Magic: The Mini-magic Switchboard should I make it a kit?

[blueroomelectronics]

Watch the video, I know how it works. At $500US dollars I think I could make a kit version for much less.
Watch the video.
**broken link removed**
**broken link removed**

 

[Pommie]

I think the reason it's $500 is because there is a very limited market for these kind of things. I don't think you will sell many kits.

Mike.

 

[bananasiong]

Wow it's weird. What's happening inside the box?

 

[jpanhalt]

Question, can the switches being moved my the magician be moved entirely randomly?

One way would be to have the sequence used by the magician key the MPU as to which lamp was where. To fool the audience, there could be more than one sequence of switches for each lamp sequence. For example, green to red could sent the same logic as yellow to blue, etc. John

 

[bananasiong]

Have you watched the video? It showed only the same color of switch can switch the same color of bulb magically. I don't think it is so simple. 1+1=2?

 

[jpanhalt]

Have you watched the video? It showed only the same color of switch can switch the same color of bulb magically. I don't think it is so simple. 1+1=2?

If your comment is in response to mine, yes, I watched the video. And no, I did not say the algorithm used by the magician was simple, such as 1+1 =2.

Have you considered rotating codes, such a KeyLock, but simplier for the human to calculate in his mind? Etc.

As with most magic, it appears complicated until you know the clue. There used to be a board game called "murder she wrote" or something like that. The question was who did the murder, in which room, and with what impliment. There are lots of ways to solve it, but there is also a relatively simple logic that gets one to the answer quite quickly and is beaten only occasionally by those relying on luck.
John

 

[MrDEB]

I think theres more to it

than meets the eye.
perhaps a hidden switch controller?
For that kind of money I suspect more than meets the eye.

 

[bananasiong]

Not sure, I don't know much about magic. But sometimes we see things complicated and forget about 1+1=2

 

[3v0]

The unit works exactly as show in the video. No hidden switches or built in sequences. What you see is what you get, nothing up the sleeve sort of thing.

It is just a uC with 4 inputs and 4 outputs.

 

[bananasiong]

Repeating watching it for a few times, still couldn't figure out how this work

 

[3v0]

It might help to turn off the audio. Is is intended to distract you.

Let me give you some of what is going on maybe you can figure out the rest.

The unit has two modes program and playback.

If the unit has no switch inputs for about 10 seconds it resets and becomes unprogrammed.

 

[Pommie]

As I posted on the original thread, the secret is that the magician tells the circuit the order of the bulbs. Hint, watch the sequence the bulbs are illuminated.

Mike.

 

[jumides]

I guess the "cap switch" has individual resistance/capacitance inside and the switch(tip) got a sensor, then light has individual resistance too , it detect first before it lit up.

 

[Leftyretro]

OK I'll admit I'm really impressed after viewing the video. I've been involved with digital logic for over 40 years and this demo amazed me.

I'm struggling to consider how it works. There has to be some method or feedback for the control circuit to know which color bulb is in which socket and which color switch cap is on which switch.

Possibly the switch caps have different strength magnets and some kind of hall effect sensor on each switch can tell the controls which cap is on which switch. I have to think that the magnets are a part of the magic. I noticed in the video that they never turned on a switch without a color cover installed on it, is that a clue?

For the lights all I can think of is that maybe each lamp has an internal resistor installed so that the control can measure the resistance of the lamp and therefore can measure which bulb is in which socket.

So who feels that they have a specific solution and can share it with us?

This is quite a impressive device and I would love to build it for my grandchild someday.

Lefty

 

[Hero999]

It's got nothing to do with the switch caps, bulb resistance etc.

In the video he takes the switch caps off and it still works.

He removes one of the bulbs and it still works, you could probably replace them with LED bulbs and it'd still work.

I'm still figuring it out but it's got something to do with the order the swicthes are activated in.

 

[Marks256]

This strikes me as impossible... The magnets MUST have something to do with it.

 

[bananasiong]

No, they MUSTN'T. One part of it showed that the caps of the switches are removed and the bulbs are light accordingly.

 

[Leftyretro]

It's got nothing to do with the switch caps, bulb resistance etc.

In the video he takes the switch caps off and it still works.

He removes one of the bulbs and it still works, you could probably replace them with LED bulbs and it'd still work.

I'm still figuring it out but it's got something to do with the order the swicthes are activated in.

Yes your right, he does switch without caps a few times, however the controls could 'remember' the last valid cap installed and keep that setting until a different magnetic strength cap is installed onto the switch.

This is fun, and I still think that the magnetic caps are a clue, there would be much simpler and cheaper methods of securing the caps with just friction fit.

Lefty

 

[wmmullaney]

That is weird, he started with green one time, and another started with blue, go for it Bill, that thing is amazing.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

LOL well I figured it out, shall I sign you all up for kits?
Knowing how it works takes the fun out of it, like 3V0 said turn off the volume on the video.