Help with prop audio

howlingwind13

howlingwind13

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
So I want to build a police radio, the kind that clips on the chest. It's for an actor that will let people into an attraction.
I want the actor to secretly be able to press a button and have a prerecorded voice of a dispatcher come out of the radio with several different voices and phrases he can interact with.
Say like 5 phrases, maybe five different buttons, one for each voice/phrase...
Has to be loud enough for like 20 people to hear they will be less than 15 feet away.
No idea what I'm doing or where to start...it could be a cb radio on his hip making the sound...he will just act like the chest radio is working.
Hope this all makes sense.
I thought awhile back some one made a ghostbuster cb radio, that had recordings from the movie in it.
Any help is appreciated
Mike
 
Do you already have the 5 phrases recorded in some audio format?

Are you thinking the hidden buttons will be accessible with one hand (at the main body of the radio) while the actor is holding the speaker/microphone with the other?

I think the prerecorded "phrase" will come from the speaker of the microphone when one of the 5 buttons is pushed so he then will speak into
the microphone as if responding to the call, correct?

Or, if all the phrases are recorded in sequence File #0000, 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004 then each will play in sequence, one at a time, as the play button (next) is pushed. Note: The sounds will not be addressable in this case (they will play in order, NEXT or PREVIOUS).
File 0000 will play one time, then stop. The actor responds, then when the play/next button is pushed again, the next phase "0001" plays then stops, etc.?

Do you have a picture of the radio to be used?
.
 
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I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, it's a "DFPlayer Mini" mp3 player. I find them easy to work with, small enough for most of my needs, less them $2.00 depending on where you buy them from and can be controlled by ether a Micro-controller or push-button. Here are some pictures of how I'll be using one in my Comlock builds, I no longer need the 1/4watt resistors shown in the pictures, I'm now using a MC1413 Darlington Transistor Array. I hope this helps and I look forward to some pictures of you project.... I forgot to mention, it has a 3 watt amp built in.....View attachment DFPlayer.pdf View attachment MC1413-D.PDF
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TF-Card-U-...556119&hash=item2ca98d8e2a:g:sskAAOSwAuNW3TWw

MP3 with open collector01.jpg MP3 with open collector02.jpg

 
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Hey howlingwind13,

When you get a chance, maybe you can up date the post with a bit more information to help with the ideas.
Type of radio, how and where it will be used and anything else you can share.

Below is short video showing a way to add basic sound to a prop. It runs on 3.3v (LIPO rechargeable battery will work).
It is more or less self contained and can drive a small 8ohm speaker directly. But you mentioned you'd like it loud enough
to hear from a distance so a small amplifier can be used.
It has direct push button KEY inputs to choose what ever sound you'd like. The 16P circuit I show in the video has 4 Key inputs,
but the 28P version can activate more phrases. No SD card needed.

Here is a picture of just the circuit. The momentary push buttons can be the small tactile ones (one leg) tied to ground.

IMG_8714.JPG
I hope this helps :)




.
 
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Not really sure what I'm doing yet...thinking the sound could come from the shoulder type police radio, or a speaker hidden on the actor but he will pretend to talk to a dispatcher through a shoulder radio that doesn't necessarily have to function
 

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Hi howlingwind13,

* If you find a radio/microphone set up that will work for your needs, you will need to remove all the unwanted components from the inside
of the radio body to make room for your circuit (s). The microphone should have a speaker that can be used to play the recorded phrases
when the button is pushed by the user. Then they can react with the appropriate line. Then repeat the procedure with the next phrase.

* You mentioned that this is for an actor to use. Is this for a production, stage show, internet web series, etc. ?
* Since this is for an actor, why would 20 other people near by need to hear the transmission?
Is this for an amusement park attraction?

Thanks for any new information :)

.
 
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I was looking for something along these lines, so this helped me too. For someone with zero experience dealing with electronics, how hard would something like this be to use? I assume I just need to solder a speaker and button to trigger the sound? I'm building a laser rifle from Fallout 4 and basically just want the lever on it, using a sliding switch, to play the power on sound.
 
I did a bonehead version of this for a production of Neil Simon's "Rumors." Gave the actor a walkie-talkie (hidden in plain site on her belt with the rest of the gear), then plugged the other of the pair into a laptop running QLab. Hold down the talk key, play the sound cue.....violate at least three FCC regs....
 
Hello Iggy

Quick question. I've been searching for something like this for a while as the electronics for an Original Series Battlestar Galactica Laser Pistol. Is there any way to add a small LED(s) bank to the wiring of this device to get both sound and light (flash) effects??? Any Help or assistance you could offer would be GREATLY Appreciated.
 
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What I did for my blaster was wire two tiny trigger switches and locked them side by side. It is a super simple solution. Basically one switch is to the led. One switch is sound.

I am still waiting for erv at plecterlabs to get the blastercore mini off the ground, but he has a ton of projects in line right now.
 
Hey Iggy

Thanks for getting back to me!!! Were you using the ELECTRONICS you posted as well as the LED running off the same power supply or two separate ones

Iggy said:
What I did for my blaster was wire two tiny trigger switches and locked them side by side. It is a super simple solution. Basically, one switch is to the led. One switch is sound.

I am still waiting for erv at plecterlabs to get the blastercore mini off the ground, but he has a ton of projects in line right now.
Click to expand...
 
I used an older version of these electronics as I bought 4 at the time (you can see them on the site as well. They run off 4.5v but only work with windows 7 or lower. The newer one is larger and works with windows 10.)

I used the same power source for both.
 
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