Halloween Props: Pumpkin In Standby-mode

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories is preparing for Halloween with this standby-mode pumpkin. Inside there’s an LED plugging a hole that is drilled just to the skin of the gourd-like vegetable. It fades in and out similar to a sleeping Mac, using what we think is a vastly over-powered circuit based on an ATtiny2313 (1k  of programming space for this?). But we still like the idea and we’d enjoy seeing it scaled up to a full LED matrix.

We’ve come to expect pumpkin hacks from EMSL and they don’t disappoint. Last year was a mechanized version, and the year before an LED schematic symbol. So what about your creation? With about one week left, take a look around and see if you can’t create something as wonderful as the Pie of Sauron.

28 thoughts on “Halloween Props: Pumpkin In Standby-mode

  1. I was thinking of an op-amp to generate a triangle wave, but there are plenty of ways to do this without a microcontroller.

    Still, an ATtiny13A probably costs the same as the discrete solution. :)

  2. My pumpkin last year was the Red Ring Of Death (really scary) complete with red LED’s to provide the glow. I doubt anybody recognized it but it was fun and simple to carve. This year i’m building a talking “jigsaw” puppet. If i can find a small tricycle it will be epic!

  3. Seriously guys…

    What overkill? You have one µC, one LED, one resistor and batteries?

    Yes there may be the NE55 approach or even one specialized circuit you would have to order first, BUT WHY?

    Things can be easily done in software nowadays, so why bother to find a “better” hardware approach?

    The only thing he could have done is not to use the prototype board and solder the few things together somehow.

  4. Seriously that board is huge. Even if they want to use a micro, they could go for one of those pic10f. it could be wired up “dead bug” style and would be about the size of a dime or smaller and could handle this. You could even laminate it with clear tape and stuff it in the pumpkin

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