Magic Table

My dream is to create an interactive table for my magical demonstrations. Since I tend to dream big, I plan on breaking the project into managable pieces. I hope to complete at least step 1 for my final Fab Academy project.

1. An interactive table top that can be placed ontop of a premade stand.
2. Fizzbit my animatronic familiar assistant, who is voice activated.
3. Intergrate Fizzbit to control some special effect circuts on the table top.
4. Build a cabinet on wheels for the table top. The back will have small shelves and/or hold signs. May contain "magical" creatures in containers. Like a fairy using Pepper's Ghost trick. Or movement or lights.
5. Cauldron with light up base stand that looks like fire, a bottom that opens and closes at least 10.5 inches in diameter, self stirring spoon, fog machine, and lift for cake.
6. Additional shelving cabinet for audience side that connects to main table.
7. Background collapsable flag stand.

Magic table designs in progress:

From week 7:

I created parts of my magic cabinet. I created the parametric files in Autodesk Fusion. The pieces are symmetrical so that I can cut 2 sides, 2 tops, a back, and the desired shelves for each section of the cabinet. I would like to attach my cabinet sections together with inlayed hinges using the shaper tool. Hopefully create a dragon hinge, or an inlay decoration using the cnc routing. Here is a dragon inlay image I created using Meshy.ai with the prompt, "a relief carving of a direct overhead view of a small dragon's back flying over clouds"

fusion magic cabinet files

I still need to make the deeper sides, and the counter top.

From Week 6:

There were many interesting examples of circuits in Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest M. Mims, III, that would make fun magical creatures. - Touch switch p.106 for the table, wand, or on a cage. - Audible light probe, I will call it a "Screecher," it will be in a box, and when someone opens the lid it will screech, until they close it, and a little after. p. 115 - electronic coin tosser circuit, can be used to have Fizzbit answer yes or no questions. p.120 Adrian Torres' Fabxiao was a great resource as well: - leds with fiberoptics to make plants, that can be paired with the Hall effect sensor from , p.26 - Step response p.21 for table sensors - 180 degree servo motor for Fizzbit's tail, p.33 - DC motors for moving the cake holder, p. 35 - an ESP 32 web server may be needed if I make Fizzbit

From week 5:

These are some 3D printed ideas that may be used in my final project: - Fizzbit's tail, a design used in puppeteering similar to live hinges on a thin cone that move by with wires pulling on either side. - lock and keys for creature cages or a little set of bank vaults. - enclosures for electronics - small creatures or parts like hinged wings - hollow wand part made from wood filament, not the handle, I like to wood turn those. This would allow me to thread wires through the wand. I have not been able to drill that small and long a hole in my wood wands.

3D scanning can be used to model creatures or other complicated shapes. I have more sculpting experience in physical materials than on software so this could allow me to go from real to digital. Then I would be able to use machines to reproduce my design.

From week 4:

Embedded programming is new and fascinating to me. It is one of the topics I most wanted to learn about. My starting electronic skill was copper tape, an led, and a button battery, so being able to turn on and off an led with a tap of my wand or touch on the table was my goal. Now, I hope to use "home assistant" to have Fizzbit, my personal assistant, run parts of my table. Mr. Dubick also briefly went over stepper motors. I think a ULN2003 running a 28BYJ-48 would work well to move a small, lightweight creature in a cage. A larger stepper motor might work for my cake lift. and a servo motor might be what I need to move Fizzbit's tail using a cosplay style, living hinge like tail.

From week 3:

fusion360 cabinet design Check out week03 parametric construction kit for details on the problems I have faced with this design.

Magic Table cabinet B in Fusion360

From week 2:

I plan on useing 2D software to create the inlay on my table. I want this inlay to be both decorative, and part of the electronics. The design will depend on what I discover in the upcoming weeks, and how I am inspired to use them in my magic show. Right now I would like: - lights from Fizzbit to a plug for my insta-cauldron - touch sensors or switches to turn on special effects like creaturs that move or lights

I made this design on corelDraw this week, but since I don't know what special effects I will be making, I don't know how the design will flow. I dislike this design so much that it is not worth the space to keep the .cdr files, but I have them on my local computer should you want them.

Research

I have been imagining my magic table for years. My design constantly changes as I learn new scientific tricks to show the kids. Throughout the years I have been inspired by movies, the reniassance festival, furniture that opens for additional storage, pretty much anything that goes beyond the expected basic purpose.

• This was an interesting link shared in one of the fab academy chats. It uses copper tape over 3d printed objects to make circut boards.

• Gardening table that has wheels. The top also slides outwards to become counter space when the basin is in use.

• The DreamBox craft storage unit this amazing design wheels around, and opens to reveal a treasure trove of storage.

• A design combining a table and a cabinet.

• My sewing table is another source of inspiration, as it closes into a compact movable cabinet that contains my machine inside. The lid opens, rests on a fold out bracket and the open door, and the machine rises using a lift.

Fab Academy projects that may be helpful:

• Marimbatron: Leo Kulper, 2024 used filament waste for table inlays, and look at his sensors.
• Enzo the Toucan-animatronic toucan by Burak Turkoz Aalto Fablab
• Andrea Paola Rubio Paredes - Alive Wood touch light table, Barcelona
• Quentin Bolsee's piano_piezo Uses piezoelectric touch sensor. I love the science of the Piezoelectric crystals, and would love to use natural crystals in my design. Can I hit a quartz crystal, and conduct electricity? I have done this. When you bang 2 quartz crystals together it creates cold fire sparks. They are considered cold, because they are not likely to start a fire. However, if you collect 2 large quartz crystals from your yard, and rub them together in the dark, you will see sparks and smell burning.
• Inigo Gutierrez Febles used capacitative circuits. His final project uses stepper motor to raise and lower a desk.

• Neil is impressed with the PIOs on rp processors. More versatile and customizable, because there are many little processors that you can program peripherals from. Also he suggests RFC sensors for interactivity like in an interactive magical table top!

• Garret Nelson sent these 2 videos about Disney's bipedal robots.

• First Video is just a Disney research video on design and control of a bipedal robotic character

• The next video is an over 4 hour video on "Disney's living Characters: A broken promise.". Garret recommended I at least watch around the 2hr mark, since I didn't have 4 hours to spare. That part was on the creation of interactive animatronic characters. My take away was that what really made an exceptional experience was the human handler, since the robot was hampered by its programming. However, with more input and complex analysis a more realistic humanoid robotic character can be achieved. With AI I can see that a much more nuanced character personality can be achieved.

• Garret also shared Home Assistant with Angela and me. It can be made with a Raspberry Pi, and may be the perfect answer to my Fizzbit.

• sand art table This video was recomended by Tom to see what stepper motors can do. I had wanted to move a critter around my table. My idea before this class was to turn on and off electromagnets to attract and/or repell a magnetic creature to/ from different spots in the table top. The design in this video would work to move the magnet under the table top instead of strategically placed electromagnets.