Bates Motel comes alive...

[tech-student13]

Hello Everyone,

I am designing and building a project for school and need some
technical assistance. My idea is to build the "Bates Motel" that has a
flashing "Vacancy" to "No Vacancy" sign. Also, a separate flashing LED
sign on the door which coincides with the Vacancy sign to read "Open"
when "Vacancy" is lit and then "Closed" when "No Vacancy" is lit. (2
signs total) I realize this may be an overly ambitious project to
undertake, but I think it would be so much fun to try... plus, I could
use it later on also, maybe set it out on the porch for Halloween or
something... ;o)

Ok, I have 2 bread boards and 100 red LED's to start with. I also have
a toolbox full of other components, wiring and chips to work with.
Whatever I do not have I am willing to buy. What I need help with is
the design itself... what all will this entail? Any ideas??? (help!)
;o)

Thank you in advance for anyone who adventurously helps me with this
task....

~S.W.

 

[Ken Taylor]

Hello Everyone,

I am designing and building a project for school and need some
technical assistance. My idea is to build the "Bates Motel" that has a
flashing "Vacancy" to "No Vacancy" sign. Also, a separate flashing LED
sign on the door which coincides with the Vacancy sign to read "Open"
when "Vacancy" is lit and then "Closed" when "No Vacancy" is lit. (2
signs total) I realize this may be an overly ambitious project to
undertake, but I think it would be so much fun to try... plus, I could
use it later on also, maybe set it out on the porch for Halloween or
something... ;o)

Ok, I have 2 bread boards and 100 red LED's to start with. I also have
a toolbox full of other components, wiring and chips to work with.
Whatever I do not have I am willing to buy. What I need help with is
the design itself... what all will this entail? Any ideas??? (help!)
;o)

Thank you in advance for anyone who adventurously helps me with this
task....

~S.W.

Well, I wouldn't use LED's as it seems like over-kill, but I'm a
spoil-sport - if the object of the project is to use LED's, then so be
it.

You have just two conditions:
1. Vacancy and Open;
2. No Vacancy and closed.

So you want two power rails to power LED's; when in condition 1 and one
powered in condition 2. I assume that you're just going to manually
switch between the two...?

You also have some comonality between the signs, so some LED's will
always be on, so that's a third power rail. Let's assume you wire 8
LED's in series and they draw 20mA each, so you could run them from a
12V DC rail and put a 120 Ohm resistor in series. About right, you can
always adjust it later.....

To flash the power rails use a flashing LED either in each string of 8
(expensive) or use one on the main power rail (#3) via a transistor to
pulse all 3 rails.

I think you can probably figure out the main rail going to the switch
and generating rails 1 and 2. Someone with an ascii art prog and a few
minutes can probably draw it quicker than me. I have a cup of tea
getting cold.

Cheers.

Ken

 

[Geo]

Hello Everyone,

I am designing and building a project for school and need some
technical assistance.

<snip>

You need the newsgroup next door for homework --->

Geo

 

[tech-student13]

Thank you Ken! I appreciate your help...

 

[Tim Wescott]

<snip>

You need the newsgroup next door for homework --->

Geo

As homework problems go this is high on my list of ones that I would
answer. Ken got there first, so I didn't. But the OP was:

* Upfront with the fact it was homework.
* Was asking for solutions to the part that had him stumped,
not the whole thing.
* Explained the whole problem rather than just quoted a problem
statement from a book.
* Had obviously put some thought into it already.

All in all, I think he'll be learning from our (well, Ken's) help rather
than just cheating himself and his classmates.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/

 

[Keith]

Well, I wouldn't use LED's as it seems like over-kill, but I'm a
spoil-sport - if the object of the project is to use LED's, then so be
it.

You have just two conditions:
1. Vacancy and Open;
2. No Vacancy and closed.

So you want two power rails to power LED's; when in condition 1 and one
powered in condition 2. I assume that you're just going to manually
switch between the two...?

Or put the resistors for one sign one direction and the other
reverse; use the same current limiting resistors. Switch the
supply polarity (DPDT switch) to change signs.

