# Faegoria Obscura: Haunted Spirit Board (build)



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

This year we're holding, in what we hope to be an ongoing tradition, a small masquerade party the week before Halloween. Near the end of the party I will be performing a short bizarre/seance style magic act. Those who've seen any of the comments I've posted in other threads know that this year I've been getting pretty serious about the bizarre magic scene which, IMHO, compliments Halloween perfectly. I've dubbed this magic show Faegoria Obscura and hence the name for this series of post I hope to do.

My biggest complaint with bizarre magic is the cost bracket for nearly all haunted and bizarre magic props. As you'll see below, are all mad super ridiculously over priced. So obviously I've taken a haunter's DiY approach here as I present my trial-n-error how-to series. The first project, as the thread title indicates, is the Haunted Spirit Board.

Before we get started though, here's a video of how one can use it in their act:






The effect is simple. There are electromagnets inside the board that are fired off via remote control. In this particular case the remote is either wired to a toe switch in his shoe or a stooge is controlling it for him either off stage or in the audience. There many are other methods of control but I'm not here to spoil any magic secrets other than building the props on a haunter's budget. I will say that I won't be using a stooge in my presentation. I consider the use of them as cheating.

The version used in the video above is, I believe, The Darkboard by Outlaw Effects (seen here: http://www.outlaw-effects.com/store/golden-gun/the-dark-board.html) which goes for $600.










They also sell the Spiritas, which is a smaller scale version (http://www.outlaw-effects.com/store/golden-gun/spiritas.html) which goes for $395.










Master of Illusions also sells a product called Witchboard which does ALL sorts of programmable cool stuff (according to their website) including moving the planchette to specific letters to spell out custom messages. But sadly comes with a HUGE price tag of $2500 bucks (yes you read that right). It can be found here http://www.masterofillusions.ca/master_of_illusions_witchboard.html.










I'm sure there are a few more out there. But those are the best of the best to my knowledge.

There are plenty of tutorials in the haunt community for building Ouija boards themselves, including the one by DaveInTheGrave, so I won't be attempting to rehash any of that stuff here. My focus will be on the electronics. Once I get to my build I'll share as many pictures as I can including referenced projects. My first stop though will be getting the electronics up and running - without that part, there's no point in building this. So right now I'm planning and sourcing parts. Stay tuned to this thread as there is more to come...


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Finally got TinyCAD reinstalled and put together the first design for the electronic components of the Spirit Board. It's a rough design and doesn't have any specific values for the components yet. This is strictly logic. The board will be controlled with a 4-channel 433Mhz keychain remote. They can be found all over eBay from various sellers. They typically come with a receiver board with 7 break-out pins. Pins 1 and 3 are for power while pins 4-7 represent a channel. The plan is as follows:

Buttons A and B control the electromagnet on the right side (or negative / NO side) of the spirit board. Buttons C and D control the electromagnet on the left side (or positive / YES side) of the spirit board. Buttons A and C give a full power jolt to the electromagnet. Buttons B and D pass through a resister giving the lighter jolt of power to the electromagnet.

Any item rigged with a hidden piece of neodymium magnet (in this case the planchette) should react to the jolt. A full jolt should be just enough to knock the planchette off the board. A light jolt should cause movement but not violently as the full jolt.










Yes, there are two separate power sources: one for the magnets and one for the receiver. There's also a tilt switch to power it on/off. If the board is placed face down, it's off. This keeps the power switch hidden in case someone is inspecting it for electronics.

Hopefully some of the forum electronics gurus can swing by this thread and double check my logic and perhaps provide some suggestions. I plan on winding my own magnets using an iron nail as a core unless someone knows a good source for cheap electromagnets.

In the main time I need to go downstairs and take inventory of what I already have and get an electronics order in.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Looking forward to seeing how this goes for you, TM.


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

Are you interested in more of this kind of stuff? I ask because I'm a magician, and a friend of mine wrote a book that's full of this kind of material.

