I’m currently in the middle of working on my lighting system for my pack and now I’ve run into a delima. Is having a sound system a necessity for a great proton pack? In my case, I’ll be in a parade and then a costume contest afterwards. I am trying to create a homemade sound system but nothing is really going to plan on that. Being this close to Halloween, should I continue working on the sound system or just settle for the lights?
not a necessity, but a plus to be sure. But at the same time…what are people gonna say to you when they see your pack? " you don’t have sound. thats crap" or " that is freakin sweet man" I’m guessin the latter. If you can put one in, then go for it, if your not able to do it, then don’t. either way, your still gonna turn some heads
I’m with you. I had this whole sound scheme worked out to use a toy lightsaber circuit and a toy voice changer. It’s definately LOUD LOUD LOUD… but really bulky for what it is.
And when I had to change my thrower design to try to meet the popular deadline… I decided I would just stick a couple 3 volt motors in there and wire them up to a switch with a power supply of 9 volts or so… those things should wind out pretty loudly… at least, that’s what I’m hoping.
Good luck!
What they said ^ 
A sound system is nice, but if you have lights in it, you’re already two steps above everyone else in a costume contest, IMO (the other step above being that you’re a ghostbuster, of course).
Ok. This year I can make do without a sound system. But the next time I take on a project like this, I’m sure the bugs will be worked out.
Maplin does a nice little kit that allows you to record 5 separate clips up to 30 seconds in total, stored in flash memory. I’m thinking about hiding a big speaker in the cyclotron bit of my pack, for that convincing whoosh/rumble sound when powering up!
I would always read in the Proptopia forums that everyone who’s done their own sound system has ended up spending more money than they wanted, which made them end up purchasing Hyperdyne sound packs.
//tomasi
Absolutely not true. I rigged up a GREAT sound system for under $40.
Take a pair of these Sony Speakers (I got mine for $30 at Wal-Mart), tie them to the sides of your ALICE frame like so:
Use the battery compartment (3 AAA’s) or rig up a larger power supply to the AC jack, and plug them into your existing CD, MP3 or (in my case) MiniDisc player loaded with a custom Ghostbusters soundtrack, and you’re set.
The sound is great, and the effect is convincing. And of course you can paint the outter shell of the speakers to match the ALICE frame, but I didn’t see the point. Nobody noticed them when I went out.
Cheers,
Patrick.
PS - I’m not saying anything bad about Hyperdyne’s sound systems. I’ve heard one before and they’re quite amazing. I’m just saying there are affordable alternatives that still sound great.
hey those were the exact same speakers i spied today in wal mart…are they any worth getting? do they buzz a lot / sound good? i must admit, i was apprehensive :?
I’ve had these speakers for the better part of a year now and I’m quite pleased with them. I’ve of course used them in my proton pack’s custom sound system at three Halloween parties and one sci-fi convention trying different mounting techniques each time. Even when they were stuffed in my shorts pockets under my flightsuit they were quite audible over the din of the convention hall.
I’ve also used them as auxiliary speakers for my laptop when my wife and I are watching movies in bed, and they sound great for this application as well.
Please be advised though, I am not by my standards or anyone else’s an “audiophile.” I am all about things being “good enough.” So if you need all kinds of Dolby Digital nonsense, these speakers might not be for you. But at only $30 (and with an incredible battery life I’ve found) they are definitely worth trying.
“good enough” works for me! i just don’t want to blow them the first time i fire up the soundz thanks for the response i’ll pick some up tomorrow!
Hey, look at it this way: If you don’t like them you can always return them. Wal-Mart is lenient that way.
even if it’s busted open?
just be careful when taking it apart.
i found some black ones at circuit city for 20 bucks, and yep…they definitely will get the job done!
You’d probably want to listen to the sound quality before you go modifying the speakers. Personally, I haven’t found a need to. You can mount them to the alice pack frame without anyone noticing. Especially if you get the black ones like you found.
I am personally in the process of doing this myself (just finished hacking out my mp3 player).I plan on getting some speakers and mounting the speakers them selfs into the reverse side of the mother board and drilling holes for sound. either that or round circles with black felt stretched across. Tying to keep everything inside the pack.