[ Ref. Mark Singleton in 211017 MMDigest ]

There are not very many barrel pianos left in North America to
cannibalize but I had a clockmaker friend who loved to repurpose
spring-wound power. His shop window had turntables and animations
powered by large spring motors from old music boxes and phonographs,
geared down for his use. He could get a revolving display moving
for eight hours on one winding.

A similar modern long run spring is the electric power wind-up
generator in the Freeplay Radio, a plastic portable AM-FM radio
designed a few years ago for third-world countries with no battery
at all; a full winding powered a pretty loud radio for the best
part of an hour.

The original model came in a see-through case so you could observe
the giant spring and gears moving around. Newer ones exist, but they
don't quite have the funky class of the original. They can, however,
charge a cellphone! I love the idea of a wind up cellphone.

Now how about running a car on that old barrel piano motor -- a new
hybrid that runs on gas or sweat!

Jim Katz

 [ https://windupradio.com/baygen-freeplay-sw-radio/ 
 [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJD49h_15aI&t=170s 
 [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rP16N8zewk&t=76s 
 [ -- Robbie