You also have some comonality between the signs, so some LED's will
always be on, so that's a third power rail. Let's assume you wire 8
LED's in series and they draw 20mA each, so you could run them from a
12V DC rail and put a 120 Ohm resistor in series. About right, you can
always adjust it later.....

That would make my solution a bit tougher (anti-parallel LEDs or a
bridge around them).

To flash the power rails use a flashing LED either in each string of 8
(expensive) or use one on the main power rail (#3) via a transistor to
pulse all 3 rails.

Center-off position on the DPDT switch. ;-)

 

[Kryten]

Hello Everyone,

I am designing and building a project for school and need some
technical assistance. My idea is to build the "Bates Motel" that has a
flashing "Vacancy" to "No Vacancy" sign.

The movie had a definite fifties look and feel, so I'd perhaps skip the
LEDs.
You might shop around neon sign shops, I'm sure they still sell such signs.

Much of the brooding atmosphere comes the gothic architecture and isolation.
At Universal Studios, the building sits high and alone, so it looks bleak
and desolate.

I bought a postcard from the Bates Motel. "Dear Mom, found a really cheap
place to stay, prices have been slashed repeatedly but I can see why. The
shower curtain is in ribbons, and the floor is a bloody mess. Landlord
promises to drag himself up and have a stab at the problem. Still, not worth
getting cut up about..."

and so it went on in similar vein.

Halloween

I want a doorbell that emits a sounds of chainsaws, blood curdling screams,
electric shocks etc. and a door that oozes blood.

It is a step up from my usual post-it note stating that trick-or-treaters
will be butchered and their organs sold on e-bay for beer money.

 

[Ken Taylor]

I want a doorbell that emits a sounds of chainsaws, blood curdling screams,
electric shocks etc. and a door that oozes blood.

It is a step up from my usual post-it note stating that trick-or-treaters
will be butchered and their organs sold on e-bay for beer money.

A push-button triggered voice recorder chip is probably the way to go.
Or curse the expense, just get a boxing glove on one of those expendable
arm thingies, a la Three Stooges.

Cheers.

Ken

 

[Kryten]

A push-button triggered voice recorder chip is probably the way to go. Or
curse the expense, just get a boxing glove on one of those extendable arm
thingies, a la Three Stooges.

I like the way you think but that would be more comedic than scary.

I thought of something involving projectile vomit but someone I know had a
visit from the police after hosing down trick or treaters with ordinary
water.

 

[tech-student13]

Thank you for all of the ideas.... I think Halloween will be much more
fun this year!!! ;o)

 

[Rich Grise]

I like the way you think but that would be more comedic than scary.

I thought of something involving projectile vomit but someone I know had a
visit from the police after hosing down trick or treaters with ordinary
water.

If you want to see some projectile vomit, rent "Monty Python's The Meaning
of Life" and keep an eye out for Mr. Creosote. (they used something that
looked very much like that lumpy orange salad dressing, whatever it's
called.)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Ian Stirling]

I like the way you think but that would be more comedic than scary.

Cheap MP3 player, amp, and moderate sized speakers either side of the
door.
Oozing blood is easy to do - but hard to reset for the next visitor.

I thought of something involving projectile vomit but someone I know had a
visit from the police after hosing down trick or treaters with ordinary
water.

"Oh dear officer, my radio controlled water-cannon seems to have
suffered interference.
I'll have to shield it better, sorry for any inconvenience it may have
caused to the people it ripped the clothes off and threw into the
street"

 

[Kryten]

Thank you for all of the ideas.... I think Halloween will be much more
fun this year!!! ;o)

For you maybe, for your neighbourhood kids maybe not. ;->


If you're a tall skinny kid, you might make a bit of pocket money buying an
Alien costume and hiring yourself out to parents.

"Oh Timmy! Somebody's calling for you!"

at which point you salivate battery acid on the porch and hand little Timmy
a typed note saying

I HEAR THERE ARE KIDS WHO WON'T EAT THEIR BROCCOLI AROUND HERE.
WOULD THAT BE YOU?

"And you didn't believe me when I said that monsters ate kids who don't eat
their greens eh son?"