PROP LAB: Turn Your Battery Powered Props to Plug-in!

[@FabWorks80]

I struggle with the electrical side of prop making and this just simplified it...Thank you, Derek!!!

[@na_dann_mal_los]

Hello & greetings from Germany. I really love your channel. So much nice stuff :) Great work! Yes, the step-down (or DC-DC-buck)-convertors are very handy. But I advise everyone to take good care of the voltage-drop: the higher the difference between incoming and outgoing voltage, there more heat will be dissipated. That said, it's a big difference, if you use a 12V- or 5V-System to power that thing up . Me and my neighbour had prepared a big haunt this year and converted all of our props to run them on powerline. We used two big power supplies: one 12V/30A PSU and one 5V/80A PSU (regulated down to 4.5V). To our satisfaction most of the available props on the market (nearly 99%) use either 12V (like the air-blown-stuff) or 4.5V (typical "three-battery-items"). So the only task is to connect wires to the (correct!) battery-contacts of the prop, connect the other side to a barrel connector and you're good to go :) I suggest using the non-soldering-method by twisting or pinning wires to the battery-contacs and fixate them with tape and/or the battery-lid. So it's easy reversible if you decide to power it by battery again. Keep on doing great stuff & always stay healthy. Best regards.

[@HobbyHalloween]

I've been using these modules for a long time and they are wonderful... I like the fact that I can run everything off of 12V and I don't need to have multiple power bricks and get them mixed up and I have the 5.5mmx1.2mm barrel jack/plug with a positive center... so I can use off the shelf splitters and extension cables... again, that removes mistakes of plugging in the wrong power supply and potentially blowing up the circuit. Before I got everything adapted, I used a yellow tape or yellow marking for +12V and red tape markings +5V

[@herbveitenhans3285]

Could you do a video of your power supply and how to connect all of these things together if you have multiples? Thank you

[@daShare]

Over the years I've modified countless Halloween and Christmas items to run from a central DC supply. Some were solar, some were battery. The simple linear regulator shown can get hot (and shutdown) if it has to drop too much voltage at a reasonable current. You can get switching step down ("buck") converters quite cheap that will run quite cool even when supplying an Amp or more current and going from 12V (or 24V) to 3V, 5V, etc. I have some mods shown on my YT channel and web site.

[@GarlandLym]

Awesome Find ! Thanks for Sharing. Luckily I got to Amazon just in time to grab the last one.

[@costumesforalloccasions]

Great job Derek!

[@jamess1787]

I've used those in the past, but primarily to salvage the parts. I've modified them with a 1K NTC thermistor and some changes to the pot (and onboard resistor). They get hot depending on the load you put them under, even with just running a fan they can get hot.

[@WhiteysWickedWorkshop]

Yeah good stuff. I think my profession makes me take a lot of stuff for granted. Thanks for video!

[@Gwicz]

So i got to wondering... How many devices/candles can we put on one of those step downs? Like if you have multiple candles on the same tombstone, do you need one for each candle???

[@VanOaksProps]

I haven't tested it yet, but I'll let you know when I do. My assumption is that you should be able to run multiples from one circuit.

[@nil810]

Yes, you can run multiples off of 1 circuit.

[@asmarteru]

I've used these in some of my controllers and animatronics. Handy little things. Thanks for sharing.

[@VanOaksProps]

You bet!

[@asmarteru]

Where did you get those tea lights? I haven't seen the ones with the little flame.

[@VanOaksProps]

links in the description.

[@asmarteru]

@@VanOaksProps thanks, I forget to click the description arrow on mobile. LOL

[@richardblkmann3298]

Thank you for this. My nightmare has finally come to an end. And it couldn't have come at a better time as the Christmas decorations are currently going up. Can't wait to upgrade my Halloween props!

[@fargusdetailedmodeling]

How many lights can you connect to one step down circuit?

[@VanOaksProps]

Great question. I haven't tested it yet.

[@OfficialGlitchLab]

We do something like this. We run a lot of our props on 5v and use a USB step up to 9v or 12v. We really have to get on posting about our projects but we are just too busy with day job and business its hard to keep on top of everything.

[@wolfman75]

Cool!!! Thank You for the info!!! 👍😎😁

[@mint7388]

interesting, can 1 power source + 1 step down power say, 5 candles? or would the power source have to split into 5 step downs first?

[@VanOaksProps]

Yes. As long as they're all the same voltage you can use one to handle multiple

[@easily-made9910]

Thanks for this as I was ljust ooking yesterday for a solution to a Christmas light project that I wanted to run off 12v.

[@VanOaksProps]

Glad I could help

[@gravemarker]

Thanks. This one is really handy.

[@hmansion]

We have soooo many of these “Haunted Mansion” candles in the house and the constant need to recharge batteries has sapped any desire to use them frequently. This may be a cost & effort-effective way to solve the problem! (And another opportunity to break out the soldering iron 👍👏)

[@shadowops62]

Fantastic! Being the noob I am, do I need one of those each prop?

[@VanOaksProps]

Great question. I haven’t tested it, but I’d think you could run multiples in the same way that you can connect more than one plug into a power strip.

[@shadowops62]

We have the talking skulls from Wal-Mart. Each set of three uses 3 AA batteries for light, motion, and sound. I'm thinking one per set

[@GravelyMacCabre]

@@VanOaksProps yeah that was my question as well. Like, the large pillars that take 2 or 3 AAAs,or more than one.

