# Holographic sound activated LIGHTNING cloud (Proof of concept)



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Ok kids, this is pretty rough but I'm excited about it so I'll post some teaser videos to give you an idea how this might look/work in a viv.
(Sorry for the crappy camera work, the loop was only 40sec, and it was hard to start/restart it and film at the right distance, and this isn't the actual 30 gal that will be used...this one needs to be cleaned before it gets used)


*WATCH THESE IN HD, MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE... ESPECIALLY with THE LIGHTS OFF VID*
It is kinda visible in the vids but I get a decent cloud being lit up by lightning effect that that should get even better with a more optimal fog/fan setup. And the sound synchronized flash works out so well it may have rendered my led strip light/music controller plan obsolete...I'll have to repurpose that stuff for other FX or making background lightning flash that comes from multiple locations.
Lights on...




Lights off...






The lightning is a purple plasma lumin disk star that reacts to sound.








http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006M34W58/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(Purple I guess isn't easy to find anymore...nor is white...and IMO those are the 2 best colors for this)
I thought about using a nebula ball but the disks things have a better lightning effect IMO...and my 2 nebula balls are old and the plasma is all cloudy without good defined "lightning"
You could Macgyver up quite a few different kinds of plasma lamps to work this way though.


It is basically laid on the top glass, and the image reflects off the glass plate that is at a 45 degree angle below. Basically it is the same concept as the Holo fairy cave proof of concept.
*http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...erie-flys-through-cave-viv-proof-concept.html*

I'll put lights on either side of it and the main lighting will be in front of it so I should get enough regular light in the viv.

The idea will be that plants/rock hide most "screen" or help it blend into the background. I'm not sure if I'm going to do just enough screen to catch the lightning or have it go all the way across the viv. I have an aurora (Northern lights) effect I wanna try that would utilize the same screen.

The viv will have the holo fairy cave in it, and it will also have fiber optic stars suspended in the first inch or 2 at the top... and ponds and/or stream that are clear containers buiried in the substrate and lit from underneath so the water glows blue. 

I'm just using a phone to play the music for the demo, and nothing is actually set up much like it will be in the viv. This was just putting some of the rough pieces together to see how it looks. 

The fan setup is especially ghetto at the moment, but from what I saw playing with it I think with more fog and a better fan setup I really can achieve a cloud that is mostly at the top...the craptastic very light cloud in this demo actually stayed mostly at the top so looks like the theory is sound. 

For the real deal I have a Motion activated 300 second loop player








http://www.electronics123.com/kits-...-usb-recording-module-with-motion-sensor.html

That will be coupled with a sensor plug mounted on or near the viv setup to be triggered at about the same time the sound player gets triggered. Both activate and stay on for about 5 minutes...so we'll have a 5 minute storm.
*I need Marty to sponser me with a free mist system or something* Maybe he'd wanna use a vid of the finished viv to pimp some mist king systems? 

Sensor plug...








SensorPlug - Motion Activated Electrical Outlet - Amazon.com
So basically you'll walk up to the viv and wave your hand at a certain area and it will make the sensor plug turn on most of the FX and at the same time kick off the sound loop device, which both run for about 5min...and Enjoy.



Here is the fogger I used....only 20 bucks and nice nozzle easy to retrofit with decent fog output. I think I'm going to need 2 though to create a cloud thick enough to look good while being sucked out/recycled by fans strong enough to keep the cloud from sinking. 








Ultrasonic Desktop Bedside Baby Humidifier 110V | eBay

Gemmy Lights in flight firefly lights...








Available at lowes and kmart
http://www.kmart.com/lightshow-sola...W004409353001P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Firefly Fx threads...
*http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...ly-lights-installed-hex-video.html#post540470*
*http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...s-firefly-lights-fiber-optic-fx-plants-3.html*

*The whole system will be powered by a Mr. Fusion coupled with a Flux capacitor* 








Hopefully the Mr Fusion will cut down on the electricity bill from making lightning at home 
The Flux capacitor is how I got here...and how I'll get home. I'm from the future...of vivariums


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

An idea has struck me....


