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Please excuse my ignorance. Could anyone enlighten me as to how an organ coupler system works. I understand how shove couplers work in harpsichords and organs by pushing and pulling keyboards in and out and alsoelectro pneumatic coupling, but what is the mechanism in a large contingent of instruments using drawstops with various couplers eg great to pedal, swell to pedal etc. AND how is it possible to pull coupler stops out whilst playing without damaging any mechanisms? A link with a drawing would be appreciated but if you would be kind enough to explain this to me it would save me further headache.
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
In modern electric action organs, the couplers are "computerized" or "electronic" and thus there is no mechanical mechanism to stress if one engages a coupler whilst playing, etc.
In my older Klann console (and many consoles of the same vintage), the couplers are small key-contact slides and these two may be safely engaged whilst playing.
Hope this helps! -
Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
In the pipe organ at my home church, the console has an electromagnetic switching action. Basically, there's a bar with 61 contacts sticking up on it that moves left and right slightly to either make contact with a corresponding set of 61 perpendicular wires or not. Turning on the the stops physically moves these bars left and right... there's an array of them inside of the console. There's a corresponding set of bars that couple the electrics of the already electrically-coupled bars/stops up or down an octave (these bars are missing 12 notes on either end) It seems unnecessary when compared to our current solid-state advances, but it's easily 50+ year old technology, and considering it works perfectly today, I'd say it was a success.Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
Regal,
Are you asking about the coupler mechanism for trackers?Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
Ahhh rats I JUST went to an organ factory and saw what you're asking about! They were using something new (it included electronumatic assistance) though...what I do know is that there are several different systems. I think the principal is basically to shift the angle of a piece of wood downwards so that it touches the back of the lower set of keys and a closer part of the upper set of keys so that they end up playing both at the same time. I'm fairly certain that some sort of 'spring' is involved in preventing the stops from damaging the keys currently depressed...I don't remember. I'll try to look up some things and jog my memory though. I'm sure that the Barnes or Audsley book has info on it. If anything, I'll try to webcam in the drawings from those books.Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
Thank you all for your suggestions. Please keep them coming. To answer FrenchHorn8, I was thinking of tracker action organ couplers-should have made myself clearer. Many thanks for the interest.Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
One way where tracker couplers differ from electric/electronic coupler is that with a tracker if you couple the Swell to the Positiv and then the Positiv to the Great, the Great will then also be coupled to the Swell via the Positiv. Non-mechanical couplers do not "bleed through" in this manner.
EDIT: Since there may be no such thing as a Swell to Positiv coupler on a tracker, it might make more sense to think of this with Swell to Great and then Great to Pedal, whereby now the Pedal will be coupled to both Great and Swell. Whatever . . .Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
Trackers can and do have Swell to Postiv couplers. These couplers do not necessarily have to couple through to the Great, although this was sometimes the case in ancient organs.Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
Regarding using the coupler when a key is depressed - there are a variety of ways of doing this.
One of the simplest is when a jack is moved into position which allows movement to be conveyed from one keyboard to another. This object can easily fit between the keyboards when they are at rest; but importantly, it can also fit between the keyboards when the key is already depressed. The clearance of course is a bit tighter, but not so close that it would prohibit easy movement ofthe jack. The end of the jack may also be rounded or wedge-shaped so that it can easily be moved into place if the key should happen to be depressed.
It is difficult to put into words, but perhaps this helps?Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
After appropriate sacrifices to the gods of the computers, I have managed to make my webcam work! Since a picture is worth a thousand words, let me try to put Soubasse's words into pixelled form!
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture3-1.jpg
This is what Soubasse is talking about with the pivoting action. You can see that the levers can move back and forth. Since when a note is depressed, the back of the key goes up; this prevents damage to the coupler components; they just slide underneath the key.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture2-1.jpg
Here is a view of how the coupler rods look from the front, and how they look when tilted and out of the way.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...a/Picture4.jpg
And finally, here's a view of the pedal coupler action from the front.
These images are taken from George Ashdown Audsley's The Art of Organ-Building I claim no right to them!Comment
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Re: Organ Coupler mechanism
This photo is from a Roosevelt portable organ. The top 2 sets of levers is for the octave coupler. When the coupler is off, the keys press down the other side of the top row of levers which lifts up the the little metal rod. The leather nut almost touches the lever above it. When the coupler is on, the piece of wood with the felt on it (the fulcrum) is slightly raised. The wood levers then rest against the leather nuts. When a key is pressed, it moves both levers therefore pulling the key down an octave up.
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