PicoBoo Controllers...

[DarkShadows]

SUCK! Dont waste your money if your going to get a controller, go with a prop-1, animation maestro, or the nerve center. At 70 bucks a pop you can buy 2 prop-1's for the same price and have a 100% reliable controller. I had one blow out on me last year, and now 2 blow out on me this year. I dont know what section to put this in, Just thought It'd share my thoughts.

[Creeper]

Wow. I've got a Nerve Center and am thinking what I really wanted for my project was a picoboo.

[DarkLore]

Care to share some details regarding what you are hooking up to the picoboo? They don't work like efxtek controllers. Maybe you're hooking up something wrong.

Creeper...same question....any details to share? I think we should all hear pros and cons. Especially with new products like Nerve Center. Possibly in a new thread?

[Creeper]

I'll try here, for now. What I see the Picoboo does that the Nerve Center can't is play ambient music until the prop is triggered. For instance, you'd like your prop to appear to be singing as you approach, then once you reach a certain spot you'd like the prop to activate with a scream and at the same time have the singing stop during the activation. Reset, repeat.

The Nerve Center won't do the ambient music so for my duplication of this prop by Fetch: http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=13489&highlight=sister I need to play the haunting singing on another device which is ok, but she'll still be singing when she's screaming and there won't be a reset of the song that coincides with the scream end.

One other option is to record the song and scream/activation together but I'd have to time the length of the song to the amount of time it takes to get through to the spot where the prop activates and I'd have to let just a few people in at a time so they'd hit it just right.

[DarkShadows]

I'm just hooking up a regular 24 volt solenoid to one channel.. It gets power and records the sequence, it just doesnt take in any type of trigger input to set it off. They worked fine last year and now this year, nothing. I built for a local haunted house and used one of these and within a week they returned the prop to me because the controller crapped out. Luckily I had another animation maestro in stock and switched it out and it's been fine ever since.

I'm not the only one to have problems with them either. I'm just throwing this out there for people on low budgets that dont want to mess around with different types of controllers.

[Creeper]

Not doubting you at all and I appreciate the info.

[fritz42_male]

Have you gone back to FrightIdeas and asked them to have a look?

I am using one for the first time this year and am using 1 PicoBoo for the ambient/scare feature and 1 Nerve Center for just a normal scrae, no ambient.

[The Creepster]

I use the same Fright Ideas controllers for 4 years now with no problems. (5 PicoBoo FI-105's and BooBox). Just got the BooBox8 also no problems so far.

[Death Master]

I use PicoBoo's too with no problems so far.

[Dead Things]

I'm using a PicoBoo FI 104. This is the first time using a prop control. So far so good, but am interested in others experience. i did have some issues initially but I was more my inexperience than the device itself. I have found Fright Ideas to respond quickly to my queries.

[rottincorps]

I got one last year (picoboo 104) have great success with it and have already got it out and ran it for an hour and still no problems.....I do want to try a nerve center ...but it will have to wait till next year.

[mroct31]

Well so far this year my Nerve Center has worked like a champ while testing and man it don't get much easier. These controllers are pretty much idiot proof which is what I like!:D I'm going to get a Picaboo next year because I'm going to rip off that prop by fetch! That is a great prop, with a great scare, but yeah the ambient music is a must so Picaboo it'll be! However, I just hate when I see something like this 2 weeks before Halloween and I know I'll have to wait til next year to enjoy one myself! Oh well one more item to add to my ever growing to do prop list!

[joker]

I have 2 Picoboo F105's and they've worked flawlessly this year during testing, setup, dress rehearsal and opening weekend. Sorry to hear your having problems with them but I plan on ordering more.

Are you using the F103, F104, or F105?

[DarkShadows]

I'm using the F103. Between working 12 hours a day and running the haunt 5 hours after, I dont have time for nothing.