Hi John,
I've received a lot of e-mails from people who have
purchased the inexpensive five-foot figures, made by
several manufacturers.
If you hooked up the figure to Ultra-Hal via your
computer, I hope that it worked well for you! (That
would only work if the figure you bought had an
external audio jack.)
I have a couple of ideas in response to your question
about putting a push-button at your gate, so
passers-by could "make Santa dance."
HOWEVER, first a DISCLAIMER: Only allow electrical
work to be done by a qualified electrician, to avoid
fire and electrocution. Also, any modifications to a
unit will almost certainly void its warranty.
Keeping the above warnings in mind, here are two
possibilities:
1. If there is a push-button on the base of the unit
that initiates a dance-cycle, it might be possible to
hook up a button in parallel to it. An electrician
should verify that the button carries low-voltage,
and/or should install a relay and small low-voltage
power supply so that only low-voltage goes to the
external push-button.
2. Your Santa figure might have a "motion sensor"
mounted on the front of its base somewhere. If this
exists, it would be a little hole approximately the
diameter of a pencil, with a photocell inside.
Generally, these inexpensive "motion sensors" merely
sense a change in the light level, as in a person
casting a shadow as he walks by. If this is the case,
you might be able to hook up a low-voltage push-button
that lights a very small bulb in front of the sensor,
and get Santa to "cycle" for a dance performance.
Again, safety first, and use qualified personnel.
I hope that this is of some possible help to you.
Thanks for writing and have a great day!
Sincerely,
Don