The Little Egypt Book of Ghosts:
http://littleegyptmagic.com/lect.html

I've got a small credit in there for the idea behind a routine.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Thanks JeffHaas, I'll have to check that out. I'm a bit of a hobbiest myself. I've done a few bizarre shows for family outings, etc. Since I never perform for money or publically I generally like to keep the costs of this hobby down - hence this project. 

I've performed and read stuff by Punx, Prater, Neale, and Burger, among others. This book seems to be priced pretty reasonable as well so i'll probably add it to my collection at some point. I'm especially interested in the Spirit Cabinet. I'm familiar with the effect and the classic build of this so I'd be curious if your friend's take is the same or something different. 

One of the most recent books I've read is "The Book of Haunted Magic" by Rick Maue. In addition to being a magician Rick also run a haunt. Near the end of the book he demonstrates how they did an interactive haunt with haunted magic and explains all the effects used. Good stuff for both haunters and magicians.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

I've been researching Outlaw Effect's Dark Board. Sadly with Bizarre/Haunted/Seance props and effects its quite rare to see a performance video or product demonstration. But from what I can gather it can make the planchette, if placed in the center, turn towards Yes or No, knock it off the board completely, make it move, as well as interact with other PK objects like spirit bells and pendulums. 

Thinking of how I can pull these off. I know it has two magnetic coils with one above the Yes and the other above the No (according to the product description). I'm thinking the planchette has two magnets -- one at the point with the N side facing out and one at bottom with S side facing out. Then the coils are charged at the same time the current passing the same way in each. This SHOULD cause the planchette to align with them when placed between them.

So with a four channel remote I'm thinking an alternative to the design above would be:

A. Charge both coils with N going to the left. Planchette between coils turns it left.
B. Charge both coils with N going to the right. Planchette between coils turns it right.
C. Charge only the left coil. Planchette should move towards coil.
D. Charge only the right coil. Planchette should move towards coil.

The surface of the board will be 1/4" so the coils need to be strong enough to affect the magnets within 4-6" away from and through the board. The coil is probably going to need a good deal of winds on the core. Gotta wait till next weekend to order stuff. The best bet is just get the wire and cores and start making electromagnets and experiment away.

-TM


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Ok, want to keep this thing simple since it's my first spirit board build. So gonna stay with the schematic logic above. I just don't want to have to deal with sorting out the right H bridge or a circuit for dealing with induction when flipping polarities - save that stuff for 2.0. I'm considering throwing in a couple 555 timers in a one-shot configuration so that if the trigger is held the coils don't get continuous power and set the whole thing on fire. That is unless someone can recommend a simpler one shot latch circuit.

I experimented today with a two inch iron nail wrapped in 3 passes using a strand of Cat5 grade wire. It gets a semi-decent push on a magnet through an 1/8 piece of balsa wood with a 9v battery. I'm thinking 5-7 passes should make it strong as I need it. Heck maybe shoot for 9. But I did note that if I held the contacts past 3 or 4 seconds it started to become to hot to hold - hence the need for a one shot circuit. Gotta love induction :-D


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Rendered a concept in Photoshop tonight. Really looking forward to putting this all together.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I like that!


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

I have been dreaming of a similar device. I think within my limited skill set. One of the basic projects for an Arduino is a sequence of LEDs that chase in sequence. I thought of a series of electromagnets each with a solenoid to be triggered by the Arduino. This would allow the pointer to be pulled across a predetermined path. I wonder about a grid or 8 x 8 array of electromagnets that would allow different paths for the pointer to travel. The delay between the electromagnets would give a more ragged movement and depending on the speed of the sequence speed of movement.


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

I wonder if a simple set of of chords connected through a pedestal table to a foot pedal could move a magnet inside the thin top of the table that could manipulate the pointer on the board.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

A hidden or "invisible" string could definitely work. But you'd be limited to keeping it at the table. I'm aiming for the box to be casually examinable, picked up, and moved to any location and still be completely functional.

Master of Illusions' Witchboard could probably be pulled off with a RaspberryPi and some really custom applications.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Interesting show. Will be neat to see how this all comes together.

