need to operate ... some flash, others do not, those that do not flash store charge for the next cycle ... the entire process is random ... I prefer the fire strobes, because they = use little power, are directional, are very powerful, and can be hidden in a simulated cloud structure. - - - - - Subject: Re: Howl - Lightening & Thunder From: "Jim" Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 18:11:11 -0500 Hi There T/L fans, Well OK here goes, privileged information about a new product =3D> It "sounds like" :>) some may be interested in. Haunt Master Products will be introducing a Thunder/Lightning & Candle Flicker controller at Chicago Transworld next month. After introduction at this show all new products appear on our Web site. Two advantages over existing product will be the fact that ours, as the name hints, will produce a random pattern candle flicker in addition to a thunder/lightning effect. Also maximum wattage will be over 600. I agree with Jerry that the best lightning effect is obtained with the very bright PHOTO FLOOD light bulbs. These must be purchased at photography stores. (suggest you call store first to see if they carry "photo flood" bulbs) These bulbs screw into a standard socket and use 120 volts, but run six or seven dollars for a single 300 watt bulb... However, the difference in brightness makes lightning effect well worth it = - - - - - Subject: Random Lightening & Thunder ? From: Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 21:56:41 EST In a message dated 2/25/2001 3:19:38 PM Pacific Standard Time, hmaster@shentel.net writes: << Haunt Master Products will be introducing a Thunder/Lightning & Candle Flicker controller at Chicago Transworld next month. After introduction at this show all new products appear on our Web site. Two advantages over existing product will be the fact that ours, as the name hints, will produce a random pattern candle flicker in addition to a thunder/lightning effect. Also maximum wattage will be over 600. >> Jerry ^v^ writes: Thunder AND Lighting? So the THUNDER sound effect is synchronized with the lighting flashes but at a random rate? Or do you mean this is only a random flashing device with no sound synchronization? If you have it synchronized to sound AND it costs less then the "existing" devices then you will be putting Spooky F/X out of the Lighting and Thunder business. OUCH, what am I going to do with my stock of parts? :~) Actually I believe you have a DIFFERENT product then what we have. (As ours is made to sync to the thunder sound effects) The two are NOT really comparable. (or am I wrong)? Good luck on your new product Jim! - - - - - Subject: Re: Howl - Lightening & Thunder From: Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 09:27:52 -0600 At 06:11 PM 02/25/2001 -0500, Jim wrote: >Hi There T/L fans, >Also maximum >wattage will be over 600. TBD's HD unit will handle up to 800 Watts and people are only normally = told this if they ask. We prefer to advertise and advise 500 Watts since many people tend to push the limits anyhow. On request, we've built them up to 1,200 Watts. Jerry Wrote: >If you have it synchronized to sound AND it costs less then >the "existing" devices then you will be putting Spooky F/X >out of the Lighting and Thunder business. >OUCH, what am I going to do with my stock of parts? Don't worry too much Jerry, there are already a few units on the market competing with each other with prices of $30.00 to $400.00. Our sales keep increasing, I'm sure yours' do also. I have 30 years of experience engineering consumer and industrial products for a living and have been involved with the development of thousands of products from the birth of the initial concept to final packaging considerations. If someone can use the same quality parts, build the same quality product and sell it for less... more power to them!! :) (Also Jerry, I'm finally getting back to a assembling a Links page, thanks for your patience) I don't like to harp product on mailing lists but if anyone is interested in what TBD has been up to here's a quick update. For those looking for TBD at Transworld... Like a number of other companies we're taking the year off from having a booth. While fun, Transworld means very little to our bottom line, or earning a living at the end of the year. So we're taking the time and energy to concentrate on building inventory, acquiring additional CNC PC board manufacturing equipment and finishing some very exciting new = products currently in development. The first product out of the chute will be a 20 function servo driver for animation work. The price target is well under 70 bucks and will include the self contained driver with its' on-board computer, a servo and power supply. I've finished the programming and prototyping on this, final PC board layout and case design is almost finished. The next out will be a multi-channel programmable/digital version of TBD's Universal Dual Timer. Features include expanded time scales, delays before -On-, good ol' easy = to use knobs for setting the times and much more. Again, programming and prototyping are finished, final PC board layout and case considerations = are almost finished. Low cost, programmable, Universal Light and LED drivers are on the way but after the above. After a few months of parts shortages our TerrorCords are back in the TBD line. The design is based on successful experience with sound recording/playback and prototyping for the toy industry over the course of 12 years. Since we have decades of solid product design and engineering experience TBD will be represented at Transworld by a number of demanding companies such as Morris Costume, Distortions, Digital Sound and Light, etc. And by request, we're also working on products to enhance or replace current devices used by some of these companies. - - - - - Subject: Lightning simulation From: "SablKnight" Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2001 23:22:01 -0400 I'm trying to work up a good way of setting up a thunder + lightning machine both for a party and for the TOTs. For the party I'm probably going to set up spotlights or photoflood lights with reflectors to flash the lightning across the windows of one room from the outside and run the sound through my computer speakers (pretty good set, has a nice sub-woofer). My problem is more with the setup for Halloween night; if I use the same sort of thing it will be fairly obvious that the 'lightning' is coming from bulbs mounted at the corner of the porch; any good ways of disguising this, or any other suggestions? - - - - -