Capstans... which brings me back to....

Sarah Fox sarah@graphic-fusion.com
Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:58:12 -0400


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Hey Ric,

Cool design! :-)

It seems like a lot of mass, though, particularly on the backside of the =
keystick.  How much does this gizmo contribute to the DW of the key?

Out of curiosity, have you considered a felted (or rubber <gasp>) roller =
for the wippen heel, combined with a conventional capstan on the =
keystick?  That would give you the adjustable capstan height without all =
the additional mass, and it would still yield relatively frictionless =
travel.

Also, with the introduction of a roller, either on the keystick or on =
the wippen, do you anticipate "clicky" bearing points as the action =
wears?

Always interesting to see your innovations!

Peace,
Sarah



  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Ric Brekne=20
  To: pianotech=20
  Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2005 5:26 PM
  Subject: Capstans... which brings me back to....


  And update on my Magnetic Assist mechanism for the grand action. The =
Virtual capstan of a couple years back that btw has been  up and working =
just dandily this past year now.  8 hours a day they are banging away on =
this instrument..

  But too the point.... I have not been satisfied trying to deal with =
the standard capstan adjustment when using the fold down magnet =
assembly.   So... I've come up with a new version of the old rocker =
arm... which I think has many good points.

  Note... The following  amounts to Public Disclosure of an invention. =
True to style any one is free to open source develope the concept as =
they wish, but no patents can follow unless one devises a clear =
improvement on the basic idea.

  First a drawing of the rocker arm.



  The assembly features an axled roller (brass) instead of a standard =
capstan for the interface with the whippen cushion. It is also axled to =
the key (red dot on the half round in the middle) The magned assembly is =
just behind that, and the height adjustment is in the front.  It employs =
a lock nut on both the under and top sides of the rocker arm.  This =
allows for precise adjusment of the roller height with the use of only =
one screw instead of the old two screw type. Further, only one screw is =
needed as the assembly is held in place both by the front adjustment =
screw and the center pinnning in the middle.

  All this allows for complete freedom of adjustment of both  the  =
physical <<capstan>> height (in the form of the roller) and the virtual =
capstan height (magnet)

  The roller allows for a minumum of friction between the key assembly =
and whippen cushion. No sliding whatsoever.

  An article on this is in the works and I expect to publish soon. The =
Magnetic Assist Grand Action by Richard Brekne is an open source =
development project and can be used to replace significant amounts of =
lead in the keys.  Read the article in both the PTG Journal last year =
and the European for more infomation.

  Cheers=20
  Richard Brekne



A common misperception.  It does slide.  The involute curve is the =
standard
gear tooth profile.  The important quality of the involute curve, is =
that
it transmits uniform angular velocity.  So that as the driving gear =
rotates
at constant RPM, the driven gear also rotates at constant RPM, with =
minimum
noise and vibration.  But they do slide.  Make your self a paper cutout =
and
try it.

It's also interesting to consider the angle of gear teeth.  Standard =
angles
for spur gears are 14 and 20 degrees.  14 degree teeth are smoother and
quieter, and have a longer wear life because at a given load they have
lower contact stress.  In fact, zero angle or negative angle would be =
even
better, from a contact stress point of view, but with small or negative
angles there is a geometry problem known as "undercutting",  where the =
base
of the tooth ends up narrower than the contact area, and is prone to
fracture.  20 degree teeth are a compromise, used for pinions with very =
few
teeth to prevent undercutting.

So does a capstain slide on the wippen cushion felt, except for the =
instant
that the contact point passes through the "magic line".  Before and afer
that point, the Overs capstain slides the least, standard vertical =
capstan
slides a little more, and the Steinway backwards leaning capstan slides =
a
little more than that.

more than you wanted to know, and it still does not explain why S&S =
might
have done that.

Mike

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