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Thanks for the input. I'll try to keep that in mind as I make the videos. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Shooting both the "how to" and the "talking head" bits require a different setup but I agree that I find it more interesting to see more than hands. I'll noodle on ways to do that while being efficient. Thanks again and keep the feedback coming. Cheers!

@@RandomMakingEncounters In this second video, I had no issue with shots including just the work and your hands while you were crafting - in fact, trying to include your face in the process would have made it more difficult to follow. I think what didn't work for me in the first one was that you were explaining for several minutes before you began work. Thanks for the videos and all of the work you put into them!

@@steveowens398 Thanks! That helps. Basically... show don't tell!

Thanks! More to come. Time for the fun part! All the best.

Thanks! This is really like falling down a rabbit hole. There are so many different approaches you can take to solve any given project. I feel I’ll be successful if I can give people the confidence, some foundational knowledge, and some basic skills to go make cool things. I think the next video is going to build on the stoplight idea but deliver power to more LEDs through a transistor. Same code-ish… different circuit but MORE LEDs… which always makes things better ;)! Cheers!

I didn’t come here to promote my own channel, but I’ve just released a product that does exactly this. Takes a regular 3mm flickering yellow LED and amps it up to a 3Watt yellow led, whilst cloning the flicker! Perfect to hide in a book book.

An Alice nook has been on my list for some time. Thanks for the idea! All the best!

@RandomMakingEncounters I posted this before I got to the part where you cut the door and window, so maybe some other scenes where those might apply. Maybe the one at the dinner where the Red Queen introduces Alice to the leg of mutton.

Thanks! Now the fun part begins!

You’re very welcome! Thanks for the suggestion(s)! Once you make one, it’s hard to stop… a bit like potato chips! All the best.

I’ll add that to the list. I like the idea of ruins. There’s always something intriguing about exploring lost civilizations. So many great fantasy stories have an element of nostalgia and a desire to rediscover or rebuild an ancient kingdom. Thanks for the comment! Cheers!

I have absolutely nothing against that franchise but it is strangely over represented in the world of book nooks. Now… Lockwood and Co… that’s a different story ;)! All the best!

Nice! There are so many possibilities and so many resources to pull from. I was tempted at one point to do one from the “Astartes” animation… the scene with the big sphere. I may need to bubble that one up. Hopefully you get some good tips outta these videos to help with your project. Cheers!

@@RandomMakingEncounters ooh yeah! that would be a good one. I should do, I liked the other one you did, I really liked the box you did in that one, good spaces for wiring etc.

I should be dropping that video Thursday! A bit of a spoiler… I build the exterior only as the shell and then the actual nook interior is constructed separately to allow for complete access to all of the surfaces. All will be revealed! Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers!

LOL!! Nice! My ears must have been burning!

Thanks! I have the second video just about ready to go. I’ll probably drop it Thursday or Friday. I also have a Lockwood and Co nook in flight! I’m really trying to be better at getting videos out. All the best!

One hundred percent! It’s a much more tangible experience. Since I made this video, printers have become much faster and far more reliable as well. Quicker terrain with less print failures! Thanks for the comment and happy gaming!!

It's amazing how much "just enough" illusion goes on. One of my favorite tidbits is Snow White's Wishing Well at Disneyland. The story goes the statues were a gift and all the same size. In order for Snow White to appear larger, she was placed at the top and in the distance and forced perspective was used to help offest the scale. Imagineers were and are some pretty clever and talented individuals! Thanks for the comment!

Very kind of you. Sorry for the late reply and love the smiling axolotl! Cheers!

Very kind of you. My favorite part of these things is designing the lighting. I may have missed a calling somewhere!?! All the best!

That has a nice ring to it! All the best!

