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Magnetocube
Above:Solved
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This 2x2x2 cube uses magnets sliding in transparent tubes instead of coloured stickers. It was inspired by the Tokamak.

The core of this puzzle is a normal 2x2x2. Laser cut pieces of plywood with a slot are glued to the face, 4 on each face, i.e. 3 per corner piece. A transparent tube is inserted in that slot and blocked on one side by the piece of wood itself and on the other side by a tiny cylinder (also laser cut). Inside the tube is a stack of magnets, all oriented in the same direction. The builder uses multiple magnets to be strong enough and still to slide freely in the tube. The magnets can be in 2 positions (like in the Tokamak), either repelled or attracted. When attracted, the magnets are stopped by the tiny wooden cylinder. The movements of the cube are basic 2x2x2 movements.

In the solved state the 4 tubes on one side are facing each other 2 by 2, making 2 strait lines per face (it is the case in most of the pictures) AND the magnets on every face have to be either all in a repelled position, or all in an attracted position. Note that none of the pictures displays the complete solved state. Most pictures show just the tubes aligned but not the magnets solved.

The cube is unsolved when the tubes are misaligned or the magnets are in different positions. The cube is very easy to scramble. Image 4 shows a complete scrambled state (tube + magnets).

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Contributors

Thank you to the following people for their assistance in helping collect the information on this page: Florian Steiner.

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