A "Working" Bat Phone Prop

[thatmikeflynn]

I thought my Batman collection on my shelf needed something from the Adam West area so I built a Bat Phone prop that "rings" randomly (but regularly), and when you pick it up audio of Commissioner Gordon plays. If you pick it up when it's not ringing you get a dial tone because no emergency is happening, of course!

Rather than 3D print the whole phone, I found a real phone on Amazon that had that classic shape and took out (almost) all the guts and 3D printed a custom insert to hold the LED where the dialer was. This was a full "stuff I have around the workshop" build so some parts were overkill or a less than perfect match, but I'm really happy how the results came out.

I would like to come up with more audio for it to play when you pick up rather than the random stuff I cobbled together from YouTube clips, so that's the next/last step if I feel like I want to take on audio editing again.

Here's a short demo video. Sorry it's a bit quiet, so get that volume up if you want to actually hear the audio from the receiver!

Here's a few pics from the build:

 

[Uridium]

If you pick it up when it's not ringing you get a dial tone because no emergency is happening, of course!

Hahaha, that is Gold!!!! Great prop you have there.

You've got me really wanting one for my man room.

 

[Halliwax]

Wicked cool!

 

[agliarept]

Very cool idea, and fun way to keep the props interactive long term, well done!

 

[JPH]

I had long suspected that Batman was on RPF, now my theory is CONFIRMED.

OOPS! I mean, um, nice looking prop there Bats.

I mean, nice looking *prop* there, thatmikeflynn.

 

[thatmikeflynn]

Thanks everyone! It was a fun quick project and I've had a good time trying to catch it ringing over the last couple of days while working.

Happy to share more details if anyone wants them.

 

[Uridium]

Mike, did you change the handset cord to a mic-jack (not sure what its called) or did the phone you bought already have that?
The ones I can see have an RJ12 connector.

I have to admit to bein a noob when it comes to electronics.

 

[MorbidCharlie]

I am working on a similar static prop (no sound) - was this the base you used off Amazon? This was the one I was looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/Sangyn-Landline-Telephone-Classic-Fashioned/dp/B08V98L67L/

 

[thatmikeflynn]

Mike, did you change the handset cord to a mic-jack (not sure what its called) or did the phone you bought already have that?
The ones I can see have an RJ12 connector.

I have to admit to bein a noob when it comes to electronics.

I didn't use the handset from the phone at all. I looked in to how feasible that would be to either push audio from a device over phone cord but then I remembered that someone had given me a novelty red phone receiver that you can plug in to your cell phone (back when they had headphone jacks). I ended up just using that out of simplicity.

Here's something similar on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SMNZ9YC/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_M1HNP4EZS6FNS3YM7XJA

There is probably an adapter somewhere to go from audio out to rj12, or you could possibly just use two of the wires in the connector/cable for wiring to a speaker and audio out, but once I realized I had a much easier solution laying around I pivoted to that pretty fast.

 

[thatmikeflynn]

I am working on a similar static prop (no sound) - was this the base you used off Amazon? This was the one I was looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/Sangyn-Landline-Telephone-Classic-Fashioned/dp/B08V98L67L/

I used this one: Amazon.com : YOUEON Retro Rotary Landline Phone, Red Rotary Phone, Old Fashion Rotary Dial Telephone Vintage Phone with Classic Bell Push Button for Home, Office Decors : Office Products which now seems to be unavailable, but the one you linked too is very similar.

It's hard to tell if the hole, once you remove the dial, would be the same across both model but it's quite possible. If so, or if you just wanted something to start from, I'm happy to share the little 3D model I came up with. I ended up getting the tolerances tight enough that it pressure fit in to the base, which was pretty nice.

 

[MorbidCharlie]

I'm happy to share the little 3D model I came up with.

Oh, that would be great! I would really appreciate it.

 

[thatmikeflynn]

Oh, that would be great! I would really appreciate it.

Here's the STL file: TheBatPhone/bat_phone_insert_v3.stl at main · mikeflynn/TheBatPhone

I just made the GitHub repo I was using for this project public so all the details can be found here: GitHub - mikeflynn/TheBatPhone: Code and files related to my 1960s Bat Phone project.

 

[jujuroca]

Hi Mike!

Did you happen to make a Cad file for the 3D printing portion of your phone. Love your replica and would love to make my own!

Thanks!

 

[Borjis]

Love the miniature gobo / bat signal.

 

[thatmikeflynn]

Love the miniature gobo / bat signal.

Thanks! The Bat Signal I found on Amazon a while back and I modified it to run on a plug rather than batteries so I can automate turning it on and off.

 

[thatmikeflynn]

Hi Mike!

Did you happen to make a Cad file for the 3D printing portion of your phone. Love your replica and would love to make my own!

Thanks!

No CAD files. Since I was basing this version off of a pre-built phone I just needed to print the bit that replaced the dial so I make a simple STL file to do that.

I did look in to the idea of printing the whole phone body, but once I found that shell on Amazon that had the look I wanted, I changed course.

 

[Sector2814]

Nice mod. Not long ago brought the same phone if eBay. Will have to get it finished