Sorry for the slow response! If you want to pump up the jam, I would look for a little audio amplifier module. There are a bunch out there and many have a volume control potentiometer. You could connect that to the audio out and then the only limit is how much power that amp can deliver. I haven't used this one (www.amazon.com/Kiro-Seeu-PAM8610-Amplifier-AM8610-MD-1pcs) but it's the kind of inexpensive board I'm thinking of. All the best with your project!! Cheers.

You should be able to incorporate the DFPlayer sample code that comes with the library. I would approach it this way... it's kinda how I always kludge stuff together... I start by installing the library through the Arduino IDE and then go to the examples and grab the simplest one for the module. It will depend on what you're trying to accomplish but the basic idea would be to have your IR sensors doing their thing. You probably have some sort of conditional statement (IF or WHILE) running that is testing for something to happen. Once that condition is met, it's relatively easy to have the DFPlayer play. I should have mentioned this at the start... this video is really the simplest way that just drops a pin to ground. The DFPlayer can be completely controlled via code. Hope that helps and apologies for the slow reply! Cheers!

Welcome to the nook family! My first nook used a great group of dwarves and an umber hulk in a mine scene. One of the biggest challenges with nooks is finding the things to fill them with. With D&D minis and terrain, you have a ton of things out there to use. All the best on your new adventure!

The best place to buy empty book nook boxes seems to be Etsy. You can also check out local craft stores if you have one around. They won't have a book nook specifically but might have other wooden boxes that would work well. Best of luck with your project!

Absolutely! I used something similar for a haunted tombstone radio that has a short in it. It's even simpler than the example. You don't need NeoPixels. I used two or three cold white LEDs wired to three pins. I trigger the electrical arcing sound and then quickly and slightly randomly flicker the LEDs for the duration of the sound.

@@RandomMakingEncounters can you make a track loop - e.g signal to commence FX.......loop single track when signal lost - cease?

@@itolond the DFPlayer mini has a pin on it that signals when the track is playing. You can monitor that pin so the effect stops when the track stops. Not sure if that answers your question but I hope that helps.

@@RandomMakingEncounters maybe end track signal restart track? - Aussme there is a stop play?

@@itolond indeed there is! Plenty of control options on the Mini. Here's a link to the wiki - wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299. There's also an Arduino library that supports the player. Here's a link to the GitHub repo - github.com/DFRobot/DFRobotDFPlayerMini. It's not as detailed and mostly points back to the wiki but there may be some goodies in there.

LOL! I don't really follow the year rule but have been trying to be better about deciding what is really useful and what can go. The texture on the tubes is really nice. If you want them smoother, you can always do a quick dip in wax once you've pulled them out of the mold. If it's a contrasting color... nice effect. It sounds like you have a lotta wax to experiment with! All the best!

It’s really handy! You can also use a brightly lit object instead of a video. It just needs to be lit more brightly than the surrounding area so it reflects. The dining room in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland uses this effect with animatronic characters. I’m excited to see how this plays out in the new nook.

Hey there! I don't think you can add a rotary volume to this chip directly. A volume knob is basically a potentiometer that is wired up to control the voltage to the audio output device. Volume control on this board can be managed using momentary buttons wired to various pins on the board. I think this one has been designed for very compact installations where buttons are a better solution. If you're ok with swapping out a rotary volume control with a couple of buttons, this will be perfect and pretty easy to do. Here's a link to the data sheet - wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299 You can see where you would wire a 5 volt power supply to VCC and GND. I would think that 3 AA batteries would be good. Alkaline would provide 4.5 volts and rechargeables 3.6. The board theoretically works on 3.2 to 5 volts. Your headphone out jack would be wired to DAC_R and DAC_L with is either a line out or headphone out and bypasses the built in speaker amplifier. If you wire momentary buttons to IO1 to ground and IO2 to ground, short and long presses on the buttons control playback. I don't see a note indicating what would stop playback?? I don't think there are any limits on track length. Another board you might want to look at is this one - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFPBGF8 Documentation on this one is a bit more cryptic but what I do like about it is there is a headphone jack already mounted on the board and solder points to connect a speaker. There's also a potentiometer on the board for volume control which means you could try desoldering that potentiometer and wiring in one that is external but the same value. I don't have as much experience with this one but I really like the fact that it's already on a board with connection points and a few components already in a place. Here's a site with a bit more information - www.icstation.com/music-player-voice-playback-amplifier-module-sdtf-card-integrated-uart-trigger-class-p-13455.html I hope that get's you a bit further down the path on your project! All the best!

