If you're having trouble with the Control Freak Media Monster, here are the most common steps to get you up and running again. If all else fails, you can always contact us here at Night Frights, we'll be happy to help.

"What's that strange clicking?"

If you hear the Control Freak click at regular intervals, it's just is the pneumatic blaster circuit getting switched on, going off at whatever interval you have set currently on the Delay ("DLY") adjustment. This Delay setting is an adjustable lockout period to avoid people from re-triggering the Control Freak at will, and is adjustable from a minimum of 15 seconds to a maximum of 3 minutes.

If you don't have a Ghost Bust Blaster connected, simply turn down the Level ("LVL") adjustment all the way counter-clockwise and you should hear the clicking no longer.

"The switch mat works sporadically!"

As mentioned above, the Delay ("DLY") control sets how frequently the switch mat can be triggered. For testing purposes, be sure to turn the Delay setting all the way down (counter-clockwise) so that the switch mat is only prevented from triggering the Control Freak for a short fiffteen second period after the last time it fired.

"The DVD routine doesn't pause!"

When using the Control Freak Media Monser, the DVD should pause after the end of the routine and show the Greek Statue face (standby mode), until the next victim triggers the switch mat or PIR again. If the DVD player doesn't pause when it should, but instead moves right on to the next performance, the first thing to check would be the DVD Pause Menu. Are you using the "Control Freak Controlled" set of routines on the DVD? (The first set listed on the first menu). Only this set will respond correctly to a switch mat. The others are simply looping all the time with preset pause lengths.

Next, double-check the wire jumper that connects the two center terminals on the biggest green block on the Control Freak. There should definitely be a jumper there, and it needs to be plugged into the TOP half of the connection holes for proper connection. If one or both legs of the jumper are in the bottom half of the connector, the unit will act improperly, playing when it should be pausing. Loosen the two center screws and remove the jumper. Put it back in, making sure that the legs go in the upper holes. Tighten the screws. Give the jumper a tug on both sides to make sure it's connected well, and re-test.

"The DVD routine doesn't doesn't play!"

If the switch mat or PIR isn't triggering the Control Freak, first, make sure the wires are connected securely on both ends.

Next, check the Infra-Red (IR) LED. The DVD player is controlled by the clear IR LED attached to black wire that mounts on the front of the DVD player with some sticky tape. Make sure the clear LED is facing the DVD player and pointing at the IR receiver, (which is hard to see, but it's right above the little mark that looks like the letter "R" in a tiny square -- just beneath the EJECT button on the DVD player). Make sure the other end of that cable is plugged into the jack on the Control Freak labeled "DVD".

"How do I prevent the screensaver from appearing?"

The DVD player's factory default setting has the screensaver kick on after fifteen minutes of no action, so if you anticipate periods of more than fifteen minutes between performances, you may want to turn that off.

To do so, follow these steps:

First, stop the DVD from playing by hitting the STOP button on the DVD player's remote, then hit the DISPLAY button (about half way up the right side of the remote).

The Control Menu will appear on the left side of the screen (if you have the DVD player connected to the projector and the projector aligned with the bust, you may want to hold up a piece of paper to be able to see the left side of the projected screen).

Use the remote's down arrow key to scroll down to the bottom of this list of options (select the red toolbox icon), then press ENTER.

Use the down arrow key to select "CUSTOM", then hit ENTER again.

Scroll down to select the SCREEN SETUP menu, then press the Right Arrow button to move over to the list of options in the Screen Setup Menu.

Press the Down Arrow button once to select the SCREEN SAVER option and press ENTER,

Scroll down to the OFF selection, and hit ENTER once again to save it.

Press the DISPLAY button to exit, and you're good to go!