Catch me at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013!

Catch me at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013!

You've seen all my inventions and creations, all the gadgets and special effects I used in my shows, now see them LIVE at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013!

I will be showcasing all my creations, including the effects I created for my EFX Show and more! It's a behind-the-scenes look at the technology behind the Magic! 

I will also be giving a talk on my creations as well as an in-depth look at the inspiration and motivations behind them. In the talk, I will be introducing and explaining the design and technology behind The "LED Magician v2.0" as well as an exclusive preview to what I had in store for the future! I will be giving the talk on each day of the two days event. You can pre-register to attend at the Maker Faire website or just register on the spot but seats are limited so register now! 

The Singapore Mini Maker Faire is the second of the annual event aimed to showcase and promote a "maker" spirit. Showcasing amazing creations by people from all over the world. Ever wanted to make something but not sure where to start? Come to the Maker Faire to learn and to be inspired by the Maker spirit!

This year, the Maker Faire is bigger than ever! It will be held at the *SCAPE Warehouse at *SCAPE Orchard. I have a 7sq meter booth at the faire, with enough LEDs and lasers to light up the entire space so you can't miss it! Please do drop by to say hi!

Hope to see you there!

With Love,

   - Kiki Tay

My New LED Jacket!

My New LED Costume!

It's been a long time since I added lights to a new costume. This time I'm going all out!

This was a vision of mine for many years but it is only until recently that I got the time to finally put it into action. I wanted to go beyond just simple LED animation into a full blown networked LED system with video capability! From research to fabrication to mapping and programming, it took almost 100 hours!

A total of 638 RGB LEDs, each with its own microchip that allows it to be individually addressed. The whole setup draws up to 38Amp! Just figuring a way to produce and manage a current so high was a great challenge by itself. Fortunately I developed a method to power the entire unit using just a tiny 3S Lipo (Lithium-Polymer) battery. I managed to design the entire control unit plus power system small enough to fit inside a pocket. After all, who wants to wear a costume that requires you to carry a generator, plug into wall supply or connected to a computer? The mapping and programming itself gives a whole new set of challenge.

While as impressive as it looks, this is still just a prototype and far from being ready. There are still a lot improvements to be done before it can be ready for show.  Look out for new updates coming soon!

With Love,

   -Kiki Tay

Judging the Singapore Street Festival Magic Competition!

Judging the Singapore Street Festival Magic Competition

This is the second time I judged the Singapore Street Festival Magic Competition. The competition is getting stronger and stronger, with many new impressive acts and performers.

I was overwhelmed by the amazing talents that we have in Singapore. Many of them had achieved a level higher than I had ever achieve. I was amazed at all the creativity and hard work they put into this competition. 

I had the opportunity to share the judging panel with Mark Parker, a renowned illusion designer who had worked with some of the biggest names in magic. Mark designed the piano illusion performed by Lu Chen during China's new year countdown TV programme which was broadcasted live around the world. Mark shared with me some interesting behind-the-scene photos during rehearsals of Lu Chen's illusion.

 Judging the competition was tough, as many of the acts were impressive. It's very hard to say who is better than who. In my opinion, they were all winners!

I have never competed in a magic competition my whole life. I guess I haven't had enough courage to face the pressure thus I have very high respect to all the competitors!

In the end the scores were tallied and Cassidy, Wai Hoe & Deng Jun came in top three.

Second runner up was Wai Hoe

Deng Jun came in as 1st runner up

And Cassidy was the champion!

In the competition, I got to see all the hard work and dedications the contestants had put in. As a performer myself, I understand how much work is involved behind the scenes that allows for a good show on stage. Everybody did their best out of passion and I can see it from their work.

In my mind, all who took part were champions! They all accomplished something that I couldn't.

Thank you everybody at the Singapore Street Festival for this amazing experience!

With Love,

   - Kiki Tay

Giving a talk at the Makers Meetup @ HackerSpace!

Giving a talk at the Makers Meetup @ HackerSpace!

I was invited to give a talk at the Makers Meetup @ HackerSpace. Makers meetup is an initiative by the folks at the Singapore Science Center, as part of the Maker movement which includes the annual Singapore Mini Maker Faire. Find out more at their website http://makerfairesingapore.com

Here's a short 6 seconds video that sums up the whole talk!

