Animated Skull V2

I have been working all month on a revised version of the animated skull I built last year which was something that took me 2 years to complete. I am building a new skull for a seminar I am doing the beginning of May. I thought I'd make a few improvements over the first one while I was at it.

1. Use 1/8" instead of 1/4" plexiglas for the plate. It is easier to cut and lighter weight.

2. Use 60lb fishing line for the Jaw connection instead of wire or rod. Reduces the stress on the jaw servo and creates a more life like movement.

3. Use rare earth magnets instead of zip ties to hold the plate down. Much easier to take the plate on and off with.

4. Use 2-56 sized ball and socket linkages instead of 4-40 ball swivels. You can easily pop them on and off and they are much smaller

5. Use RJ-45 ethernet jacks for wiring connectors. Easier to organize the wires and less obvious.


I am working on a design for moving eyes but it hasn't worked out yet. I think for my seminar I'll probably use the same fixed LED eyes but for this halloween I'll figure out the eyes.

Dangers of cat wrangling

I know it looks like I was suicidal but only if you consider trying to put a cat in a cat cage suicidal. Our 2 younger cats that are brother and sister have unusually sharp and hook like claws so we take them to the vet once in a while to get them trimmed. The male (Mason) is a HUGE cat for being so young and his back claws are like knives. So it was pretty stupid of me to grab him and stuff him in a cage with my bare arms exposed to his back legs. Before I knew it he had climbed up my arm and out of the cage.