Greetz!

I've been off-again, on-again with cards for years, and have a respectable collection. Something about them, I just love all kinds. My feeling in my hands is gradually going away "PN" for those in the know), so I'm now trying to get serious about close-up/impromptu card illusions.

I've never been a big fan of calling sleights, displays of dexterity or illusions "tricks" outside of insiders, as it gives a negative vibe to spectators. "You've been tricked, you can't figure out how because you're stupid"... I'm in the minority, but it's only a free opinion.

I've carved out a video channel on YT to play with, but now realize my cameras suck. I cannot for the life of me get a sharp picture from those frustrating Logitech c920s...

I'm also very much into micro-controllers (postage stamp sized computers), servos, radio remotes, sensors, etc. and have been thinking of a way to join these 2 passions. If I asked here, someone would just say, "Find something missing and make it", which wouldn't be helpful, so I'm probably not going to ask. I can say, though, that I make things that are small-*real* small. I usually work to make my projects smaller than the wireless thread apparatus you see sold that is disguised in a bikes card box.

I have discovered "Fred Kaps", and am fascinated by his style of delivery, and choices of material. I, too, am trying to adopt a 'surprised magician' kind of a persona, choosing methods and creating delivery that go wrong somehow, surprising me, but come through for the audience in a way I don't quite understand.

Anyway, I can't find many videos of "Fred" performing, but a few exist of his standard stage routine with the cane & paper, then something, then cards, cigarettes, and finally the salt bag gag. I mention this only because there is a specific one-handed cut he does that I would like to honor his memory by figuring out and doing-hopefully showing others-that cut. He does it anywhere from 4-6 times in a row in the videos, but the frame rate & resolution have made it hard for me to get details. It has Charlier components, but beyond that I can't tell.

And while I probably shouldn't do so in an intro piece, I'll post one of the URLs that is just a 21 second slice of a longer presentation: https://youtu.be/mwn9ZVyEUPI

Anyway, I hope that suffices for an intro!

Thanks!

Welcome Tap Roniart,

Your tiny projects sound interesting. You are sure to find some interest and kindred spirits here. Check out "The Workshop" forum.

Be careful to practice flourish-y cuts for a limited time per session. If you get into a carpal tunnel situation it won't help the P.N. (P.N. usually means Professor's Nightmare here) and you'll have to stop practice altogether for days (or weeks). You can do it several times a day if you don't feel any problems but don't try to soldier on through a weird feeling for long.

Thank you for the clips of Fred Caps. Sorry I can't help.

-Mary Mowder

@Tap Roniart

I've often thought "What can I do that would make use of all these silly Arduino's and Raspberry Pi's that I have sitting around here."

I'm slowly working towards a remote-controlled card fountain, but I have no use for it, but I still think it'd be fun to have.

Welcome to TMC.


Dave

Thanks for writing, Mary!



I might just do that!



Ha! I laughed! It's a good thing I don't need my feet to cut/shuffle!

My most rewarding audience, and the one I want to be a lot better at serving, are children. If they can catch that sense of wonder early on-before the system beats it out of them-they can achieve greatness.

Thanks again!

We should compare notes! I've already got a wealth of invisible line, tubing, etc. to use in automating steampunk kinds of things, but that took a back seat to my Nerf mods with Arduino & STMs!



I have TONS of remote radio/relays, etc. and am always asking myself the same question. I never went the RPi path, as I wanted to do things with really tiny MCUs, like the ATTiny85 (http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/ATtiny85), and if a beefy MCU is needed, Arduino is moving to the ARM STM systems like the insanely affordable STM32 (AliEx for under $1.50 each delivered! 72MHz and more I/O than you can shake a rubber duck at!). I've done a lot with both, preferring the 3.3v lines of any MCU & peripherals so that coins and 8150s can be used with little fluff.

I have tons of SMT components, especially regulators & LEDs, and have only been making projects for fun. So since I consider magic in general to be "organized fun", the 2 seem a match made in heaven.

As for your fountain, you sound like the type that (in this case) thought of the prop/illusion/effect before finding a way to work it into a routine. The MCU world makes you think like that from all the choices! I was reading a piece by Jay Sankey, and he was talking about the style he likes/tries to use, which is to think of the effect, then go into the designing of the method. I, too, try to do this.

Electronics is like legos-you can just start putting things together, and eventually it does something interesting-but it's the putting things together and experimenting I find the most therapeutic. Off the top of my head, not knowing anything about what your project looks like, I can think of an effect with it where you have a certain card thrown in a specific, different direction if it matches a desired card.

Again, I don't know what the mechanism is, but it is pretty easy to use a lo-res camera up close to image & match an index... For a match, perhaps a servo just tilts the 'thrower', which could be as simple as 2 wheels touching, toward the performer, then returns for the rest (or it cycles through 1 or more decks)... A cork ceiling, or even a foam target, could 'catch' a designated/desired card "thrown" harder than the rest... You know, like a mini archer's target?

So a called for card would be "IDd" by remote press combinations, look up the image, and wait for a match. Again with no knowledge, the fountain could also shoot all cards, or perhaps only red backs, or just blue backs, tossing the undesired to the side. This could be a "lie detector", or a better idea?!

How about sticking your hand into the 'spray' of the fountain to pluck their card? The spectator can even give it a try! You could load it with the same card, and switch from a random spray to only that forced/"chosen" card. It would be very visual. Knowing nothing & thinking out loud (recklessly), would it shoot cards enough to travel through clear tubes, say 5-6" in diameter?

OK, I'd better wait for your feedback because I just had an image of a goggled performer holding a leaf blower and shooting hundreds of cards out into the audience...

Thanks for the welcome!