Magnetic hover

[Mosaic]

Hi,
I have an idea to create a chess set game that cause the pieces to float and bob , but not fall over.

Eventually the controls could allow the pieces to magnetically move around based on the players' requirements.

So, the challenge is a good electromagnetic control to repel the pieces into the air (a few mm) and maintain orientation.

My first thought is to uses 2 vertically oriented electromagnets at the lower border of each game square, thus each square is bracketed by 4 units. Then to place a regular magnet (for constant repulsion) in the centre of each square. The border electros are under PIC control to manage the chess piece.
The chess piece itself may need four small magnets in it's base to be able to control repulsion leverage for maintaining a vertical orientation. Kinda like a rocket with multiple engines.

I haven't figured out how to do any closed loop controls as the feedback on the orientation of the chess piece is hard to generate. So this looks like an open loop system that will have a standard 'tune' for the pieces. This may mean that each piece will have to have a standard platform as the 'magic carpet' to float on.

Ideas or suggestions?

thx.

For the permanent mags, I am leaning toward .25" neodymium donuts.

 

[DerStrom8]

From personal experience trying to make things hover using electromagnets, I have found that they are never stable. Just setting up magnets like you suggest wouldn't work too well. I'm wondering, though, if you could get a certain amount of control using an infrared proximity sensor in the center of each square. It would sense the distance between the piece and the square, and turn on the electromagnet accordingly. I still don't think it would be very stable or reliable--you'd need an extremely fast processor, but it might be possible.

I love the idea!

Good luck!
Regards,
Der Strom

 

[Mosaic]

I guess it's maglev without rails.. But it has a certain novelty value for chess lovers.

 

[shingwell]

Many years ago I worked on a chess computer that could move it's own pieces, and it became a commercial product.

The chess board had an X Y plotter mechanism underneath with a small electrormagnet in place of the pen, and each chess piece had a magnet in the base. So it could "grab" a piece and move it around the board. By applying a reverse voltage pulse to the electromagnet it could even cause the king to fall over at the end of the game! As I recall one of the "interesting" bits was castling where two pieces have to swap places while being hemmed-in by other pieces.

There was no feedback mechanism but it worked fine provided the pieces were set up correctly to start with.

Another chess product I worked on had a small tuned circuit in each piece and a coil underneath each square, and was able to tell which piece was where. It didn't move the pieces though - it was designed to monitor and record human chess games.

 

[tazmond727]

Hi i am, also looking for a hovering or floating chess set? have u had any luck finding anything like that??
THANKS!