ORBIX

The ORBIX page

The ORBIX puzzle is a fun battery operated puzzle with 12 buttons, each of which can be either in an "on" or "off" state. There is also a small speaker which emits a small beep when a button is presses and which plays a little victory tune when you've managed to get all the lights turned on. You can turn the speaker off whenever you want (press any two buttons which are separated by one button simultaneously) and you can turn the ORBIX puzzle off whenever you want (press any two antipodal buttons simultaneously). It has a memory so that the state you had when you turn off the ORBIX is preserved (even if it was flashing and singing its victory tune).

Pressing each button changes the state of the lights for those buttons surrounding it, so winning is more challenging than you think. When you get all lights on or all the lights off the puzzle will sing a victory song, but the puzzle is only regarded as being "solved" when all the lights are on.

ORBIX has four puzzles, some of which are easier to solve that others. You can switch between them anytime (just press any two adjacent buttons simultaneously, after which the ORBIX will emit a number of beeps indicating the puzzle number). (For some solution hints of the different puzzles, see my hint page or Leonard Campbell's hints.)

  • Puzzle 1. Press any button and the surrounding five buttons will each switch on/off.
  • Puzzle 2. Press any lit button and the surrounding five buttons will each switch on/off. Unlit buttons beep but do not turn on/off any lights.
  • Puzzle 3. Press any unlit button and the button pressed lits up and the six buttons on the opposite side of the orbix will each switch on/off. Lit buttons beep but do not turn on/off any lights.
  • Puzzle 4. When you press any lit button one of the following things will happen
    1. the surrounding five buttons will each switch on/off, if the antipodal button opposite the pressed button is on,
    2. all buttons except the pressed button will each switch on/off, if the antipodal button opposite the pressed button is off.
    Unlit buttons beep but do not turn on/off any lights.


Last modified 5-7-98