In an fine example of imagination and fun, Nicole Grimwood has modified a chess set to have an interesting property. When the pieces are positioned in a certain pattern, a secret draw emerges from the base of the chess board. To the observer it may appear to be some sort of magic trick, however with Arduino it's quite simple. Magnets are embedded under each game piece, and reed switches are placed underneath certain board positions. So when the magnets are over the switches, the Arduino detects their presence and activates a servo to open the draw.
That's a lot of fun, and the same theory could also be applied to other games such as checkers or even Monopoly (bonus cash drawer perhaps?) Either way, visit Nicole's Instructable to learn more. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
When adding your own secret compartments to chess sets, or just adding more circuitry to work with your Arduino or compatible board - consider our range of ProtoShields. From the tiny LeoStick to the Mega range, we offer a complete range for you to work with.
