[.ca] Animatronics A Guide To Animated Displays (ISBN 0790612194)

Oops!:
There is an error on the back cover! It claims some additional "background" projects -- alas, these were dropped when we moved the from being a Halloween-only text, to an all-seasons book. Other than that, it's a great book! (Of course, I wrote it, so...)

Initial Impressions:
I have not read the entire book yet, but have spent about two hours skimming through it in some detail. Overall, it covers everything very well, including basic theory (levers, etc). No need to fear if you are math challenged, as the formulas are not complex. At more advanced levels, it also covers home-made circuits as an alternative to store bought items. Note that no circuit board patterns are included, so you will have to either make them yourself or breadboard the circuit (probably a much easier option for most people, and it allows you to vary component specifications to suit your needs). Of particular note is that he includes several motion sensors, which are very desirable in terms of air/energy efficiency, as well as the shock effect for Halloween. The only negative comment I have is that all formulae and units are in SAE (oz-ft, PSI, etc). If you are from the US or UK, you should have no problem, but for the other 180 countries in the world, you will have to either learn the old measurements, or convert them to SI/metric. I am suprised by this, as SI formulae are simpler (not as many constants and conversions), and even the the UK is rapidly moving towards SI/metric. I hope that any future reprints of this book will take this into account. In summary, this book is an excellent ref for a homeowner or student with some tech ability, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in making an animated display. I suspect my copy will have much use over the years, and do not envision passing it to other people. ie/ The book is a keeper, not one that you wish to circulate. DNP

Great resource for Halloween:
This book had everything I needed to get some animation into my displays! I highly recommend this book. Mr. Wise gives all the information you will need (math, physics, etc), but presents it in an easy to understand format. Be the talk of your neighborhood next Halloween

Were in the book is the fog chiller and glowing water??:
The entire reason I bought this book was for the back ground projects glowing water and fog chiller. I read the book twice and did not see it in there. If anyone has found this please e-mail me. Other than that big disapoinment I found the book good. There are alot of good ideas. The writer leaves alot to your own imagination.

First Impressions:
I have not read the entire book yet, but have spent about two hours skimming through it in some detail. Overall, it covers everything very well, including basic theory (levers, etc). No need to fear if you are math challenged, as the formulas are not complex. At more advanced levels, it also covers home-made circuits as an alternative to store bought items. Note that no circuit board patterns are included, so you will have to either do it yourself or breadboard the circuit (probably a much easier option for most people, and it allows you to vary component specifications to suit your needs) Of particular note is that he includes several motion sensors, which are very desirable in terms of air/energy efficiency, as well as the shock effect for Halloween. The only negative comment I have is that all formulae and units are in SAE (oz-ft, PSI, etc). If you are from the US or UK, you will have no problem, but for the other 180 countries in the world, you will have to either learn the old measurements, or convert them to SI/metric. I am suprised by this, as normally SI formulae are simpler (not as many constants and conversions), and even the the UK is rapidly moving towards SI/metric. I hope that any future reprints of this book will take this into account. In the end, this book is an excellent ref for the average homeowner or student, and I recommend it to anyone interested in making an animated display. I suspect my copy will have much use over the years, and do not envision passing it to other people. ie/ The book is a keeper, not one that you wish to circulate. DNP