So I'll probably go with 2 foggers as mentioned before...probably 1 on each side of the tank, and I was thinking a fan over the front vent to suck that towards the front, and keep the cloud suspended...or maybe 2 in the front or back corners over vents...not sure. I'll have to play with it and see which works best.
*
Now here is the new part*...I originally figured I'd just blow the fog out into the room...or maybe try to recycle it back into the viv...but I could make the recycle hose go into some tree fern or epi web...something like that and basically shoot super moist air right into the background...possibly helping to keep it wet. I'll probably need a moisture resistant fan either way ;(

...Just thinking outloud


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## Reef_Haven (Jan 19, 2011)

Maybe you can have a UFO zip by every few minutes too, like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind???
Then add in those strange rumbling sounds that have been heard throughout Costa Rica


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Reef_Haven said:


> Maybe you can have a UFO zip by every few minutes too, like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind???
> Then add in those strange rumbling sounds that have been heard throughout Costa Rica


LoL...don't think I haven't thought about it 

I do have one of those little 6 inch quadcopters that could probably do a circle in a 100 gal viv...if the pilot was good (I'm not)...but even the small ones props kinda hurt when they hit your finger...definately not frog safe 

Actually I may do something like that with a glasses free 3d screen, or maybe use the same holographic principle to have it look like a ufo flies through the viv...basically not any different then stuff I've already experimented with, just need the right clip and would probably work better with a bigger screen so it could fly all the way across the viv.

I also wanna try a fog projection screen mounted in the lid or floor of the viv and pico projector or something to project video onto the fog wall. They look pretty easy to make. I have another idea about how to get a hologram type image in the viv to using a parabolic mirror setup similar to that old sega cowboy/time travel game.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

That's frigging sweet Dave..... You never cease to come up with great new ideas....


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Azurel said:


> That's frigging sweet Dave..... You never cease to come up with great new ideas....


Thank you sir! 

....I think the biggest issue is going to be how to place/hide the reflecting screen to my satisfaction during daylight hours. I was thinking maybe build a smaller screen into part of a rock background with rock behind the screen to so similar to the holo fairy cave the clear screen really isn't visible unless some light hits it at just the right angle. You can kinda see in the lights on video when you step back from the viv the screen isn't terribly noticeable and that is with now plants/background to help hide its presence. 

But I think just getting some taller plants around it with leaves/stems on either side of the screen is really going to break up the line and make it mostly invisible in daylight...at night it basically looks like the lightning is coming from the sky. I think the fiber optic stars I have planned will help distract from/break up the edge quite a bit too.


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## Raptor22 (Nov 23, 2012)

I can't wait to see this done. Even if this project fails, I give you props for starting something this cool and ambitious, and for documenting it here.

It kind of reminds me of the "raincloud in a bottle" experiments my science teachers did in middle school


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Raptor22 said:


> I can't wait to see this done. Even if this project fails, I give you props for starting something this cool and ambitious, and for documenting it here.
> 
> It kind of reminds me of the "raincloud in a bottle" experiments my science teachers did in middle school


Thanks!....I think I can pretty much claim success though as of now. The cloud with one fogger wasn't quite satisfactory but my theory held that you could keep most of it suspended, so with 2 foggers and a better fan setup...maybe 2 fans in each corner, we should be good to go. I'm getting adjustable fans too so I can fine tune the suction rate and get the best cloud suspension. I'll probably get this adjustable dual fan system...








http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009P0R6W6/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=hi

I bought the controller those fans are attached to thinking I could plug in an old computer fan but it has some odd terminal connector or something so I guess I'll just get the dual fan system and at some later date pick up a fan to attach to controller I bought or rip the plug off and directly wire a pc fan to it (might do that anyways) and use it on another project/viv. 

The lightning/sound works great and looks awesome. Video doesn't really do it justice, and the cloud was hard to see in the video but better in real life. I Might do another video with black background and see if that helps the cloud show up better. With plants and a real background in there it should look sweet.

