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

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Optikon said:
I havnt followed this old thread. Did Blueroom every make this a kit? Can on eof these things be had for cheap?
Click to expand...


Bill did not make a kit.
I am not in the kit buisness.
You can make as many as you want from the Eagle files previously posted.

I PM'ed you but did not get a reply.
 
I did not build a kit, I was contacted by the people who build the Mini-Magic and thought I'd leave the magic in the box

It's not mass appealing enough to put the resources into kit form and if everybody knows how it works it's not much of a trick...
 
vinyl switch cap covers

Gaston said:
i did a quick search and found these **broken link removed**

they have different colors, i didnt search the whole site...there may be other types on there..and just my 2 cents worth...i think the screw in bulbs add to the illusion
Click to expand...


You might have a look at this site.
It looks like an interesting site for vinyl cap covers.
Doug

Switch Cap Covers
 
presentation pack

 
A few comments is the code is what you will be getting.

I do not want to make this so easy that it will ruin sales for the people who actualy sell the thing.

The idea behind V2 was additional functionality. I intend to use it in my class as one of the first few uC projects. That is after we squeeze about all we can get from the Junebug.

The row of LEDs can be replaced by 2x?? header strip which will allow the LEDs to be moved off the board. The 4 bulbs can be replaced by LEDs by soldering the right solder jumpers and populating the current limit resistors.
 

And for the same reasons I am not releasing the source code. You should be able to figure out how it works by watching the video. I do not want anyone using the info on this thread to spoil the limited marked now enjoyed by the people who came up with it.

Toss rocks if you want. The board can be programed to play the simon game. Maybe I will post that code since it does not suffer from the same problems.
 
New Magic Prop waiting for development!

Hi guys,
Here is a new Oujii Board magic trick that has been done on Instructables.com but has been made into a neat commercial magic effect. It would be interesting to see if any of the micro gurus could combine a microprocessor with the electromechanical setup that this would need to function.

Key points are 1) the unit is 'field programmable' in that moving the planchette 'records' the travel of the puck (planchette) when the program is actually run. 2) that is doesn't require a computer to either program or run the unit and 3) has 2 formal programs that can switched in/out wirelessly

the unit described on instructables is not too sophisticated but shows clearly that the effect has been out there a while before it was released to the magic community.

Any comments?

Doug

**broken link removed** for the commercial efffect

http://www.instructables.com/id/Animated-Haunted-Ouija-Board/ for the instructable project that works along the lines of the commercial
 
Take a look at this similar but improved switchbox

[video]http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Va5kcH8C4pc[/video]

Cacho
 
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wmmullaney said:
The first switch you hit always turns on the first bulb, no matter what.
Click to expand...

The programming is a bit different on this version but the hardware and circuits are the same. The first time the bulbs light left to right, the next right to left, and then the first bulb to light is the 2nd from the right.

It is not difficult to makes these changes but the operator has to know what bulb sequence will be used each time he uses the switches to program the unit.

One could be even more sneaky if the bulb sensing is used.
 
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(had to cut the urls as I'm a new member)

Hey I just signed up to pop in and say G'Day.

I'm the guy that buiilt the Ouija board on instructables. I was interested to see how similar that commercial unit was in style to mine (but very commercial looking) - and even more so the price!

I built mine based on looking at the simpler ones that went round in circles I had seen before, and thought I could do better.

In the end I was able to tweak the firmware to be able to send messages via serial to it allowing it to be remotely controlled and spell messages.

Another feature I never got round to finishing (a friend now owns the board) was a solenoid knocker inside... you know, for "knock 3 times" kind of effects.

Anyone have any questions about it etc, fire away. The board is still running well and is ready to go again for this year.

Cheers
Jacob from Australia
 
Making My Own Switch Box

First off, let me say that I am a novice to electronics. I've soldered a few circuits, but creating pcb boards is way out of my league.

I have two questions:
1 - A friend of mine suggests that rather than using the design shown here, I would be better off using an arduino and software controls. Is that true?
2 - An alternative approach is to have a 4 button remote that the magician can remotely link. So, I would press buttons 2, 3,1, and 4, and that links the second switch to the first light, the third switch to the second light, etc. This allows the magician to be completely hands off, although he does need to key in numbers on his hidden pad. Is doing something like this easy?

Thanks in advance

 
Congratulations on the great Instructable, Jacob.
It is intersting to see what is going on in the hobby world.
The link given above, to the "improved version" of the magic switchboard seems to be an engineers idea of improved.
For me, having a panic mode to the effect doesn't add to but rather takes away from the apparent simplicity of 4 bulbs with 4 switches. Depending on how the unit is 'programmed' by the magician with the last switch pattern, the first bulb that lights is a function not of the switch thrown, but rather what order of switches were thrown with the last display. In effect, once the pattern is set for "right to left" or "Left to Right", the first bulb to light (1-4) lights with what ever switch is thrown. In fact, if only one switch was used, each time it was turned on/off would signal the mC to light the next bulb.

There is a Crystal Magic Switchbox that is demonstrated on youTUBE but the website that is given comes up as a DNS error. Too bad too, since the wiring that the guy uses is really very clean and quite deceptive. More so than the solid wood versions, at least for the tech minded audiences!

Doug
 
Doug, I know a few people who have made a transparent switch board. As you can see from the Crystal version, the circuitry is easy enough to conceal in or behind a battery box. Personally, I prefer the wooden version because you can completely hide the circuitry (within the board itself), and you can use false external wires to create the perfect illusion of a no electronics board. The board can then be completely examined (even by the tech minded).
 
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transparent vs solid wood

I agree with you in principle. I think if you're going to show the inner workings, a transparent box is quite attractive. The wiring on the Crystal Switchbox is quite well done. I suspect that one of the cables is a rather thin multi wire cable that gives the bulbs point to point connection to the output pins of the mC.

I've seen some nice looking plexiglass (Perspex to those across the pond) versions that hide the microcontroller and 'real' wiring quite nicely. I like the idea of putting the uC into a battery shell. I don't recall but that member likely was using LED's rather than bulbs so no need for driving transistors.

Anyway, there is a genuine Wellington mini-switchboard on ebay for less than $200.
Great buy at 50% off!

Doug
 
Hey Bill,
After some searching, I found a source for colored vinyl toggle caps. Missing one color (choices are White, Black, Yellow, Blue, Red) but I think that a green color could come from a white cap dyed with appropriate paint. If you are interested, the source is in Toronto.

Would you be able to drive LED's directly and get enough brightness?

Doug
 
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