Adding a Wireless Trigger to a Spirit Prop

Many Spirit Halloween props contain an input trigger plug that is normally used for triggering the prop with a step pad.  This is great, but the step pad is a limited size and only works when someone either knowingly or unknowingly steps on it.

A simple and effective alternative is a wireless relay module.  These can be had on Ebay for under $10.  They can have 1, 2, or 4 channels and are typically 12vdc.  I bought this one and used it Halloween 2014.  It worked wonderfully for providing perfectly timed scares in the driveway…

Using a 4 channel relay module gives us 3 extra channels to trigger additional props.  This module also has the ability to learn from the remote, so multiple modules could be used at the same time and not conflict with each other.

Switch Modes: Some of these relay modules are configurable to run in different modes, i.e. latching, momentary, etc…  I had to solder a small jumper on the back of this module’s board in order to get it to work in the desired “momentary” mode.

Here is a video of the whole process

Lastly, here is the diagram for daisy chaining the last 3 channels as mentioned in the video:

Thanks for checking us out, and good luck with your projects!

-Mike