Minus the duct tape holding the glass at an angle (use fishing line or something) that system could be hid with plants and stuff really easily as it is now. I do need to test the 300 second usb sound loop device to make sure the sound quality is good enough, but my guess is it will be adequate and if not I may be able to yank the speaker out of it and wire in a better one, or mod the current one for a bit better sound.

There is also a device that attaches a plug to some mock AA batteries that allows you to run AA devices off a wall socket, so I may get that and plug the sound loop device into the motion sensor plug so I don't have to change batteries. Might be helpful in getting everything to go off and run how I want it, but for now I'll just run the device on batteries. I have to dig up a usb cord though and figure out how to work the software to load sounds on it and find a good loop to use, or make one by stripping the audio off some youtube vids and making a .wav file out of that audio to run on the loop device.









Convert AA Battery Pack to USB or AC Electric Power Plug
(That store has a lot of cool lighting stuff)


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I stumbled across this in my continuing quest for cool FX...










Cannon Thunder Strobe
or
*Cheaper here*...
Cannon Thunder Mega Strobe Light - Party City
or maybe here...
http://celebrate-express.store.raku...th-thunder/217018732.html?listingId=105189836
Google/google shopping cannon thunder strobe for more store links and possibly better prices...I didn't look that hard since I don't need it right now...also it is on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Ellie-Shoes-42_61080-Cannon-Thunder/dp/B001BG11HS
You could plug this in on an outstrip with your mist system and fogger and put the entire plug strip on the timer so that it triggers the mist/fog/thunder/lightning cycle all at once and for the same duration.

I don't really need it with the system I'm setting up but for others who don't wanna go the plasma luminglas /sound loop device route this is a pretty cheap way to add some thunder/lightning FX to your viv...at 7in it will probably sit ok on the back of a glass top on most vivs 20gal and up. Some of the reviews aren't great, but seems like it would be decent enough for the viv purpose and still a nice FX if not ideal (Like my system  )

Here is a crappy video I found of it working...





The sound quality of the video isn't great...I can't tell if that continuous sound is rain or supposed to be the thunder...but if it is the thunder and it is to long for you you could hook the light up on one of the mistking seconds timers so it come off and on every few seconds and cuts that rolling thunder down...but I'd try it first before seeing if that is necessary. 

Some reviews have said it wasn't loud enough at like 10 feet away and they modded it with an amplified speaker, but for indoor use on a viv that is probably a good thing not being to loud.

MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd


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## Willowalker (Sep 8, 2009)

Props for coming up with one of the most original ideas I've seen on DB in 4 years! 

-Willow


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Willowalker said:


> Props for coming up with one of the most original ideas I've seen on DB in 4 years!
> 
> -Willow


We aim to please  ....You saw the holo fairy cave thread too right?

Oh on a side note about plasma luminglas:

We are having a storm right now in OK, and my sound activated plasma luming glass toys are going off during the thunder....so that should happen in people's homes with their vivs too...*so every time you get a real storm, your viv lightning fx will go off during the thunder! *


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Just a quick update...to wet your appetite some more 

I stumbled across something I originally intended as part of a halloween costume, that was real cheap so I got it...and now that I have it I can see this is another way to go for a sound activated thunder/lightning FX in a viv. Potentially it could be a more accessible product for those not so DIY inclined, especially if I modify it so that it is easy to setup and hide. Potentially this may be something I wanna sell, and I'm also waiting to hear back from some people about some "stuff"...So not much in the way of further details for now, but here is a taste (Not quite as impressive as the plasma version, but potentially much cheaper/easier for people to use)

(LOL, I tried to make some wind noise to make it more dramatic...FAIL)





(So* probably *no recordings of me making strange sounds in any future product)


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Dave, your ideas are really cool, but you know what would make it really great? Instead of using Tinkerbell from Disney, I think you should dress up in a little pink tutu with wings and do a little dance... Record and play that, I'm sure people will be lining up to have Fairy Dave dancing a jig in their vivariums


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

jacobi said:


> Dave, your ideas are really cool, but you know what would make it really great? Instead of using Tinkerbell from Disney, I think you should dress up in a little pink tutu with wings and do a little dance... Record and play that, I'm sure people will be lining up to have Fairy Dave dancing a jig in their vivariums


Don't think I won't!!!!! 

