My name is Michael Guerero and I’m a recent graduate from Cal Poly Pomona, with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I just recently started building my own projects to build up my portfolio and gain experience in prototyping.

In this project, I set out to replicate the Wizard’s chess game from the Harry Potter series, because I liked the idea of using technology to emulate magic in the real world.

The box was made from quarter-inch MDF, with steel rods for the linear bearing blocks to slide across. I added various scrap pieces of wood to make supports, to hold the stepper motors and limit switches in the proper locations. A pair of timing belts are used to move the electromagnet along both axes. Each chess piece has a loose steel ball inside, which gives the magnet a way of attracting the plastic pieces.