•Every year there seems to be an increasing number of player pianos that are being sent to the dump. Thousands upon thousands of piano rolls also end up in the dump. There may consequently be some interest in a device which will play piano rolls in real time. MIDI files are a wonderful media but the...

•I have a Bang & Olufsen CD player that uses 240-volt 50-cycle AC power. To operate on 60-cycle power in North America, is there an effective device that will plug into a US domestic socket that will do the job? The power rating will need to be about 70 watts or more. A standard voltage transformer...

In a message dated 95-08-21 15:38:34 EDT, you write: > Its probably time for me to do some "research" into > MIDI -to- contact-closure devices. The WIMP appears to > be one of 3 such devices out there. I think you > have the largest current drive capability. I'd like to > get the whole scoop... [ so...

Jack Kane asked if anyone is interested in disc music boxes. Yes, we include them as part of our mechanical music devices (maybe that should be "mechanical music vices"!!). We have a 15 1/2 inch Regina short bed/single comb with a gorgeous sound. What do you have in mind regarding arranging new tune...

Hi, My name is David Roenigk. I have been a collector and restorer of mechanical machines for the past 28 years. I started with horn phonographs then went on to nickelodeons, gambling devices and now my main interest has moved on to fire fighting equipment. I still have a residue of the other items ...

>First step: Before starting that project, he would like to know if >there are already videos on the market (worldwide) about that theme. I've never seen anything like it. There are a couple of old movies that have mechanical music devices _in_ them -- plot devices or "window- dressing" only -- but ...

As a follow-up to Rick Cooley's comments in MMD 960309 regarding timing differences between Channel 1 and the other channels for the Disklavier, I add the following. If you attempt to transmit a multi-channel MIDI file from an external source to a Disklavier and other MIDI devices (sound module, sec...

•Damon Atchison yesterday asked a question I had mused over many times. Why did mechanical music builders rely on all that air-sucking wood, leather and rubber when electro-magnetic devices seem so much simpler? A case in point might be the old Mills Violano. Completely electrical, the thing would b...

•Hi gang, Well, the Mills Piano uses solenoids and seems to give good results, however these are relatively high-impedance devices that operate with approximately 110 to 125 v.d.c. As a result they perform faster than if they were low impedance devices operating on 10-15 volts as most pipe organ mag...

•Robbie Rhodes wrote: > Electrical supplies catalogs commonly list several different > available coil voltages for a magnet or solenoid. There's no > difference in the performance (force & speed) of the high-voltage > vs. the low-voltage devices when they're controlled by equivalent > circuitry. Not...

•Hi Bea -- I agree with you, that an unlimited budget is not necessary to enjoy the wide and wild variety of musical boxes and associated devices. Monopol and Kalliope also made musical boxes in association with Christmas tree rotation. Regards Larry Greenfield

•A bit of counterpoint is in order on this subject. I happen to thrive on "long narrowly focused replies". I believe that's an essential element of understanding the topic of mechanical musical devices. Since these devices were generally made in the past, it follows that information about them must ...

•Hello Bob, Your inquiry to MMD reminded me of something. Looking in one of my cabinets I found a box with several... The devices were produced 1965 (in Germany). They are intended to be put into a doll or a cloth hen. Upon pushing a knob, a battery- operated motor starts to turn a record disc. The ...

•Good Day to All, This posting is directed primarily to any of the chemical engineers and/or members with a background in chemistry. I'm certain that at some time in every player piano technicians career he comes across devices within the player mechanism that "look" perfectly good. Since the late 8...

•When I worked a Mandel Brothers in Chicago years ago I operated a Mills Novelty Co. Ice Cream mixer, and on a couple of occasions I went to the factory for one thing or another. They also made gambling devices earlier and I still have a Mills Magnetic Expression Piano here in my dining room that pl...

•The Operators Piano Company spelled out the correct pronunciation for "Reproduco" in their advertising, as follows (capitalization original): "...even he who has no technical musical skill can with the automatic devices and hand-played rolls REPRODUCE the music of great artists. Hence the name REPR...

•Hello fellow mechanical music enthusiasts, I am new to the Internet and only just found this organisation. I have always been interested in mechanical music devices, particularly fairground organs. Being an electronics engineer and some experience in electronic organ building, I built some years ag...

•Part One Lately there has been discussion in MMD about ways to pneumatically read music rolls with sufficient precision to compete with the accuracy of optical scanning, for making accurate soft-file or MIDI records of old rolls. Robbie suggested that strain-gauge transducers (electronic devices wh...

•As an avid (or just rabid) train buff, I'd guess that the relationship is a love of intricate mechanical devices. In addition to the trains, I have a pachinko machine, a slot machine, and a whole host of other devices. The engineering in them, I consider an art. Bernie Brownstein

•I am the proprietor of the Antique Phonograph Supply Co. at http://www.antiquephono.com/ I am no longer able to have varnish transfers produced for phonograph restorers. Like so many trades needed for authentic restoration of early 20th century devices, this one seems to be aging into obscurity. I ...