I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
On Sat, 3 Feb 2024 21:59:39 -0700, Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid>
wrote:
I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
Yes, designed for a 20 Hz ring signal.
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
Not really.
For the morbidly curious, Western Electric published a full article on
the design of that ringer in the Bell System Technical Journal in the
1950s. I don't recall the precise issue, but there are indices
available.
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
Yes, the usual ones for altering mechanical resonance:
1) Increase frequency by reducing the mass of the clapper and increasing
the stiffness of the support wire (shorther or thicker).
2) Decrease frequency by increasing the mass of the clapper and
secreasing the stiffness of the support wire (use a longer wire and bend
it into a loop or a helix).
The overall amount of energy will be the same, but the frequency of
maximum efficiency will change.
That brings back memories. As a kid, I had a kit to build an
electric bell. The armature connected the battery to the
electromagnet, which pulled the armature toward the bell
and away from the contact, which disconnected the electromagnet
which allowed the armature to return to the contact after hitting
the bell. There was a screw that adjusted the contact position.
Educational toys of the 1970's.
I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
Yeah y
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
[...]
Nowadays, kids don't (?) tinker with electrics/electronics;
they write code or buy premade *boards* -- so they don't
risk breaking a nail or having to use wirecutters...
On 2024-02-05, Don Y wrote:
[...]
Nowadays, kids don't (?) tinker with electrics/electronics;
they write code or buy premade *boards* -- so they don't
risk breaking a nail or having to use wirecutters...
On the flip side, a lot of the "fun (new) stuff" to play with *only* comes
as some spiffy no-lead micro-package that's impossible to work with
unless you have a few "advanced" level tools.
I'd sure like to see you dead-bug an AS621x temp sensor with naught but
a generic hobby-grade pencil iron. (For anyone keeping track; this chip
is approx 1500 x 1000μM package with a 3x2 BGA on 400μM center-to-center spacing.)
It's not like when you were a kid, and the smallest component was a
12AX7, and you could just wire-wrap everything. :P
Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> wrote:
On 2024-02-05, Don Y wrote:
[...]
Nowadays, kids don't (?) tinker with electrics/electronics;
they write code or buy premade *boards* -- so they don't
risk breaking a nail or having to use wirecutters...
On the flip side, a lot of the "fun (new) stuff" to play with *only* comes >> as some spiffy no-lead micro-package that's impossible to work with
unless you have a few "advanced" level tools.
I'd sure like to see you dead-bug an AS621x temp sensor with naught but
a generic hobby-grade pencil iron. (For anyone keeping track; this chip
is approx 1500 x 1000μM package with a 3x2 BGA on 400μM center-to-center >> spacing.)
It's not like when you were a kid, and the smallest component was a
12AX7, and you could just wire-wrap everything. :P
Check out Schmartboards. They use extra thick solder mask to locate fine pitch parts.
They still make them.
https://old.miniscience.com/projects/ElectricBell/index.html
With yours, you could try modulating the amplitude. Get it to skip beats.
On 2024-02-05, Don Y wrote:
[...]
Nowadays, kids don't (?) tinker with electrics/electronics;
they write code or buy premade *boards* -- so they don't
risk breaking a nail or having to use wirecutters...
On the flip side, a lot of the "fun (new) stuff" to play with *only* comes
as some spiffy no-lead micro-package that's impossible to work with
unless you have a few "advanced" level tools.
I'd sure like to see you dead-bug an AS621x temp sensor with naught but
a generic hobby-grade pencil iron. (For anyone keeping track; this chip
is approx 1500 x 1000μM package with a 3x2 BGA on 400μM center-to-center spacing.)
It's not like when you were a kid, and the smallest component was a
12AX7, and you could just wire-wrap everything. :P
I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
On 2024-02-04, Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
I've been experimenting with mechanical (phone) ringers
to get an idea for how much I can tweek the sound.
They (the armature, not the bell) seem to be mechanically tuned
so pulling them much off of their intended "frequency" is hard
and likely unreliable -- at least open-loop.
[Most of my samples are from WE; different mechanical assemblies
as required by the different phones they inhabit but similar
audible performance]
Aside from cadence/ring-pattern, is there anything else I
can do to alter the sound? Reducing drive seems to have an effect
on loudness -- but, is dependent on the setting of the mechanical
damper. I can close the loop (audibly) but only if the mechanism
hasn't been tightened up to the point where I'm forced into an
all-or-nothing approach.
Alternatively, any simple hacks I can do to the mechanisms to
alter the tuning?
change the mass or material of the hammer.
change the arm length or material.
move gongs closer or further
muffle the gongs
cut or drill the gongs
replace the gongs with cowbells etc.
run the setup underwater.
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