[@crazybirdlady522]

Derek, your videos are always so helpful. I understand the wiring of the step down circuit to an LED candle now, but I’m wondering about how to do it on a skeleton with pre-wired LED eyes? There are wires from the two AA batteries to the eyes and to the activation button. The activation button is on a set of leads, coming out from the skull. If I simply take the batteries out, cut the activation switch leads coming out of the skull, and solder the step down into the lead ends and then into my 12 volt connection would that work? Or would I need to put the step down into the leads currently going to the battery and the other side to my 12volt connection? Or would I need to put a step down in both sets of leads (power and switch)? I’m trying to convert all our props to run on house current, from a manually controlled switch box. (And I really don’t know much about wiring😂). Taking a better look at it, now I have it apart, there is also a on/off switch wired into the circuit. And a resister on the positive lead to the battery.

[@VanOaksProps]

That’s a lot of options. lol. Without seeing it I don’t feel confident in giving you directions and would hate for you to ruin your prop.

[@crazybirdlady522]

I appreciate your prompt reply. I have a photo, but don’t know how to up load it here. I’m thinking replace the battery box with the 12 volt power supply through the the step down. Then maybe directly to the LEDs, and eliminate both switches from the circuit?

[@crazybirdlady522]

Just wanted to let you know, I took both switches out of the circuit. Wired the leads from the LEDs to the step down and the other side of the step down to 12 volts. It worked great!

[@andrewgee5608]

I have a Home Depot 8' Spider that uses three 2800 mAh AA batteries for its light up eyes and sound effects. For Halloween, I place it on my roof, and I'd rather not have to replace the batteries climbing up on the roof every day. Do you know of a simple kit or circuit diagram to add a solar panel/circuit to power/recharge the batteries with?

[@VanOaksProps]

I can't say that I do.

[@MysteriousWays13]

Sorry if I've missed the point and the answer is right in front of me, but how would this work if you have multiple lights?

[@VanOaksProps]

Not a problem. You should be able to plug multiple lights into the circuit.

[@13ghosts31]

So is it safe enough to use a 12v wall plug in adapter and dial it down to 4.5v? Been watching a few of your videos today, really good knowledge here. 👍🏻

[@VanOaksProps]

In my experience I wouldn’t recommend it if you can avoid it, since you’re dropping voltage by more than half.

[@landyhaile]

Thank you for the video. Just an observation but some of my props have their batteries in series but look in parallel. In other words a two battery AA prop may or may not be 1.5V. Also, have you considered Power Over Ethernet (PoE)?

[@ericthorsell7515]

I've noticed some 'reviews' on Amazon warning about heat build up. Have you had any issues? I buy old chargers from a local thrift store to use so most of the time I'm only trying to drop 5v down to 3

[@VanOaksProps]

I could see that being an issue if there's a huge drop in voltage, but I'm like you and only changing by 1-3v.

[@xxxxzorroxxxx]

I was thinking using 20v battery form a drill. Can be done with this. If not do u know what I should get. Step down 12v , 5v, 3v from dewalt 20v.

[@VanOaksProps]

Not with this specific step-down circuit. It's only designed to step down from 12v. I'm sure there's others out there that will go from higher voltages, but I haven't tried any.

[@daShare]

What you want is a buck converter, not a simple linear regulator off eBay, etc for a dollar or two each. Check the specs to see what the maximum input voltage is and what output range they are adjustable for.

[@sklikizos]

The The LM317 module linked supports variable input and output, so it's more than capable for the voltages you specified, you just need to adjust the potentiometers using a digital multimeter. As long as you're not exceeding its current draw you'll be fine. However I would recommend a more modern circuit like an LM2596-based module which has a similar adjustable input and output range but is more efficient.

[@tramdr]

I just use the proper voltage walwart to run mine.

[@VanOaksProps]

Which is a great option, too. In my case, I run a bunch of LED lights on a singular 12v power source. Having this circuit allows me to use these small votives on that same system without having to run separate lower voltage power.

[@GHILLIESARCADEANDMORE]

Cool

[@mariafelix4047]

Derek how can I convert or change my regular battery operated items and switch them to one with battery timer ⏲️ ?

[@lindamcafee2477]

How many LED lights can I run on one power supply?

[@VanOaksProps]

About 60.

[@beast2747]

What do you do when it’s raining?! What can I do to waterproof my electrical props?!

[@beast2747]

I put all wiring ect. in a little box but what can I do to protect the candle itself?*

[@VanOaksProps]

Depending on the style of candle you use, you may just need a bit of silicone around the upper edge where the "flame" meets the body of the candle. If you're using the moving flame style like in the video, you may be need to disassemble the unit and extend the wires to allow for you to hide the electronics in a more water tight container.

[@VanOaksProps]

Depending on the prop (store bought or home made) some come with watertight motor housings.

[@beast2747]

Okay thank you very much, that helped👍🏻👍🏻

[@lesliedeana5142]

At my previous home haunt, I also converted most of my battery props to DC, using adjustable power supplies. In one of my rooms, I had a great set of gemi props that were originally designed to be single table-top mechanical s, that I got multiples of and ligned the hallway on both sides with these, triggered by a single motion detector, so the person walking down the hallway was 'attacked' from both directions as they walked down. One of the props on the table was cute, but when you are attacked from both sides, and synchronized with appropriate lighting & audio from the collection, it became very effective.