MagiQuest Wand Duel: Maker Faire Kiosk

Overview

Built for Maker Faire Detroit, this kiosk lets two people face off with their MagiQuest wands. Each player waves their wand at an IR receiver; the device reads the wand serial numbers, decides a winner from a configured table, and announces the result.

It builds directly on the MagiQuest IR protocol library that decoded how the wands communicate.

TinyIRduel: ATtiny85 Version (2013)

Gist

The original Maker Faire build on a DigiSpark (ATtiny85). An IR receiver reads incoming wand codes and looks up each serial number against a hardcoded winner/loser table. Results are delivered via:

• Winner: IR jam tone at 39 kHz, buzzer chirp, LED blink
• Loser: both LEDs solid

Small, cheap, and kiosk-reliable enough to run on a table at Maker Faire.

IrMagicWandDuelNeoPixel: NeoPixel Upgrade (2016)

Gist

A full rewrite on a larger Arduino, replacing the indicator LEDs with a 24-pixel NeoPixel ring for much more satisfying feedback:

• Winner animation: twinkle effect with random colors, buzzer, 39 kHz IR jam tone
• Loser animation: solid red blink
• Unknown wand: ? pattern on the ring

Beyond the display upgrade, this version added a full configuration system:

• EEPROM config: winner/loser wand IDs, mute flag, and team assignment survive power cycles
• Learn mode: point any wand to teach the system new IDs without reflashing
• IR remote control: MITSUBISHI protocol remote adjusts settings without needing a serial connection
• Idle power-off: shuts down after 30 minutes of inactivity via SHUTDOWNn pin
• Watchdog reset: WDT keeps it stable in a kiosk environment
• Serial menu: m mute, 1/2 set wands, t team, u unknown, l learn, i info, r reset