@@RandomMakingEncounters Thank you very much for your response. I will try to investigate it more deeply.

LOL! Ghost Pepper… Pepper’s Ghost… Pepper’s Ghost of a Ghost Pepper! It’s an old illusion but still really effective… now I’m hungry! Cheers and thanks for sharing.

Strangely... it's a book nook based on a book this time! Thanks for the comment and I'll keep crankin'!

Thanks! I'm really happy with how this is all coming together. I hope it looks even better when it's not cardboard! Cheers!

@@RandomMakingEncounters can't wait to see it 🙂

Dang it! That's where this is from! I feel like they have two names?? Yes! Very cool videos and are great for big Halloween haunts and tiny haunted nook! Thanks for the comment and thanks for pointing that out. I'll put a link to 'em in the description! Cheers!

@@RandomMakingEncountersThey do a free vid when you sign up too. Often have promotions. Also, the screen and vid player can be had a lot cheaper from Aliexpress. Of course, not next day delivery, and you take a chance on warranty, but had very few problems so far. Got refunded a couple of times. Just another avenue if you make more in the future.

@@RandomMakingEncounters Not sure why you deleted my comment, but AtmosFX do a free one when you sign up. And the video player + screen can be got a lot cheaper from Ali, if you don't mind waiting a bit longer for delivery. Although it's normally ten days.

@@RandomMakingEncountersSeriously? Again? After I helped you? No explantion? Unsubbed.

Sorry to see you go. Not really sure what your expectations were. I thanked you for the heads up and pinned a comment to AtmosFX noting the correction. All the best.

I have a Han in carbonite diorama in flight. Too many ideas... too little time. Enjoy and all the best with your project! Cheers!

The possibilities are endless! You can create fantasy worlds, recreate historic places, capture memories from the past, or build wacky works of the imagination. Thanks for commenting and all the best!

With my scattered brain I still need to remember what flat stands for LOL! Maybe word association... a negative sign is "flat"? Now I'll never forget! Thanks for the tip and the comment. Cheers!

Thanks! It was a lot of fun and ya can never go wrong with Warhammer! It's an interesting universe to be sure! Cheers!

The most complex thing in this project is getting the ghost illusion to work. I've never really loved using the player for video since it can't really be left running all of the time and it's a bit fiddly. I have a better idea for a solution that can run all of the time and just got all of the parts in. I'm going to put together another video showing how to do it. I think it's simpler in some ways. As far as the rest goes... everything else is really pretty standard nook stuff. It's either a matter of making or finding all the little bits and pieces but everything I used can be found online or on Thingiverse. There are a million different ways you can get similar effects and it certainly doesn't need to be as complicated as what I've made to still be a cool nook. I'll let ya know when that video drops! All the best!

Sorry for the slow reply. Not sure if you sorted this out but I need to test my theory that holding the play pin to ground constantly will do the trick. The documentation for the board wasn't helpful. I'll update you fer sher. Thanks!

You’re very welcome! Happy book making!

Thanks! I appreciate that. I really loved working on this one. All the best!

Awesome! All the best with adding a little weather to the layout! Cheers!

Thanks! It’s a handy one because lighting and sound can add a lot of impact to a project. This is probably more complicated than most applications. Thanks again for the kind words.

Lol! Thanks! I gave it my best shot. Cheers!

You bet! This was a bit of a random video but it helps explain the whole illusion. It really is all about the angles. All the best!

