Arduino Controlled Ouija Board
If you're looking to chat with those on the "other side," might as well do it with Arduino!
Today we have a great project from SparkFun Engineer Joel - the Arduino-Controlled Ouija Board! Just in time for Halloween, this project combines some Actobotics parts, a couple of stepper motors, an Arduino dev board, some magnets (how do they work?!) and some other bits and pieces to create an X-Y table that is guaranteed to spook your friends. Check it out:
If you want to build your own, you can download the firmware here - and here is a wishlist of the parts involved:
Be careful! You may not believe in the demons you're conjuring up with your Ouija board, but you can bet your soul that they believe in you. Angels and Saints, pray for us.
The demons in this case are working with a somewhat constrained vocabulary.
Don't you mean (sinister musical interlude & candle flicker) daemons :D
a continuous rotation servo and a bit more code could make the planchette rotate as well as move for more lifelike movement.
Wow the pointy thing has a name? I had really planned on not learning anything today but I will accept this interesting occult tidbit.
Agreed. I've been mulling around a few ideas for the Z axis. Right now it can't quite reach all the points on the board.
Hi Joel, I don't suppose you've made one to sell or could make one to sell? - Failing this have you put together any fool-proof instructions>? Des
if you do implement a z-axis eventually, make sure it can spin exorbitantly fast as to be super scary like the demons are angry.
Thinking of doing this for a halloween haunted house, but concerned with some of the spook levels, if there's anyone here. First, are the stepper motors audible? if so, that would be an issue, probably discernible even with creepy music in the background, if they're relatively quiet it might work. I was thinking of programmable electromagnets instead of a moving slider, for a quieter effect, but I like the idea of just typing the text in with a bluetooth device. Also looking to create some impromptu tugging on the planchette during the game. I remember well that feeling that someone else was tugging it, and that would be extra creepy fun if there was only one person was holding it, but they still had that feeling.
From my experience, stepper motors make an audible noise. It's more of a buzzing/humming noise. Here's an example using the easy driver and a smaller stepper motor => SparkFun Engineering Roundtable #19 Paul's DIY Thread Spooler . If you view the video, you can hear the stepper motor humming as Paul was talking.
Here's one example but it was very simple => Enginursday: Haunted Spirit Board . The letters were not mapped like this the 2D gantry used in this project.
Hello. 6 years since this project came out. I have just found the content. Before I try to construct it, do you have any z axis modifications. I would want to rotate the planchet, and have A1, A2, A3, and A4 settings so planchet can come to a letter 4 ways. We want to float our planchet (not have anyone touch it). Lastly, the electric motors, are they very audible. I would like to have this in a very quiet room. If there is no z axis at this time, could Joel the designer drop me a direct email. With his help I may be able to figure something out. ....Great project!
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Unfortunately, Joel has since moved on to another company and we don't have any information regarding z-axis modifications... that would be up to you to design yourself. The stepper motors will be audible to an extent; it would be similar to those used on 3D printers for a reference.
some more intel please got all the parts but the code is incomplete
someone got it worked out yet .i got all the parts but i cant get it to work just from the youtube clip some more intel please on this
thanks
Hello, Is there any step by step for dummies from assembly to programming ? I bought all parts but, without any plans it's really tough.
Thanks
Anyone else price out the cart?
One expensive Halloween prop.
Slides way too smoothly. Needs a little more jerkyness, like the planchette is fighting against the movement.
Ask the ouija board why all my caps keep leaking magic smoke!
Reversing electrolytic polarity angers the coulomb spirits. The capacitor sacrifices itself as penance.