A decent-sized magnet glued to the back of the cabinet will make mounting the object on metal surfaces very convenient, as well as a pair of hooks at each side of the case for wrapping it around a pole or tree. The best height for the device is about 4 feet off of the ground to simulate the size of a wolf or some other large nocturnal creature that can hold its ground against a full-grown human. Another little trick you could use to make the illusion even more convincing for outdoor use is the installation of the device on a spring-loaded pole so that it wavers a bit in the wind, making it look as though the creature was trying to get a distance bearing on its prey (you) before attacking. Figure 5-9 is a shot of my blinking eyes as they peer back at me deep in the dark corner of the storage room. Would you hang around to investigate?
Besides the faint clinking noise that the eyes make when they blink, the illusion is pretty eerie to look at, and at a distance, there would be no audible noise at all. If you find that the motor is a
bit loud, then you could try increasing the value of R4 to limit the motor current a bit more, or try adding a bit of sponge at the points where there is mechanical contact to lessen the click. At 20 feet or so, the unit does not make any noticeable noise, and this seems to be a perfect distance to make the eyes look real. So next time you are out at camp telling stories of blood-thirsty wolves and man- eating bears, add these glowing, blinking eyes into the mix for a real good scare. The first person brave enough to use the outhouse at midnight will be back in a real hurry, I bet!
Figure 5-9 Are you looking at me?
As shown in Figure 5-10, most PCs will have a
1⁄
8stereo plug for a microphone or input device,
and will often have a photo of a microphone or an arrow pointing towards the jack indicating that this is the plug for your microphone. I don’t know if there are any color standards, but the microphone jacks on the PCs in my house have a pink outline.
Some PCs and many laptops may have a microphone built right into the case somewhere,
so there may not be an external connector, but that is OK, as long as there is some way to record sound into the computer. If you are familiar with multimedia software and sound recording, then you are probably already thinking about ways to create scary sound effects for this gag, so feel free to browse ahead now that you understand what this project is about. If you have never tried to get sound into your computer before, then find a microphone that will fit into the microphone or input jack on your computers sound card. Often, these simple microphones are included with the computer, and can be purchased at any computer store for under $10 (they are called multimedia microphones). Once you have the microphone plugged into the input jack on the computer’s sound card, open up the volume control by double clicking on the little speaker icon at the bottom right of your task bar. These instructions are based on Windows XP, since it is the most widely used operating system at the time this book was written, but you will be able to follow along with just about any operating system (Windows Vista also has the same programs and controls we need). Figure 5-11 shows the panel that will appear once you double
Project 18—Computer Audio Nightmare
Figure 5-10 A microphone input jack
click on the volume icon, or engage it from the start menu.
As shown in Figure 5-11, start by clicking on “Options,” then click on “Properties,” and finally click on “Recording” so you can make sure that the button “Microphone” is checked off, indicating that the microphone input is the currently active sound input port on the computer’s sound card. Once “Microphone” is selected, press OK to bring up the microphone input properties panel as shown in Figure 5-12.
The control panel shown in Figure 5-12 lets you adjust the input levels for your microphone, and you will want to ensure that everything is “cranked” to the limit in order to get a loud
enough recording. Start by moving the microphone slide all the way up and then click on “Advanced”, if your panel has such a button, to reveal the microphone boost panel, if available. Again, crank all sliders to the max, and check off “Microphone Boost”, if such a button is available on your system. Now you can click “OK,” or apply through all of the panels in order set and close your
microphone properties. Your microphone is set to be the default sound input device, and its volume level will be set to the maximum level so you do not have to scream at the top of your lungs in order to make a decent recording, although you may want to anyhow! Now, let’s start up the basic sound recorder that is built into your operating system so you can test your microphone and make