Thanks for the reminder. Yes, I think the Facebook group is set up to ask for the serial number of your Switch Board before you can gain admission. I forgot about that.

Mark

There is also an "open" Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/IDEAA.Lab/posts/1559577994217327
and here you can read in a post from May 21st:
"Packing your Switch Board".

And on their web site it says:
"Due to the high demand we are experiencing with this product, shipping may delay several days."

So, we who ordered from this last batch obviously have to be patient!

I got my shipping notification yesterday. Delivery is scheduled for June 3rd (I chose the free delivery option assuming that delivery time will be acceptable here in Europe).

I just received my shipping notification today (a few minutes ago). I was late ordering one, so perhaps I was close to the end of the line. Now to wait for customs and the shipper.

I received my shipping notice today also. However, there is no tracking number. Were you given a tracking number?

Yes, I got a tracking number from Correos (the postal service in Spain they use for free shipping).

Hey guys! As one of the beta tester, I had this board for quite some time now and here is my review including a full demo! Feel free to subscribe



Thanks,

It appears you've programmed your routine into the default position.. 0. I thought that was not possible? Am I mistaken? I though we couldn't change routine 0?

Mark

I haven't tried this myself but I think you can also start with routine 0

on the other switch positions and then let other sequences follow ...

I’m using a beta tester board which has different routines pre programmed

I like this beta board option 👍 would be great if this would be possible with the new SB as well ...

if each switch could be programmed beforehand so that no activation is necessary before inserting the battery

I, too, wish that the default routine position (0, no switches on when battery is inserted) was programmable on the production boards.

Mark

After the delivery delays in the past, I am admittedly a bit scared and paranoid.
On the 23.05. I was informed that my order will not later be shipped than May 28th.
So I instantly ordered. So far I have not received a shipping confirmation and no further replies to my mails.
Is anything ok Martin?

Received mine today. Great service from Martin.

Can confirm this, my order is on its way.

My Switch Board arrived just 10 minutes ago. Compliments to Martin and IDEAA Lab for their great products and support. It's much appreciated!

Does anybody have experience with this with a real audience? how is the "impact"? is it really "magical" or is it "a piece of tech", kind of "i don't know how it works but it will be some tech behind anyhow"...? thanks for your reviews...

My Switch Board arrived in the USA 5 days after the shipping notice (I paid for faster non-free shipping). The new methods Martin came up with are very cool but I really want to reprogram mine to allow me to do my original routine that I have perfected over the last 15 years (and fits my character). It looks like I have to do the totally risky "you may brick your unit" update to accomplish what I want. The totally cool "safe" and easy reprogramming is not enough for what I want to do (although that is feature is awesome and I plan to preserve that in my update).

Please PM me if you would be willing to sell me your 'static sensitive' first generation board for a reasonable price. You can keep everything else (lights, etc.) but the board if you wish. I just want to have one or two cheap boards that I might brick to play with before I try to update my real board. Someone on the Café earlier offered to sell me both their static sensitive version and the final replacement version, but all their PMs mysteriously disappeared from my sent box (and in box) after I pmed them expressing interest in their offer (so please reach out if that was you or if you are interested in something similar).

Thanks!

As with probably all magic, it depends on whether you can find a routine that fits with your character, your show/set, and your audience. For me personally, a magic switchboard is an outstanding icebreaker for two of the three types of audiences I regularly perform for (middle school students and scientists/engineers). It does not work well for me for kids under 9 years old (my third audience type). I actually bought a backup second 'original' switchboard model (Wellington mini, no longer made) because about 5 years ago I realized one of the STEM shows for middle school students that I was doing 20-30 times a year would be much weaker if my circa 2003 original switchboard broke (It took me a while to find the right ice breaker for each show theme). I am hoping I can make this new model a much more portable replacement for the Wellington mini I often use for my walk around shows and as an emergency backup for that STEM show.

I don't present it as magic but from the strong reactions I get, I am sure many view it as magic. I present it as a prototype that I would like them to help me test. They help me design more and more crazy experiments (and make a ton of decisions). My routine allows me to make eye contact and ask simple-to-answer questions to 12 different folks and have 8 folks carefully inspect the various components. Those decisions and inspections of components get half the students in the classroom (or everyone at a 10-top table) involved from their seat in my 5 minute routine. No matter what crazy thing we try, the switch board always does the right thing. By the end, several folks are muttering 'no no no' as we set up the last experiment that cannot possibly work, and it does. I often end by commenting that unlike the prototypes I normally work with, this one works perfectly and they are ready to be shipped to customers. And we all now have a connection that I use to make the rest of the show better as I follow with much stronger magic.

I will add that a magic switchboard is one of the three items I commonly carry around parties as 'bait' to be invited to perform at a table. When I enter a party (usually huge parties full of scientists and engineers), I walk around slowly carrying the stitchboard getting a feel of the layout. Usually very quickly someone who is bored and looking for entertainment will call to me to ask me what that thing is that I am carrying. "It is a prototype. Would you be willing to help me test it?" is enough to get the show going. There is a lot of blinking lights and interaction. My follow on routines usually create gasps and laughter. Now everyone else within sight of that table wants to know what is going on with those lights and the fun. And pretty much everyone wants me to perform at their table when I am finished with that first table. It is my favorite bait since it is so visible.

I will add that Martin's switchboard is much more sophisticated than the model I have all the experience with. You can do much more crazy and customizable things with it but it works very differently then the one I use. This one has at least seven advantages over the original model I use: 1) It is available for sale now. 2) It is much more powerful. 3) It is much more portable. 4) It is less expensive than the original. 5) It looks deceptively simple in construction. 6) it is highly customizable to your specific routine. 7) and a simple google search will not reveal how this one works. However, that search will still reveal how the original switchboard works, which might provide a false solution to folks for this one. Martin didn't want to rip off other switchboards approaches, so he intentionally did not make it able to exactly emulate other switchboards approaches. This is a limitation that probably only affects a few folks like me that have existing polished routines that took the other approaches to their limit and relies on all aspects of the other approaches in order to work seamlessly.

Hopefully this will not matter much longer, but a switchboard is also a perfect ice breaker over Zoom. I can ask the same 12 questions over Zoom to different individuals and all the crazy stuff can happen the same on Zoom. They just cannot examine everything but I can honestly reassure them that more than a thousand folks have examined the lights, sockets, and the switch covers (which I can hold close to the camera) and there is nothing to find and the same experience would happen in person. It get all the same reactions when all the crazy experiments work perfectly.

I hope this helps you decide if this magic switchboard is right for you.

Received the switchboard. Came with a defective battery which martin quickly addressed!

I have never owned other versions of switchboard before but it does everything as advertised. Comes with 7 different effects and customizable order.

Only limitation without revealing too much is that you cannot pair multiple switches to one bulb. Not sure if this is a limitation in previous versions.

All in all, I was very happy with what I have received for the price I paid. Congrats Martin on an amazing release.