Organ Music Roll Punch Machine kit
I wish to firstly acknowledge the effort of Bob Essex in his publication “A COMPUTER CONTROLLED MUSIC ROLL PUNCH MACHINE” booklet, with MIDster PUNCH Version 5.0 software (http://www.members.aol.com/midpunch/). Without this information none of the following drawings would have eventuated.
Purchasing Bob Essex booklet & software, bobessex@aol.com combined with my plans will enable you to build an automated machine capable of punching most forms of music that can be down loaded free from the Internet as a MIDI file. These files are then modified with Cakewalk (also available off the internet), before being punched, then played on any organ that requires perforated holes to read music. An average 3 ½ minute tune takes about 2 hours to punch.
This CD comes with both imperial (for the diehards, like myself) & metric versions of drawings, with a number of photographs of the machine to show different angles that may hopefully eliminate some confusion during construction. I have taken every possible precaution to make sure the drawings are accurate but as with all things human, gremlins do from time to time creep in. The measurements were taken directly from the machine I built, so if you make everything to the same dimension, you should end up with an exact clone. Cost of this CD is $Au50:00 plus $Au10:00 p&h.
Parts for this machine may be obtained in a number of ways. I am willing at present to produce the Printed Circuit Board for $Au20:00 plus $10:00 p&h as a stand alone item. Secondly as a kit of parts which includes the PCB & all onboard components for $Au.135.00 Plus $20 p&h, Finally as a complete package, where you get the CD, pcb & a kit of parts for $Au200:00 plus $Au20:00 , a savings of $25:00.
All other items, such as stepper motors, solenoids, (from old photocopiers) & power supplies (old tower computers) to be supplied by purchaser. These items are readily available from your local computer & photocopier store found in old photocopy machines that are no longer serviceable. (They have to pay to dump them at the local rubbish tip, so I offer them a packet of cream biscuits for morning cuppa & they generally can’t be obliging enough. Most of the time though they tell you; “If you had only come yesterday - we just threw out half a dozen of them, & big ones too”. [They’re the best] So I give them my phone number & tell them I’ll see them next time, then walk out very disappointed).
Do have a go at building this machine, if this is your line of interest, as its not as daunting as you may think (yes that means you oldies out there, as there are plenty of people who are willing to help). As with anything one builds himself, the satisfaction you get when it all comes together is indescribable & then the music is limitless. All the best.
