Re: I need a good tinkerer who can help me with a project - Better Explanation

I disagree. Here is how I would do it if I had the time to take on the project:

The magician stands on the other side of the stage and calls out instructions.

The boom box looks 100% stock and in the original package. The magician asks for an audience member who is an "engineer, repairperson, technician or gadget freak." He selects three of them and asks them on stage to "watch for any tricks."

One audience member removes the boombox from a shrink wrapped box, inserts the batteries, opens the box with the tape in it, "plays" the tape (which actually gets recorded on while "playing." When he stops the tape, the boom box turns back into a 100% normal boombox.

The engineer/etc. then does whatever tests he pleases to verify that it's a perfectly normal boombox. It even has a "warrantee void if this seal is disturbed" sticker over one of the case screws. Each of the other technician/etc. audience members does his own test. Give them a blank tape to use because the tape from the box has the write protect tabs broken out. (the boombox ignores the write protect. but only in "magic mode."

Optional: another audience member was asked to bring in his own cassette tape player. He confirms that the tape plays the same on his machine.

Optional: another audience member was asked to bring in his own cassette tape. He confirms that the tape plays normally on the boombox.

To reset the boom box into "magic mode" press play six times, fast forward three times, rewind twice, and play twice. Or some other hard-to-guess combination

The boom box goes out of "magic mode" and becomes normal only after a tape has been played for 90 seconds without stopping (assuming a two minute long message - adjust according to length.)

All this could be done with a Basic Stamp or BasicX stamp.

It sounds to me as if you could do it simply by accessing the microphone, speaker, and switches - no knowledge of the internals needed.

Or... dispense with using the "click your heels together" methods of pushing buttons to go into magic mode by using an RF remote controller. No need to touch the boom box at all. And could easily add the advantage to repeatedly leave or re-enter magic mode, too.

I agree with other posters to ditch the hidden 2nd micro cassette. With MP3 playing devices available with no moving parts at reasonable cost, (e.g.

Thanks, Steve

Even better!

Not only that, but it has silent operation and higher reliability.

I have this mental picture of a bunch of fellows who design electronics for a living examining this perfectly normal (at the moment) boom box trying to figure out the trick. How did he do it? He was standing 15 feet away! The box with the cassette was mailed to someone we all know and trust! We opened the box, we played the tape, we tested the tape and the boombox and verified that they are both normal. I think that most engineers would be stumped.

Someone else mentioned having engineers and/or tech examine the box for spoofs - in that case, you'd have to get one with one main processor, and rewrite the ROM.

Cheers! Rich

You, and anyone of similar opinion, are, of course, very welcome to try.

That's what they expect. With the modified boombox he can stand on the other end of the stage and have an audience member do the magic.

I disagree, unless the engineers/techs are allowed to dissasemble it. I was thinking of having them examine it to see that it works like a normal boombox should.

That's the plan! :-)

Go to a Penn and Teller show and try to figure out how they do it.. :)