ComputerVoltageSources

Well,

I thought I would post this here first. I uploaded some pictures of
a Virgil "Practice-Clavier" from about 1890, which I have been working
on restoring. I posted picftures in the photos section.
I got it from the piano technician at the music school I worked at,
and it was in PIECES. Some of the wood was hopelessly cracked by the
desert heat and the legs were badly abused. Luckily, with a little
cleaning and WD40, the keyboard feels fantastic. It has adjustable
action - hence the "practice-calvier" and can feel like a piano or a
harpsichord or a super heavy workout...
Anyway, there are pins on the inside that lift up when the keys are
struck. I hope to find an economical way to turn these into buttons,
process it all into a microcontroller and turn this guy into something
that can talk to my computer and synths. I'll be experimenting some
time soon -- the first priority is to restore the woodwork itself,
though.
Any suggestion on switch types? Snap action switches occur to me,
but I think that miniature tactile switches would also work with the
small pins that lift. Or perhaps just some metal to metal contact to
close the circuit...

Lorin

>Luckily, with a little
>cleaning and WD40, the keyboard feels fantastic. It has adjustable
>action - hence the "practice-calvier" and can feel like a piano or a
>harpsichord or a super heavy workout...

FYI--don't rely on WD40 as a *lubricant* if in fact that's what you've
done. It WILL dry out in short order.

You should post this to some other lists like Synth-DIY. They love this
sort of project.

--

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"