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make a table

I have decided after some discussions to build a table containing electronic sensor. The table surface will act as an informational display of recent exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

The table solves the problem of needing very sensitive hanging sensors. It also seems more appealing, to create an industrial product rather than an installation.

It is similar to Dunne & Raby's brilliant Compass Table. also Ingo Maurer's benches with LEDs, perhaps.

I want to use magnetic pickups which convert EMF into AC voltage along audio cable (1/8"). I like the richness of the information, but I don't plan to have a table which creates sound- too distracting. I can take the sound however and use RC filtering to get high, medium, and low band filters. Using this information I can create colors based on the sound- e.g. mapping high, medium and low to red, green and blue values of the lights.

Round table, 4 feet in diameter. Could buy a table and add electronics.

I want the table to use analog circuitry but I may have to use a micro-controller. I want it to record electronic usage over time. really big capacitors? I would prefer not to use a microcontroller but it might be the easiest route to go.

also, any way to use electronic inductance to generate some energy- stealing energy from objects ?