The Virtual Wishing Well Project
In April of 2003 I was contacted by Red Egg Labs, a local design firm to fabricate a "virtual wishing well" for the Zeum, a local children's technology museum with whom they had contracted. I had a shoe-string budget and a tight timeline, but managed to build it to their specifications... in the laundry room of my flat. With a circular saw. I have designer Kevin Walker, Sasha Harris-Cronin and my former roommates to thank for making this project possible.
The unit was to act as a donation station for visitors to the museum, primarily aimed at children. The "wishing well" encouraged small donations in coin or bill form and provided a graphic of concentric waves and a sound effect as a reward.
Heat dissipation was a major issue with this design, as the CRT and computer produced 400 W or so of heat. I recommended that fans be installed to encourage proper flow through the unit but there was concern about noise, so the fans were left out. Within a day or two the unit was overheating and fans were then installed. To the best of my knowledge the unit is still on display in the front lobby of the Zeum.
I learned a lot about woodworking, cabinetry and installation design with this project, in particular the balancing act between appearance and functionality.
Link to Kevin Walker's site: http://www.exhibitresearch.com/zeum/box/index.html
Click the thumbnails below for more info.