I was thinking no mechanical parts at all. Just some plates of iron/metal under the rotating part and a strong electromagnet situated at one spot on the base. Push a button and it stops the current so you can rotate it...let go and it activates again and latches onto the metal plate on the CP. Hmmm..I may look into this for my panels...
that would waste an
unbelievable amount of power.
You want the magnet to activate and release something, not hold it in place while the magnet is on.
Do this:
Get solenoids. (like someone suggested but there are so many posts I can't find it!)
But get more than one. Get three, or six, and place them on top of the rotating panel so their metal pieces will fall down. The rotating panel should have recessed holes in the top (not all the way through the wood - just a hole the solenoid bit can fall in to.) Make sure the solenoids are spaced at regular angles - you have a 6-sided rotating panel right? so put either 3 or 6 in, so that when you rotate to the next position the 3 or 6 solenoids line up with new holes. Now, when you press a button, the solenoids will yank the metal bolts out of their holes, freeing the panel. Rotate the panel a bit, and release the button, and the bolts will fall back down and ride on top of the smooth wood. When the holes come back into alignment, they will all fall back down into place by gravity alone, locking the panel into its next position.
The only problem it might have would be precision - as in you'd need lots of it to get the solenoids lining up with their holes. So, you could also space the solenoids at
irregular intervals (like four of them, but
not in a square) and drill four new solenoid holes for each table position. More drilling, less precision... just mark the spot and go at it for each position.
Awesome panel!!!