for player pianos and organs
drawings by Richard Vance and Horst Mohr
photos courtesy Ed Gaida & Robbie Rhodes

Magnet valve for Ampico reproducing piano built by Walter Tenten, utilizing
an
inexpensive ($2) 12-volt automobile relay designed for printed circuit
board mounting.
The brass nozzle (with leather valve facing) is clamped to the printed
cicuit card
so that it can be adjusted to align with the relay armature.
Chest magnet valve (OSI-Reisner HE, 90 ohms)
Width 5 cm, depth 2 cm, height of magnet above mounting
surface 5 cm, total height 7 cm. The version for player piano
has a tube inserted into the magnet cap (the knurled aluminum
piece at the bottom) which extends down 13 mm (0.5 inch).
Weight 48 grams (1.71 ounce).
Reisner magnet-operated pouch valve for organ pipe chest. A small
spring inside
the pouch holds the felt pad to the hole below the pipe. The
pouch collapses into the
"clam shell" when the magnet valve opens and exhausts the pouch chamber
to atmosphere.
This type of magnet valve operates faster than the direct action magnet
valve (below).
Weight 118 grams (4.21 ounces).
Chest magnet valve for suction (OSI catalog)
Magnet valve from Kilgen organ
Magnet valve from Kilgen organ
Direct action magnet valve (OSI-Reisner 5528.12, 90 ohms)
Width 6 cm, height 4.5 cm, depth 1.6 cm
The pad diameter shown is 22.2 mm (0.875 inch).
Weight 51 grams (1.82 ounce).
Direct action magnet valve by Wicks, differing from the Reisner design
in the return spring arrangement.
Willy van der Reijden uses surplus 24-volt relays to pull the
valves of his MIDI-controlled Frati-Hymnia
orchestrion.
13 March 2002, 24 June 2002, 17 October 2005