....Nah, I won't  (I may get girls I know to do something like that) ...but actually the tinkerbell loop is probably just the beginning. I've been collecting potentially suitable clips from youtube, and eventually will create some loops and then paste the loops together so that the fairy cave will go through a sequence of clips...Like tinkerbell...then perhaps Miku Hatsune anime girl dancing, clips of other dancing girls, then clips of just wacky visual fx like swirling particle FX and stuff that makes it look like magical things are happening in the cave. There will be fade ins/outs to different clips and video scenes. 

I'd like to get at least a 15 minute long clip, so that anytime you look over at the viv for a few minutes there is a good chance you'll see something new...and even once you've seen it all, you'll never see anything just over and over again, unless you have unfortunate timing


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

Dendro Dave said:


> Don't think I won't!!!!!
> 
> ....Nah, I won't  (I may get girls I know to do something like that) ...but actually the tinkerbell loop is probably just the beginning. I've been collecting potentially suitable clips from youtube, and eventually will create some loops and then paste the loops together so that the fairy cave will go through a sequence of clips...Like tinkerbell...then perhaps Miku Hatsune anime girl dancing, clips of other dancing girls, then clips of just wacky visual fx like swirling particle FX and stuff that makes it look like magical things are happening in the cave. There will be fade ins/outs to different clips and video scenes.
> 
> I'd like to get at least a 15 minute long clip, so that anytime you look over at the viv for a few minutes there is a good chance you'll see something new...and even once you've seen it all, you'll never see anything just over and over again, unless you have unfortunate timing


You should add a slender man that appears for one second lol. Scare the crap outta people haha


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

goof901 said:


> You should add a slender man that appears for one second lol. Scare the crap outta people haha


Ewww no men in my vivs! Slender, scary or otherwise...I like the ladies...But to each their own 

Actually a little teaser...one of the upcoming ideas planned..is to have nearly a life sized girl in the viv... or at least her head/torso, basically made up to look like a dryad, perhaps bathing in a pool or just lounging in the woods. Bark looking skin, green eyes, spanish moss hair...and pretty of course 

Couple of pics to give you an idea what look/feel I'm going for with that idea...

























2 things holding me back...the expense...and the looks I'll get when they deliver a life size department store mannequin to my house


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Willowalker said:


> Props for coming up with one of the most original ideas I've seen on DB in 4 years!
> 
> -Willow


Thank you sir!...

Everybody check out this thread, and let me know your thoughts, suggestions, useful product ideas... (Some version of this idea may make it into the special FX viv)
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...iv-concept-life-size-girl-box.html#post839917

If any individuals wanna help Sponsor this build with plants/materials, or a board sponsor wants to talk about product placement/Advertising use...feel free to PM me (If I haven't already contacted you). It is going to be an expensive build and I'm talking to some board sponsors that may help me out, but if you wanna make sure this gets done..and done in the next few months (and be a part of it!), more help would go a long ways! 

I have a lot of what I need, including some of the stuff on the list, but materials that I could still use (or potentially find a use for) are...
Black foam (can never have to much!)
Silicone (ditto!)
Plants (Especially iridescent plants, blue flowers, edible plants (like tropical blueberry) and mini orchids, utricularia, tillandsia and gesneriads (Anything really unique looking and that stays relatively viv sized...or is slow growing enough pruning isn't to much of an issue)
Misc hard/soft scape materals like spanish moss (alive and/or dead), vines, cork tubes, tree fern pots/panels, fake rock formations/backgrounds etc..etc...
Led lights and fixtures.
Pumps (water and air), and waterfalls/filters 
Fans/fan controllers/wave simulators/vivarium controllers/ or other Fx controllers.


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

Dave, take a look at the Neptune Apex system? its a bit pricey but I think it'll work for you. I have one for my monster viv and it will be interesting to try and do thunder and lightning and things. People in the Reef hobby have done it, and with wavemakers to simulate churning of water during a storm! Could use misting to do similar things and literally "make it rain!"

