Tweet
I notice some of you have MIDI projects to add MIDI to your organs, but I'd like to try the opposite! I'd like to build and Arduino or Raspberry Pi - controller for a glockenspiel. There are some videos on the internet of similar projects, so I'm writing to ask if anyone here has experience of such a system? At the moment I don't intend going quite as far as Pat Metheny's Orchestrion, but who knows? Any help would be appreciated.
-
-
I'm not understanding the 'opposite' part. Is this just gonna be a MIDI gizmo of sorts? That takes MIDI in instead of out?
My first approach would be to use RazPi and one of the Midi hats. Then decide if you're gonna wanna use solenoids or motors to do the music making.
On a Glock, probably single beater solenoids, but maybe flex batters on motors if your needs involve a lot of repetitive notes. Motors are harder to monkey with so we'll say solenoids.
Purchase gangs of board mounted logic relays from Amazon. They come in lots of sizes up to about 24 per board. Cheap as chips.
Run a high amperage DC source on one side to run your solenoids. Feed the 5V pulse into the individual relays and Bob's yer uncle.
You'll need all the usual support gear. Not just solder/voltmeter, but fab stuff like headers and breadboard. PSU and a source of cheap solenoids. Ought notta be too tough.
-
What is needed is a MIDI decoder which is the opposite of an encoder . A decoder designed to drive SAMs could easily be converted to drive solenoids for a glockenspiel.
I would start with a Teensy, in my case a Teensy 3.6 because I still have several on my workbench. I prefer the Teensy because it connects up via USB-MIDI rather than the old 5-pin serial cables. It also has enough pins to handle about three octaves without needing an extra expander board. Each Teensy pin needs to drive a device like a power MOSFET which is hefty enough to run 12v solenoids. Pulse a 12v output for about 50ms to activate the solenoid. Experiment with the best material for the solenoid's rod, perhaps a rubber bumper?
Good luck! Such a project should work very well.Comment
-
The Thomas Organ orchestra bells (which I suspect were the same ones sold by Artisan and then Devtronix) used a steel striker rod tipped with brass; the striker solenoid was just a coil, and the system use the overshoot when the coil had voltage applied to strike the bar. I suspect Rodgers also used the same approach. It makes the mechanics of the striker very simple, just needing a padded downstop for the striker such as heavy felt.Comment
-
Thank you for your inputs. I can see I'm going to have to get some basic training here, but there's hope that it might work. I'll let you know how it progresses... or come back to ask for help.Comment
-
It might be easiest to start with a Rodgers glockenspiel, as that gets you the bars and the strikers; most Rodgers glocks are aluminum bars--replacing with steel will give you a better ring.Comment
-
Toodles suggested a Rodgers glockenspiel, which I second. I have a Rodgers Trio 321C and the glock is a lot of fun.
The glock's solenoid driving circuit is on page 74 of the Trio 321B/C service manual.
The glock solenoids use the unregulated +/- 24V (or 25V) supplies, so there's 48-50V across a solenoid when it activates. There's a common 2000 uF capacitor for the whole glock. Each solenoid is driven by an NPN transistor which is turned on by an RC pulse generator.Comment
-
Thanks for the suggestions. I think I need to begin by finding somewhere to learn about RasPi of Teensy.Comment
-
Take a look at this project for ideas https://blog.adafruit.com/2018/07/27...y-raspberrypi/Home Organ: VPO Home-Brewed from a former Klann pipe organ consoleComment
-
I have done this - I'm working on the second, larger version with 32 keys, with proper PCBs so it is manufacturable.
https://coolcatukes.com/a_200829_cyberchime.shtml
Comment
Comment