The DFPlayer is just for audio but, if you use an Arduino to control the audio, you can use the same Arduino to control lighting and other things! I really need to get some videos out showing more ways to control these things. It’s been on my list. Thanks for the question and cheers!!

Thanks so much for the response!@@RandomMakingEncounters

I hear ya! I followed those same paths. I was designing maps I could print but the ink and paper started to get outta hand. Tiles seemed like the way to go but there’s an investment in time and a new set of skills. Thankfully, printers are getting more reliable and faster which is great for gamers everywhere. All the best!

Thanks for the comment. Yes! This board is a bit sensitive when it comes to voltages. If you’re hooking this up to an Arduino, you need to dial the voltage down from the Arduino pin to the RX pin on the player. There is a lot of conflicting information out there but it seems like the voltages on the board are 3.3 volts. Some documents say “5 volt tolerant” but I would be careful not to exceed that and that’s only for the VIN to power the board. I always use a couple of resistors to create a voltage divider to bring drop the voltage down on the RX pin from the Arduino 5V to 3.3V for the DFPlayer. You advice is well said… always work within the specs of the board and err on the conservative side! Cheers!

I did the exact thing but it gave me 9v……… MY BORED AND CAPACITOR BLEW UP

Sorry to hear that. Due to some of these challenges, I’ve been looking for alternatives. This is a compact solution. But it takes additional voltage regulation to keep things from going up in a puff. I hate that smell of melted chip!

Do u have any ways to use a external power supply and get 5v

@@person_83049 a 3 x AA battery box like you get on cheap xmas leds could work 4.5v output

Those orange L-shaped objects are relatively cheap plastic right angles that are used to make sure everything is square. When I’m gluing things that need to be as close to square as possible, I’ll clamp them in the corners while the glue dries. They come in different sizes and are accurate enough for the type of work. Hope that helps! All the best!

Thanks! This is a pretty robust little MP3 player. A couple of thoughts around your questions. There are two ways to wire sound output from this module. The first is to use the built-in amp and wire to speakers. I’ve never found the power to be that impressive so the second option is to use the line out connections. You can wire a 3.5mm jack into the module and then plug it into an amplifier or amplified computer speakers. Here’s a link to the documentation - wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299. You would use DAC_L, DAC_R, and ground. This module can be controlled via Arduino but it also has very simple controls using a couple of the pins and some push buttons and resistors. This is documented under the Working section and parts 2 and 3 might be interesting to you. Basically, connecting the pins to ground through varying resistors (or even just briefly connecting them) can control the board. I think the idea is to make it possible to create a very simple MP3 player with just a handful of buttons and resistors. It may be possible to connect the ADKEY1 pin to ground through a resistor to permanently either trigger play or loop all… some experimentation would be required. Most players aren’t specifically intended to play on powering up but hard wiring that connection might do the trick. A few other modules I’ve found are the WayinTop Sound Module, the EZSound Sound Module, KOOBOOK Voice Module (they should pop up on Amazon searches). They all have their quirks and are intended to be simple (with the exception of the KOOBOOK) solutions to adding sound to something. The KOOBOOK module is a more robust variation of the DFPlayer Mini and has more of the connections you need already built into the board. All of these are pretty inexpensive… which is one of the things I like. I’ve fried plenty of $30+ boards experimenting so cooking something that’s under $10 because I wired the wrong pin to power makes it a bit more affordable. I hope this helps point you in a helpful direction! Thanks for the comment and question. Cheers!

MAGNIFICENT!!! THANK YOU!!! ❤

There’s something about pirates and skeletons!! Thanks for the kind words. All the best!

Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy to hear it's helpful. All the best!

Absolutely. 1/4 is pretty rigid at these sizes. There's also a material called Gatorfoam that is really tough and rigid. It's harder to find and kinda pricey but it cuts well with a utility knife. Best of luck with your project! Cheers!