Monster in a Box

This is my personal take on a Halloween prop called "Monster-in-a-Box." The program is running on an Arduino microcontroller with power supplies of 12v and 5v. A windshield wiper motor operates a homemade 'sprocket' to raise the lid by about 1/2" before dropping it loudly. The chains create additional noise and add to the scare factor.

This is an continuous project with different variations depending on its intended use. It can be controlled using a proximity sensor or a double-throw switch. Additionally, I have added an audio track that constantly plays a werewolf growl. The audio is transmitted through an external Bluetooth speaker. However, next year, I am planning to incorporate a built-in sound system and maybe a phone app controller.

Color Organ

A Color Organ is an instrument that responds to sound waves by filtering various frequencies to produce reactive lighting effects. I made two versions of this instrument, one of which was smaller (not shown in the picture), and both were constructed based on schematics found online. I initially tested it on a breadboard before creating a permanent version on a prototyping board. While this project has no code, it provided immense educational and troubleshooting value to me. And it was a lot fo fun!