PALACE GAMES - LOBBY/CAGE ROOM
Challenge: Design and engineer a room THAT FUNCTIONs AS TWO DISTINCTLY UNIQUE ROOMS. in both configurations the floor is to remain unchanged, however all four walls must be swapped out with another set of walls that box the players in and have a different look and feel. additionally the ceiling is to be removed, exposing a hidden second level. the room must be designed such that one person can complete the changeover in less than three minutes.
Skills: 3d cad mODELING, AC MOTORS, Carpentry, circuitry, ELECTRICAL, METAL WORKing, motion studies, programming (C++/Arduino), PULLEYS/COUNTER WeIGHTS, stress analysis, SENSORS, welding.
SOLUTION: in order to achieve the wall transformations i engineered the room to have tWO FULL-SIZE SWINGING WALLS which pivot ABOUT OPPOSITE CORNERS. this allowed for the hidden (backside) of the swinging walls, as well as the walls they are abutted against, to have an alternate wallpaper scheme. when swung open to the second configuration, the room has an entirely different appearance.
in order to remove the ceiling, i engineered a retractable bi-fold ceiling that runs along garage door tracks and is lifted/lowered by an electric winch.
PART A: RETRACTABLE CEILING
To expose the hidden second level I engineered a retractable bi-fold ceiling that runs along a garage door track and is actuated by an electric winch mounted to a tripod stand (video above).
After meticulous CAD modeling I determined the precise geometry that allowed the final resting position to sit vertical just above one of the swinging walls, making the desirable effect of one continuous two story wall.
I designed and fabricated custom heavy duty hardware for functionality and robustness.
After initial testing I determined that constant forces needed to be applied to the bottom panel (one at each corner) in order to nudge the ceiling out of it’s vertical, open position. I designed and fabricated a custom block-and-tackle counterweight pulley system which create the necessary tension forces.
After play-testing I designed a hardware-only shutoff circuit that automatically stops the winch motor at the limits (fully opened, fully closed positions) by strategically placing normally closed limit switches and wiring them in series with the motors positive voltage wire (wiring diagram shown above). This greatly reduced the likelihood of human error during open/close cycles and removed potential points of failure inherent to an Arduino based system.
PART B: SWINGING WALLS
The full-size swinging wall solution is demonstrated in the video above.
When determining the initial floor/wall plan I had to account for a utility access doorways, unique room geometry, and relief for the retractable ceiling.
I designed, fabricated, and installed custom steel wall supports and welded heavy duty hinges to support the walls. It was crucial that the steel beam was installed accurately to avoid error propagation.
After play-testing I built a secret door into one of the walls so that game hosts can access the room during game play.
