Music Box

[Crumbs]

Hi everyone,

There are several music box kits that enable you to punch in the notes and play the music with a hand-cranked music box. What I would really like to do is be able to do that with a mechanical music box that will play the music without cranking it continuously, like those that you only crank them before the music plays and then it plays on its own. It doesn't need you to continue rolling the lever throughout the play.

I would really love to do this as a gift for someone, so if anyone knows about something like this (even if someone can think of a way to make the hand-cranked ones a bit more "automatic" like with some other addition etc.) I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[mattylad]

Consider that your going to need a small motor, gearbox, controller PCB and battery to do this automatically.

 

[ericmark]

I would guess the answer is to use PIC's (Programmable integrated circuits) Microchip is one of the big manufacturers of them.

I have seen a walk on piano made using them worked very well not too much extra to include the program to press the notes.

However I did try programming PIC's and it's not easy.

The standard clockwork music box movements used a barrel with small pin like bits which released a bit of metal to produce each note. I am sure you could make your own drum but would not be easy.

The music box or steam organ was I suppose the first computer where a set of hinged punch cards went through a reader and produced the sound. Very similar to main frame computers.

If you look at the progression from steam organ to Ipad it is really combined with that of the computer. The Christmas cards which play a tune when opened are just a very simple mass produced PIC.

I would assume you want some mechanical system but the point is where do you stop. I remember trying to use a fish tank compressor to spin the vanes on a clock work motor it was not powerful enough but I could run it simply blowing down the pipe so clearly could be done. Many clockwork motors use paddles to govern the speed including music boxes so removing the clockwork bit and blowing the governor blades around may work but as to if the drive to governor is man enough for job I have no idea.