I'm not sure why, but at least in my mind, it seems like it would be much more 'spooky' or 'dramatic' if the pointer was very slowly moved toward one indication or the other. The 'snapping' or 'kicking' motion done virtually 'on command' in the video sort of ruins the effect for me. Though I think this effect would be much more complex to replicate than the magnet based 'kick'.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Corey, six in one hand half the other. I personally like the jump and it gets a nice startle when the mood is set right. Guess it's like the slow versus fast zombies - matter of preference. But in the end if you can get a good clean fun scare out of it both are effective.

On another note. Picked up a box today at A.C. Moore to use for the haunted spirit board or box. It's a nice compact size with a surface area of 9 1/4 x 6 3/8. There's enough room on the inside of the lid to build the "werks" as they like to call it. I scaled and updated the template for the box size and printed it out. I'm really digging on the direction this is going. Going to order parts tomorrow for the werks.


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## JeffHaas (Sep 7, 2010)

Very nice artwork! That's going to be impressive.

Regarding the type of scare - most of the effectiveness of this type of presentation is due to the performer. If you think about the video demo of the trick, it's about 98% dialog with the rest prop animation. One thing you have to consider about the demo is that it seems to be on a small stage. This type of material is much more suited to a darkened living room - and guests in costumes! The atmosphere is a big part of the show (like a ride at Disneyland). Then the performer can engage the audience correctly.

The approach to the routine I would take is to have the ability to do "mild" and "large" animations. Then your first few animations would be the mild ones, which sets the expectation of how much animation will happen. For the final one, that's when you use the big animation. 

It's similar to a murder mystery where the detective is going around the room of suspects, eliminating people, and he gets to the last one. "It was YOU!" Except this time it's a ghost responding to questions, and supposedly getting upset at the person who's guilty (holding the black marble).


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Parts ordered for the electronics. The remote receiver board is coming from China via eBay so the earliest I could find a delivery for was July 26. But I should be able to get the rest of the pieces in place by then.

Here's the perf board plan:


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Keeping a running materials list as I go over on Google Docs. Everyone is free to view and comment. So far up to $37 bucks-ish... Also I'm not showing shipping on any of that.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vGYa0AgFH_U1qd3l1TrjDqFNlM_IMfLjXN3oMugvuaY/edit?usp=sharing


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

The first round of electronic parts I order have arrived. The remote control kit is gonna take a little while to arrive since I had to order it from a China based seller on eBay. I cut the back panel down to size to fit in to the lid. The plan is that after the electronics are soldered down to the perf-board I'll secure them to the back panel with hot glue . I have to wind two magnetic coils as well. Once they are wound I plan to hook it up to the bread board along with the relays and diodes to experiment with various resistor sizes to see which gives me the best movement without loosing too much power.

Here's how I'm laying out the back panel.










The two magnets will be located to each side. The push button power switch will be mounted in upper corner. When the panel is flipped over and placed within the lid there will be an elevated piece of wood right against it. I can then push the corner discreetly to turn it on or off. There will be cubes in the other corners to support the board. The panel fits pretty snug. But once the weight of the batteries and parts are added I'm worried that it could fall out during performing while removing the contents of the box. So I'm thinking about velcro in the corner supports. I should only have to open this for battery maintenance.










Tomorrow I plan to wind the magnet coils. If time permits I'll start on the electronics.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Quick update. I'm still awaiting on my RF controller to arrive from China. Should get delivered tomorrow or Saturday as it's already in MA.

Finalized the core circuit:










Laid out the the corresponding perfboard design:










And assembled it:










I decided to increase the magnet strength by adding another 3v via another 2 AAA batteries. I haven't wired that in yet which is why the wires go off the top of the picture into nowhere. Once I get the RF board and tested the data pin configuration to match the buttons I want to use I'll wire up the two magnets and hot glue everything down. After that it's just adding the velcro so the electronics board goes into the the lid. Then just gotta decorate it up.

The functionality is (depending on the button configuration the remote) as follows:

A Button: Controls the magnet towards the Yes/Left side of the box;
B Button: Controls the magnet towards the No/Right side of the box;
C Button: Fires both magnets at the same time.

