MMD > Archives > July 1997 > 1997.07.14 > 10Prev  Next


Converting Artrio-Angelus to Duo-Art
By Mike Knudsen

On Terry Smythe's dilemma of what to do with his Angelus player: It's
true that the two systems are related.  The Angelus "snakebite" theme
holes are in the same positions on the roll.  Back in early '70s when
I first got my Duo-Art, I had about six good Angelus rolls that I would
play in "Themodist" style, running the dynamics with the hand levers.

Which leads to my next statement, that Angelus rolls should be out there.
I traded those 6 rolls for D-As, but they should be out there somewhere.

According to White's little book "Piano Playing Mechanisms", the Angelus
action is "digital" like the D-A but with two important differences.
First, it uses Ampico-B type concept of using the expression codings from
the roll to establish a "reference vacuum" which then controls the main
suction to the stack.  It should be faster than the D-A, as well as
simpler and more reliable.

Second, the Theme and Accompaniment are connected in series -- the Accomp
works from the Theme's output, so the Accomp is a given fraction of the
Theme level, not of the pump suction.  Thus for a given fixed Accomp
level, it will "ride" up and down with Theme dynamics.  By clever coding
of both sides, many Accomp levels can be had.

I think there are 5 holes (32 levels) of Theme and 3 holes (8 levels)
of Accomp (relative to the Theme level).

In short, I would not modify this rare and excellent system into a
relatively common type.  And by the time you had acquired or made the
Duo-Art components to do the conversion, you could have converted an
88-note player to D-A.

Also, where is the stack division point of the Angelus compared to the
D-A?

By the Way, I own a D-A, currently getting it re-rebuilt, but an Angelus
would be really special.  Find a new owner who *does* appreciate it.

Best wishes, Mike Knudsen



(Message sent Mon, 14 Jul 1997 14:23:43 -0500 , from time zone -0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Artrio-Angelus, Converting, Duo-Art

Related by Subject:
1997.07.14.10 (This article) - Converting Artrio-Angelus to Duo-Art
2025.10.14.02 - Seek Watterott Automatic Accordion or Concertina
from John Zuk
2025.05.08.01 - Seek Watterott Accordion and Concertina
from Jim Quashnock
2024.09.25.01 - Converting USA Domestic Electricity to UK Standard
from Paul Bellamy
2024.09.20.01 - Converting USA Domestic Electricity to UK Standard
from Kenneth Christ
2024.09.15.02 - Converting USA Domestic Electricity to UK Standard
from Paul Bellamy
2024.05.26.04 - Converting Any Standard MIDI File to G-code
from Paul Bell
2024.05.21.01 - Converting Any Standard MIDI File to G-code
from Piotr Barcz
2024.04.23.02 - Converting Any Standard MIDI File to G-code
from Piotr Barcz
2024.02.24.02 - Ampico Airmotor Connecting Rods Replacement
from Kyle Nasman
2024.02.20.02 - Ampico Airmotor Connecting Rods Replacement
from Jon Page
2024.01.15.01 - Converting MP3 or WAV Audio to MIDI
from Ben Roth