The GoonieBox came about because I wanted to create a unique piece of furniture for my home that my guests could interact with. But I wanted it to be something that I wouldn’t have to explain how it worked. Instead, I wanted mysterious scriptures scribed all over the sculpture to intrigue my guests. I found my inspiration in an epic puzzle game “The Room” by Fire Proof Games.

Here's the end result:

If you have never played it, head over to Google Play or the App Store and download all three games. They are jaw dropping in graphics, mind bending in puzzles, and infinitely unique in game play. Here is the puzzle that inspired it all:

Can you imagine walking into a room and seeing this intricate piece of furniture sitting there with unassuming elegance? Immediately upon playing the game I thought, “I must build one!” It wouldn’t be till years later that I came up with a design worthy of this puzzle.

Click the link below to download the full project source code and firmware.

application/msword

BUILD INSTRUCTIONS:

MODELING

After finding my muse, my next step was to render my concept and test out my mechanicals in 3D. To do this, I use Autodesk Inventor to bring my concept to life virtually. If you are new to 3D modeling, I highly recommend this series of books. It a no non-sense, get down and dirty start modeling on page 1 kind of book.

MATERIALS

I like Baltic birch, it laser cuts impeccably well and has a really nice char once complete. It’s light, strong and has awesome wood grains. I used 1/4” stock for areas like the main outer walls and draws. Any thinner and it's flimsy and cheap feeling. Any thicker and you may need to start a GoFundMe campaign to build it.

For other areas which need less rigidity or are hidden I’ll use 1/8” stock. You just have to keep in mind that since it’s so thin it warps very easily. Inventables has a really nice selection of materials to choose from. Everything from exotic woods to metals. I obtained materials for GoonieBox from a company called Woodcraft.

I like to 3D print all my ideas which I think may or may not work. However, I only print the most risky items. 3D printing is great, but it’s a slow beast. I have an original Makerbot Replicator 1. Without it, I’m not sure my interactive furniture piece would have actually happened. I learned a lot of what worked and what didn’t for pennies on the dollar. I was able to iterate my ideas in hours instead of weeks/months.

Ok, What About the Electronics?

This is where the rubber meets the road. I usually start this stage right after I finish the 3D modeling phase. Things will change and that’s ok, but you need a sense of what parts you will need, how much I/O etc.

I like to make a top level diagram of my hardware. Once I have that, I can figure out power requirements, how big of an enclosure I’ll need, will I need a fan to dissipate heat from my regulator etc.

Make a Top Level Diagram

Here is how to do it. Start with the Arduino in the center and attach all of your peripherals to it. You might also want to add part numbers at this stage. Here is what GoonieBox looks like. I used Microsoft Visio to create the block diagram.

Make a List and Check it Twice!

I have a master list which contains all of my hardware mappings and also what I would like my Interactive Furniture to do. I use separate tabs for hardware and firmware all in one Excel sheet.

Hardware Mapping

Firmware Features

Tips and Tricks - Special Tools and Components

Warning! I am about to shamelessly plug myself here, because it’s it’s going to really reduce your development time. It’s something I call Dr.Duino. It serves multiple functions, it’s one of those tools you never knew you needed till you have it.

It is a true hardware debugging tool. Since Arduino is a stackable system you are likely to have multiple levels to your project. While Arduino is awesome, what’s not awesome is trying to isolate if you have a firmware or hardware problem. This is where Dr.Duino really shines. Let’s say you are trying to blink a light in your hardware every second. You’ve written the code and it looks okay, but it’s not working. Well, just put the Dr.Duino in between the shields and reroute the signal via a jumper to the LED on the Dr.Duino board itself. If it does blink you have firmware problem, if it doesn’t you have a hardware problem. It’s that easy.

Schmart Board, this is another great tool/shield which you didn’t know you needed. This shield has lots of really great features, extra grounds, labeled I/O pins. It’s a must have and inexpensive.

I love test cables like this they are infinitely useful.

Oh and hookup wire! I used a few hundred miles of this stuff in GoonieBox. In order to keep it neat and allow easy debugging I connectorized everything with this crimping kit and crimper.

If you need mechanical components, I used a company called Servo City. They carry all sorts of mechanical parts which are perfect for the hobbyist. Things like high torque small motors, continuous rotation servos, motor controllers, etc.

Most importantly however, they have something they call Actobotics. Basically they are metal channels which mate with all their motors/servos etc via a unique bolt pattern. They were pivotal in GoonieBox. They also offer educators discounts.

My Parts Are Here, My Parts Are Here

Finally, after all that effort, it’s time for the good part, the build!

It can be absolutely overwhelming when building interactive furniture. Given that it’s a large structure, the amount of detail work is gargantuan. So I once again turn to my master list and prioritize all the features I want to implement. For GoonieBox it went something like this:

As you build, things will inevitably go wrong. However, your 3D modeling should have caught most of the mechanical stuff. The things you will likely encounter is physics in the real world.

Autodesk Inventor is awesome, but it doesn’t exactly account for things like, you know, gravity…It was so easy to get lulled into, “Oh yeah, that will magically stand on its own.”

Here's a video of the build:

Well, that’s is. From concept to the build and lots of neat tips in between, that is how I do it. I hope this helps you get your Interactive Furniture up and running. I’d love to see what you make so please contact me through my website, I’ll put it up on my blog.

[All images courtesy Guido Bonelli Jr.]