So if the planchette has the tip near the center pressing A will pull it to Yes and pressing B will pull it to No. Pressing C should make it jump provided its in the right position (will have to experiment once I glue down all the pieces and can flip the board over).

I'm getting really excited as this piece comes together.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Good News / Bad News.

Good news: RF Board / Remote came in today. 
Bad news: Board was DOA.

Cost me $6 bucks off eBay, was shipped from China, and seller had free shipping. I do not want to deal with the hassle of RMAing this thing back to China so decided it was only $6 bucks and ate the cost.

On the plus side I learned that ADA Fruit sells pretty much the same board at a slightly different frequency and different remote. The pins are the same exact configuration and even the components are more or less laid out the same and use the same core RF receiver chip. On the plus side ADA Fruit is state side, is a well known reputable company, and has an active healthy and helpful support community. Down side is the remote and receiver are sold separately and they smack ya with shipping. Overall I nearly quadrupled the original cost after shipping was added:

$4.95 RF M4 Board
$6.95 Keyfob Remote
$9.52 UPS Ground shipping









http://www.adafruit.com/products/1096

Worse case if I get another dud board the RMA process should be far less painful. So in the interim I'll probably just start painting the box or something so that there's forward momentum.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Sorry to hear about the glitch with the first shipment, but at least you found a good replacement, even if you did pay more.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Yeah, that really sucked. But sometimes you really do get what you pay for. New board will be here Monday, ADA Fruit ships from NY so it was fast as hell with just regular ground shipping.

On another note I got all the other parts glued down on to the back board using a combination of super glue (the batter holders and switch) and hot glue (everything else). I put the bad board in the picture just to show where it's gonna be when wired in:










The magnets are wired so that the poles line up correctly so the whole thing is south to north from left to right in the picture.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Ok, quick update. Got the board earlier in the week. Works support great. But ran into an issue with the transistors. Apparently the current coming off the data pins on the board were way lower than I expected and I couldn't get the TIP120s the reach saturation even without the a current limiter resistor. So I had to scrap the transistor plan.

So ended up just ditching the whole soldering everything to a perf board plan all together. Went with two reed relays, a few diodes, and separate power sources for the magnets and RF board. The RF board runs off its own 6v medical battery whilte the magnets run off 6 AAA batteries for 9v's of PK power. Then I just ended up wiring everything freestyle and it came together like a charm. Sometimes, even with electronics, the KISS approach works best.

Here's the final inside shot:










And a short little demo video:






Lastly here is the final design mockup for the outside.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I really like that design - very arcane.


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## Retroplayer (Feb 22, 2013)

I had earmarked this one for a one-day project: http://www.instructables.com/id/Animated-Haunted-Ouija-Board/


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

@Retroplayer: nice. maybe a future project but maybe with a PICAXE.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Just a quick update. I AM still working on this. I had to take a break for about a week until I had the rest of the needed supplies on hand. I've since added legs and stain. At the moment the design has been adhered to the lid and set to dry overnight. Tomorrow I'll remove it and hopefully the design is actually left on the lid. 

I'm following the Instructables for the Ouija Board Coffee table for the design transfer. The design is basically printed in reverse (must be on a laser printer - had to go to Kinko's for this) and adhered to the surface using acrylic gel medium. After drying for 24 hours the paper is removed with a damn cloth. The toner is supposed to bond with the gel medium leaving it on the surface while the paper comes off. 

I'll try and get some pictures up tomorrow with before and after the removal of the paper.

-TM


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Sorry, I didn't get a before shot. Not that there was much to see, it looked like the after shot but with a white piece of paper taped over the top. However, here's how it came out after I removed the paper.










Fairly happy with the results. Now just need to add the finishing touches and the box is done. I'm still contemplating which PK sensitive item I'm going to build for use with it. I need to order some magnets though for use in the planchette so there's still that.


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## GCWyatt (Aug 30, 2012)

That looks fantastic! I've been following this post waiting for this shot and I'm not dissapointed. Now I'm looking forward to the final demo video!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

It really is pretty


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