Zimbelstern motor, how fast?

[Guest]

I am trying to build a zimbelstern for my home project using nine small brass bells and need a gearmotor to drive it. They are readily available but I don't no what speed in rpm's to use. Does anyone know what the speed should be? Thanks, Allen

[Menschenstimme]

Hi Allen --

This may not be much help; but here goes. I have one of those "wind chime" zimbelsterns that was hand made by some small outfit somewhere in the USA. It has a variable speed control which I keep set at "medium." Let me caution you about one thing. My zimbelstern has a small 12-volt DC motor. The motor makes a sort of buzzing noise as it runs and I find this annoying, albeit not all that audible with the organ also running and playing, etc.

Our excellent Klann zimbelstern at church runs on a variable-speed 110/120 volt AC motor which is virtually silent. The Klann motor is large and expensive compared to the little "hobby" motor in my home unit.

Good luck!

[jkrusel]

Allen

Sounds like a fascinating project. I used to make tubular bell windchimes - I love the sound.

With 9 bells , you will probably want to go more slowly than with the classic 5 bells so it is not cacophonous! Also depends on how many strikers you have. If I were you I'd use a DC motor and cook up a variable speed power supply for it so you can determine the final speed by what sounds best.

Good luck and have fun, let us see the final results.

[Guest]

Hi Allen --

This may not be much help; but here goes. I have one of those "wind chime" zimbelsterns that was hand made by some small outfit somewhere in the USA. It has a variable speed control which I keep set at "medium." Let me caution you about one thing. My zimbelstern has a small 12-volt DC motor. The motor makes a sort of buzzing noise as it runs and I find this annoying, albeit not all that audible with the organ also running and playing, etc.

Our excellent Klann zimbelstern at church runs on a variable-speed 110/120 volt AC motor which is virtually silent. The Klann motor is large and expensive compared to the little "hobby" motor in my home unit.

Good luck!

You mentioned "medium" speed. What rate in rpm's does that translate to roughly? If yours is visible, it may be possible to mark one of the clappers and count how many complete circles it makes in one minutes time. Let me know if you are able to determine an rpm figure, it would really be helpful. Thanks, Allen

[Menschenstimme]

Hi Allen,

I regret that because my zimbelstern is an array of continuous wind chimes that its speed would be irrelevant for your more traditional (and more desirable) zimbelstern that is using a 6 to 9 regular bells. Morever, it is rather difficult to access.

I agree with the other member (jkrusel) who suggested using a variable speed motor.

[jkrusel]

Allen, here's another idea: get the 120v AC motor out of an old phonograph turntable and run it with a regular lamp dimmer. Voila! Variable speed AC motor.

[toodles]

My Rodgers Zimbelstern has a synchronous timing motor that shows 60 RPM on it (that's one revolution per second).

Toodles

[davidecasteel]

The strike rate should be somewhere between 200 and 400 strikes per minute, I think. If you have a circle of 9 bells, a strike rate of 360 would equate to 40 rpm, so you might find a standard 33 1/3 rpm turntable drive to be acceptable. Making the speed variable in that general range of rotation rate would be ideal, of course.

David

[NoTalent]

Allen, here's another idea: get the 120v AC motor out of an old phonograph turntable and run it with a regular lamp dimmer. Voila! Variable speed AC motor.

This won't work: the speed of these motors is sync'd to the line frequency; changing the voltage has no effect except maybe that you're driving the motor into stall.

Greg

[jkrusel]

This won't work: the speed of these motors is sync'd to the line frequency; changing the voltage has no effect except maybe that you're driving the motor into stall.

Greg

I must disagree. Most of these motors are of the shaded pole type and can be speed controlled quite nicely by a triac type AC control such as a lamp dimmer. This type of control does not vary the voltage. The nicest part is they are $4-5 at the hardware store.

Only true synchronous motors, such as the motor that drives a Hammond tone wheel, are locked to the AC line frequency.

For more information Google "shaded pole motor".