EnlightenedGrinch
01-14-2010, 12:16 PM
Buffalo Snow Switch Mat
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/th_002.jpg
Materials
Buffalo Snow (Cotton type material)
Thin Cardboard
Thin electrical wire
Clear Packing Tape
Electrical Tape
Aluminum Foil
Instructions:
Cut two identical pieces of thin cardboard in the shape and size you want your mat to be. I used cereal box cardboard for mine.
Then cut out a section of the Buffalo Snow the same size/shape as the cardboard pieces.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/004.jpg
Cover one side of each cardboard piece with aluminum foil, fold it around to the back side and tape it in place with the clear packing tape. Take the section of Buffalo snow you cut earlier and use some scissors to cut out some evenly spaced holes all over it. I make the holes about the size of a Half dollar. Try to leave about a 1/2 inch border all the way around the snow piece.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/005.jpg
Take two lengths of thin wire and strip back about 1/2 inch of insulation off of each end. Curl the ends of the two wires into a semi-circle shape.
Use some electrical tape and tape around the border edge (on top of the aluminum foil) of the aluminum foil side of ONE of the two cardboard pieces. (This keeps the top and bottom mat sections from shorting out when they are taped together in a later step.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/010.jpg
Use some clear packing tape to tape the curled bare wire end onto the corner area of one of the foil/cardboard pieces. Tape it on the foil covered side.
Repeat this step for the other foil/cardboard piece.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/009.jpg
Next, lay the Buffalo snow piece onto the aluminum side of one of the foil/cardboard pieces.
Place the second cardboard foil piece on top of the snow (aluminum side down), basically sandwiching the snow section between the two foil/cardboard pieces.
Tape the whole thing together around the edges using the packing tape.
I then cut out a section of a black plastic leaf bag to cover the mat on both sides. This will help to make it less noticable and also somewhat water resistant. Tape this also with the packing tape (make sure you leave the free ends of the two wires sticking outside the bag before you tape it).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/011.jpg
Some of the best props to use with this type of mat are anything that has a "Try Me" button. A lot of the small Gemmy props have this feature. You'll notice in the picture the end of the wires on the Try Me button have a small plug that plugs into the prop for customer testing. Just cut the Try Me button off and splice the two plug wires onto the two wires coming out of your switch mat. Splice in a length of electrical wire if you want to place the mat further away from the prop. The mat itself will basically become the new "Try Me" switch.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/007.jpg
If your prop doesn't have a Try Me button, just wire the switch mat in place of the "On" switch of the prop, whether it's a light sensor, sound sensor or momentary "on" switch. Just find the two wires going to the switch, cut them and splice them to the wires going to the switch mat. WARNING: Don't wire AC current to this mat. Electrocution could occur. Only use a battery powered prop or a similar DC powered prop only.
That's All!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/th_002.jpg
Materials
Buffalo Snow (Cotton type material)
Thin Cardboard
Thin electrical wire
Clear Packing Tape
Electrical Tape
Aluminum Foil
Instructions:
Cut two identical pieces of thin cardboard in the shape and size you want your mat to be. I used cereal box cardboard for mine.
Then cut out a section of the Buffalo Snow the same size/shape as the cardboard pieces.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/004.jpg
Cover one side of each cardboard piece with aluminum foil, fold it around to the back side and tape it in place with the clear packing tape. Take the section of Buffalo snow you cut earlier and use some scissors to cut out some evenly spaced holes all over it. I make the holes about the size of a Half dollar. Try to leave about a 1/2 inch border all the way around the snow piece.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/005.jpg
Take two lengths of thin wire and strip back about 1/2 inch of insulation off of each end. Curl the ends of the two wires into a semi-circle shape.
Use some electrical tape and tape around the border edge (on top of the aluminum foil) of the aluminum foil side of ONE of the two cardboard pieces. (This keeps the top and bottom mat sections from shorting out when they are taped together in a later step.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/010.jpg
Use some clear packing tape to tape the curled bare wire end onto the corner area of one of the foil/cardboard pieces. Tape it on the foil covered side.
Repeat this step for the other foil/cardboard piece.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/009.jpg
Next, lay the Buffalo snow piece onto the aluminum side of one of the foil/cardboard pieces.
Place the second cardboard foil piece on top of the snow (aluminum side down), basically sandwiching the snow section between the two foil/cardboard pieces.
Tape the whole thing together around the edges using the packing tape.
I then cut out a section of a black plastic leaf bag to cover the mat on both sides. This will help to make it less noticable and also somewhat water resistant. Tape this also with the packing tape (make sure you leave the free ends of the two wires sticking outside the bag before you tape it).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/011.jpg
Some of the best props to use with this type of mat are anything that has a "Try Me" button. A lot of the small Gemmy props have this feature. You'll notice in the picture the end of the wires on the Try Me button have a small plug that plugs into the prop for customer testing. Just cut the Try Me button off and splice the two plug wires onto the two wires coming out of your switch mat. Splice in a length of electrical wire if you want to place the mat further away from the prop. The mat itself will basically become the new "Try Me" switch.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/DaveNTracy/Switch%20Mat/007.jpg
If your prop doesn't have a Try Me button, just wire the switch mat in place of the "On" switch of the prop, whether it's a light sensor, sound sensor or momentary "on" switch. Just find the two wires going to the switch, cut them and splice them to the wires going to the switch mat. WARNING: Don't wire AC current to this mat. Electrocution could occur. Only use a battery powered prop or a similar DC powered prop only.
That's All!!