That said, I don't think it would be wise for me to install tesla coils for actual lightning bolts...

-Andrew


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

a hill said:


> Dave, take a look at the Neptune Apex system? its a bit pricey but I think it'll work for you. I have one for my monster viv and it will be interesting to try and do thunder and lightning and things. People in the Reef hobby have done it, and with wavemakers to simulate churning of water during a storm! Could use misting to do similar things and literally "make it rain!"
> 
> That said, I don't think it would be wise for me to install tesla coils for actual lightning bolts...
> 
> -Andrew


Thanks, and ya I've been looking at that Neptune apex system. In order to light the big dryad build I plan to get started this year (finally) I expect to have to step up the lighting to something like a build my led Xb or probably the MC series which is their newer multi channel version. So I think the size, complexity, and cost of that build will demand something like the apex... 

I will also add some 6803 IC dream color 133 mode led strips which will allow me to do all kinds of crazy mood lighting but probably they will be mostly used on a chase pattern that should simulate rolling cloud cover. To date the most dynamic cloud fx I've seen were just the lights dimming and brightning and perhaps slightly changing spectrum... So I'll do my version of clouds, lightning like no one (that I know of) has ever done.... and other FX 

Oh and for anyone wondering why the vids are down, I disabled them awhile back... sorry, but I have some product ideas based off my proof of concept successes that I wanna run by a few people; maybe do a kick starter or something if I can get some people with the right experience to help me out.

...but I won't be able to sit on the awesomeness forever: so if that doesn't pan out I'll share, but at the very very least I wanna be the first to show off a viv featuring my best ideas, and it looks like this year I'll finally have the means to at least get a good start on that


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

I'm going to be running kessils on mine (the tanks are six feet tall) so they are very programable. 

I also have the lunar module. 

I had a feeling that was the case. I'm a startup and product design guy. I advise, accelerate, invest etc so feel free to message me if you want advice. No fear on stealing ideas, it's easier to just support the person who is crazy about it. 

-Andrew


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

a hill said:


> I'm going to be running kessils on mine (the tanks are six feet tall) so they are very programable.
> 
> I also have the lunar module.
> 
> ...


I'm thinking mine will probably be 4 foot tall by 6ft wide... If I add the 2nd dryad. A smaller version with just the one would be more manageable, and I'm not sure how a 6ft long tank with 2 life size dryads will go over with visitors. I'm already the "odd" guy... not sure I wanna be that odd, but hell what's one more gonna matter I guess. One life size plastic girl will probably do as much damage socially as two 

Cool, I may hit you up soon. The biggest issue at the moment is whether to even bother trying to patent it, go for patent pending which is easier and much cheaper but starts the clock ticking... and how to shop the idea around without one and still protect myself/idea.

I've been in touch with a few people over the years that run hobby related businesses and have some experience developing a product and bringing it to market, so that could be helpful. Seems like a crowdfunding attempt would be worth doing... Feel free to PM me with any general advice


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

Dendro Dave said:


> I'm thinking mine will probably be 4 foot tall by 6ft wide... If I add the 2nd dryad. A smaller version with just the one would be more manageable, and I'm not sure how a 6ft long tank with 2 life size dryads will go over with visitors. I'm already the "odd" guy... not sure I wanna be that odd, but hell what's one more gonna matter I guess. One life size plastic girl will probably do as much damage socially as two
> 
> Cool, I may hit you up soon. The biggest issue at the moment is whether to even bother trying to patent it, go for patent pending which is easier and much cheaper but starts the clock ticking... and how to shop the idea around without one and still protect myself/idea.
> 
> I've been in touch with a few people over the years that run hobby related businesses and have some experience developing a product and bringing it to market, so that could be helpful. Seems like a crowdfunding attempt would be worth doing... Feel free to PM me with any general advice


Yeah, keep me in mind. If you decide to go foreward with it I'm probably in a position to help you get it going one way or another. Its impossible to give anything more than general advice without knowing what your dealing with as far as things in the way of you achieving your success.

-Andrew


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