Wheel of Whatever I Want
Background
Our sponsor, Derek Irwin, is a magician at the world famous Magic Castle, who loves engineering and loves to entertain. His hope for this project is to be able to use this magic wheel to enhance the magic of his performances, providing his audience with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the suspension of disbelief with no idea of how the trick was accomplished. There is an existing invention similar to the wheel we are creating; however, it is too big, expensive, and looks suspicious when doing a magic trick. The wheel that we will create will be smaller, more unassuming, and used by Derek for up-close performances as opposed to stage magic.
Goal & Objectives
The overarching goal of this project is to design and manufacture a lottery-style wheel with the ability to be manipulated by the user without bystander detection. Powered by batteries so that an outside power source cannot be detected, the wheel can be spun from any starting point, and with any initial velocity, and appear to naturally land on the triangular segment predetermined by the user. The wheel will feature hidden electronics such as a motor directly behind the wheel concealed within the mount that holds it up, ensuring that it functions without a visible source of control. Wiring will be guided through the rest of the mounting arm and into the base, where a battery, motor controller, and Arduino will be concealed in as small and unassuming of a base as possible. Secondary goals for this design focus on portability, weight reduction, and user-friendly operation to enhance practicality during performances.
Our team has set up specific objectives milestones throughout the Winter 2025 quarter to bring us closer to achieving a successful final product. Initially, we began by testing different motors to ensure the selection of hardware capable of supporting the highest rotational speeds the wheel will reach, successfully meeting our goal date of having this completed by February 14th. Next, we will begin repeated testing of our code to control the motor until we can have the wheel consistently land on one triangle with a goal date of completion on February 28th. The next milestone will be allowing the user to choose any of the triangular segments as the goal selection, to be completed by March 7th. Finally, the following week on March 14th, we plan to finalize construction of the base and stand to ensure our electronics are thoroughly concealed.
Documentation
Problem Definition Presentation
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AynnDrP3_wQB2vjnK4HgDDUAPexZsIZbpyusXfnIjqA/edit?usp=sharing
Preliminary Design Review Presentation
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Igm2Co284stPduQQ7ZHPlPkhYxtv-ER0u9nHADbNXJM/edit?usp=sharing
Team Contacts
Cherish Campos (clcampos@uci.edu)
Avery Lovell (ahlovell@uci.edu)
Shakeel Imran Riyaj (Sriyaj@uci.edu)
Aaron Bautista (aaronb3@uci.edu)
Sponsor/Adviser
Derek Irwin (Dmirwin@uci.edu)
Sponsor Performance
Derek Irwin - aka HUBB
Performance at The Magic Castle - 1/8/23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poq1brmWFWg
For more information about Derek “HUBB” Irwin’s magical prowess, please visit his website below:
Derek Irwin is a magician and we would love to have one of our creations used in one of his performances in front of a live audience. He has been performing for years at the Magic Castle, which is well known and exclusive. Our group would love to contribute to the magic that Derek is able to create and look forward to working with him closely.
