[ Harald Mueller wrote in 190210 MMDigest:

> Could a 4-minute tune be put on a cylinder music box? I have
> arranged Manolis Kalomiris' Nocturne for the 30-note Sankyo
> music box movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFIIZpN5sQ
 

Hi from chilly Rochester, Harald Mueller asked about finding or
making a music box that would play a custom, 30 note arrangement that
lasted 4 minutes. I'm pretty sure that making a cylinder box with
that capability is close to impossible. Same answer for a disc box.

That leaves a paper strip playing box with star wheels to pluck the
notes. The only limit is the length of the paper strip. I've seen
20-note players before, but nothing larger. So I looked on Amazon and
there were a couple of 30-note players available. So, just to see what
one of these machines would do, I ordered one to play with.

About 10 days later I received a nice little mechanism that played
30-note paper strips and is powered by 4.5 volts DC. You can plug it
into a wall wart or connect it to 3 small 1.5 volt batteries. It has
a built-in switch that starts it automatically when you put in a strip
and shuts it off when the strip is done. If the strip is a loop, you
can put a notch in the edge of the strip and it will stop at the end of
a long tune.

If you add a lever (to switch the power on and off), and a box of some
sort to hold the strip as a endless fan-fold, it would work just like
a regular music box, but without the need to wind it. You could even
fake a winder if you want to!

Regards,
Craig Smith
Rochester, New York

 [ See https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B07KYTDZKG  -- Robbie