Skele-Dropper V2

After Skele-Dropper V1 failed the previous year, I decided to revive the project for Halloween 2024. The core idea stayed the same: drop a skeleton from above, flash strobe lights, play a loud scream, and record video of the reaction with consent.

The new version changed the mechanism. Instead of a slow stepper motor lowering the skeleton, I planned to use a solenoid latch like a door latch to drop the skeleton from an enclosed spot. I also planned to use a guitar amp over Bluetooth instead of a weak microcontroller-powered speaker.

8/24/24 to 8/26/24: After a burst of inspiration, I revived the project in a new form. I used Trello to organize brainstorming, including “take one candy” traps and more complicated ideas, but decided to stick with a simpler mechanic based on last year’s project.

9/2/24: CAD started. On 9/7/24, the first CAD run was complete. I chose a simple system with a large area to hold the skeleton and a hatch below it held shut by the solenoid latch.

The larger box was for the skeleton, and the smaller box was for the electronics. Once I saw the model, it was obvious the skeleton enclosure was too small. I also needed a hole to thread rope through so the hatch could be pulled back up.

9/13/24: CAD V2 was finished with a larger enclosure and holes for the rope.

Prototype work started after the components arrived and the parts were printed. I began by tinkering with the motion sensor and MOSFET solenoid driver, making a simple circuit to test the basic trigger system.

After that, I finished wiring and assembling the rest of the electronics enclosure.

I started programming, beginning with the lights because they were the hardest part due to the proprietary libraries needed to run them. Eventually, I got them functioning.

After too many compatibility issues, the speaker system had to be abandoned. Testing was next.

On Halloween, the original setup was not working well. The latch would not open reliably under the skeleton’s weight, and I could not pull it high enough to hide it.

Eventually I got it barely working, but barely working was not enough. My dad said getting it to work once would be enough, but I wanted a better reaction. I realized the scare had to be close to people, and the only thing I could guarantee people would get close to was the candy bowl.

I moved the candy bowl under the Skele-Dropper, loaded in a tiny skeleton, and set it up so when people reached into the bowl, the skeleton would drop on them.