[ Harald Mueller wrote in 190213 MMDigest --

> Has someone already "motorized" the Sankyo movement -- with
> a spring motor working for four or more minutes, or maybe with
> a silent electric motor.

(a) There might be motorized versions of this movement, but its
playback speed would have to be the same as your recording speed.
(When I saw the video of the cranked playback about all I could
think of is that it really needed a flywheel on the crank.)

But yes, small speed-regulated motors are available, and I'd recommend
driving the mechanism through a thin rubber belt using available
pulleys, essentially the way cassette recorders were driven.

(b) Also, yes, the music would have to be continuous for the piece.
A motorized movement with a continuous (Leporello) loop would need
a switch-off function in some way (e.g., a cutout on the side of the
paper strip with a switch or a suitable mechanical stop).

Yep.  Probably an infra-red sensor would work well.

> "Sectional playing", i.e. having pauses of 1 or 2 seconds, is not
> okay unless the gaps are at the positions where the piece has
> a G.P. [Grand Pause] (but I think these are not at nicely dividing
> positions).

They never are.  That's partly what doomed the 8-track tape format when
cartridge manufacturers insisted on recording all 8 tracks at once.

> I did not ask my client about her "reasonable cost", but I would
> estimate a few hundreds (be it euros or $ or £), certainly below 1000
> is the maximum.

Wow!  That seems rather high, but okay.

> With these constraints, is it possible to put it on a cylinder music
> box?

Umm, that's what has me confused.  Do you mean a music box in which the
tune is coded with pins on a rotating cylinder?  If so, the answer is
"no": the pin density would be impossible for any practical cylinder.

But if you're content to leave the music on a paper or Mylar Leporello
loop (I've never heard that term before) and use some variation of the
mechanism shown in your video, sure.  It shouldn't be all that tough
to do.

It would seem that anyone who can repair clocks or old-time tape
recorders ought to be able to do the job.  It also depends on how
elegant the final result has to look, though I believe my clock-parts
people could supply enough golden cherubs and scrollwork to satisfy
any taste.  Heck, even _I_ could do it.

Mark Kinsler