Punch card pipe organ

prusaprinters

<h3>Punch card pipe organ</h3><p>A while ago i saw a pipe organ playing music from punch cards, by using the holes in the cards to activate the different pipes. You can see an example for this in the following video:</p><figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shh1F6MgjV4"></oembed></figure><p>I wanted to make a simplified version that you could 3D print and play by blowing into an air inlet or placing a ballon over it. The current version has a range of one octave (12 half-tones). The dimensions where derived by averaging measurements for other pipe organs i found online:</p><figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Tone</td><td>pipe length [mm]</td><td>pipe diameter [mm]</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;width:65pt;">C</td><td style="text-align:center;">81.9</td><td style="text-align:center;">15</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">C#</td><td style="text-align:center;">77.3</td><td style="text-align:center;">15</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">D</td><td style="text-align:center;">73.0</td><td style="text-align:center;">14</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">D#</td><td style="text-align:center;">68.9</td><td style="text-align:center;">14</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">E</td><td style="text-align:center;">65.0</td><td style="text-align:center;">13</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">F</td><td style="text-align:center;">61.4</td><td style="text-align:center;">13</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">F#</td><td style="text-align:center;">57.9</td><td style="text-align:center;">12</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">G</td><td style="text-align:center;">54.7</td><td style="text-align:center;">12</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">G#</td><td style="text-align:center;">51.6</td><td style="text-align:center;">12</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">A</td><td style="text-align:center;">48.7</td><td style="text-align:center;">11</td></tr><tr><td style="height:16pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">A#</td><td style="text-align:center;">46.0</td><td style="text-align:center;">11</td></tr><tr><td style="height:17pt;padding-left:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-top:1px;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom;">B</td><td style="text-align:center;">43.4</td><td style="text-align:center;">11</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p>Between the inlet and the pipes is a slit in order to slide the punch card in. I am currently trying different materials for the punch cards in order to minimize wasted air (this is a big problem with the printed punch card, rubber foam is promising). Therefore the distance between the inlet and the pipes has to be adjustable so i am using M3 heated inserts.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h3>Problems to solve:</h3><ol><li>Make the pipes more efficient: the pipes currently need a rather high airflow to make a clear sound</li><li>Optimize restrictions to the airflow: in order to fit all notes in an acceptable space I used 4mm holes with a 1mm wall between them, which restricts the airflow considerably (see Problem 1).</li><li>Materials for the punch cards: I am looking for materials that will slide well between the PLA-surfaces while at the same time seal the covered holes well in order to reduce wasted airflow.&nbsp;</li></ol><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you like this idea and have an idea how to fix the problems feel free to use the STEP-Files to try them out or send me a message! <strong>I would love to get some help and input from fellow makers.</strong></p>