(Credit goes to Saad Chinoy for the video!)

See my blog post on the first ever Mini Maker Faire held in Singapore!

With Love,

   -Kiki Tay

More blog posts from Kiki!

Why haven't I been blogging for such a long time?

  It's been a long break, almost a year without a blog post. Well, the honest truth is, aside from my schedule and my involvements in too many projects, I've sort of moved "stories" of my personal life to Facebook as it's much easier and less time consuming to create a status update than to write a whole blog post.

  Recently I stumbled upon a blog that had inspired me to continue blogging. Poh Huai Bin's blog at sixthseal.com. Huai Bin started blogging way before the blogging trend started, and he continued on till today. He documented his life and how much he had changed throughout the years. When I first stumbled upon his blog, I spent more than 4 hours reading it and it was well worth the hours as I've gotten so inspired by his life. Do check out his blog at sixthseal.com

  Anyway, if you've been constantly checking out my blog I'm sure you realized that it's slowly turning into a tech blog with more and more posts about electronics stuff than lifestyle related stuff. I'll try not to turn it into a tech blog but I'm just so excited to share all my new creations.

  I'll make it a point to start blogging regularly again but in the meantime, do add me on Facebook if you haven't already done so! Here's a link to my profile http://www.facebook.com/KikiTay and yes, I will accept your friend request :-)

Till then, check back regularly for new posts!

With love,
   - Kiki Tay

The EFX Show - Full Show Video!

This took quite a while before it was ready to be released publicly, but here it is! A video of my full performance, The EFX Show which was presented at the Republic Polytechnic's "Grand Magic Show" 2012.

Usually when I release a full video, it means something new is on the way *wink* *wink*!

Stay tuned!

With Love,

  - Kiki Tay

Introducing the LED Magician v2.0!

Check out my latest creation, The "LED Magician v2.0"!

It all started several years ago when I was figuring out a method to add animated effects to my LED costume. I tried searching on the net for a product that would accomplish this but to despair, there wasn't such product. After discussions in forums, days of research, experimenting with the Arduino and all, I finally created the solution! To cut the long story short, I found a huge demand for a product like this and soon sold hundreds of the earlier version to hobbyists and professionals all over the world! Now after much feedbacks and modifications, I created a brand new version with many improvements! Of course, I gave it a nice, relevant name!

Presenting, The LED Magician Version 2.0!

I won't go into much details of the product as I'm not trying to sell anything through my blog, and I'm sure a lot of you don't give a d**m about it. If you're interested to find out more, go to this dedicated website that I created:

  www.ledmagician.com

Older Version

Here is an example of a project I created using the earlier version, it's an animated LED ball that I still use in my show! Visit my website above for examples of projects using the new "LED Magician"!

Here's an old video from "WAAH Magic!" back in 2009. I made my LED backdrop and costume using an early prototype of the same circuit. Scroll to the end to see the effects!

The older version is still available from my webstore www.SpecialEffectsMagic.com 

I'm phasing the older version out soon and stocks are low. If you're interested, grab them before they are gone!

With Love,

   - Kiki Tay

Kiki's Robotic Table Version 4.0

I made several improvements on my Robotic Table!

If you haven't seen the earlier versions, check out my earlier blog post!

In this version, I added a linear actuator as a form of a delivery system, it can be used to unveil a product or introduce a prop during my shows. I've also made it into a launch mechanism for corporate shows. Of course, I added my trademark LEDs to the front! 

Check out the video with clips of how I used it in my show!

My Tiny Handheld Smoke Machine!

I made a Tiny Handheld Smoke Machine!

You had probably seen my Tiny Handheld BUBBLE Machine. In my "spare" time, I like to experiment with stuff. I like to make things that I can use for my show. This time I created a Tiny Handheld Smoke Machine!

See it in action!

- Kiki Tay

My LED Briefcase!

I made an LED briefcase!

Those who knows me or follow my blog would know about my obsession with LEDs and my constant urge to add lights to all my props. This is my latest creation, an LED briefcase with 104 RGB LEDs each with its own microchip and controlled via an Arduino.