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I remember this guy from many years ago. He was asking technical
questions on the Usenet newsgroup sci.electronic.design in 2003 (in
this thread: <tt><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_thread/thread/ef0e2159cd4b5477/b84432b209be336">http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_thread/thread/ef0e2159cd4b5477/b84432b209be336</a></tt>).
He posted this article in the New York Times about it, and this has
a more detailed description than in the video:<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/02/technology/what-s-next-a-piano-that-runs-hot-and-cold-to-keep-itself-in-tune.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/02/technology/what-s-next-a-piano-that-runs-hot-and-cold-to-keep-itself-in-tune.html</a><br>
<br>
I guess after nine years it's about time he got a working (or
approximately working) prototype.<br>
<br>
On 1/25/2012 4:32 PM, David Boyce wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4F207507.9010504@piano.plus.com" type="cite">
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<font face="Arial">Well I'm glad it's not just me - you all think
the unison was "off" too!<br>
</font></blockquote>
<br>
I heard it too but I was kind of thinking/hoping it had to do
with the cheap microphone in the camera and bad room acoustics.<br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4F207507.9010504@piano.plus.com" type="cite"><font
face="Arial"> <br>
The other thing is, who's going to keep the piano sharp, so that
it can self-tune by flattening (by heating). It's bound to go
gradually flat, without the intveration of..... the piano tuner?<br>
</font></blockquote>
<br>
Yes, exactly. As he states in the NYT article, the piano is tuned
with current going through all the strings to bring them up to about
95 degrees F, and with the piano in tune the computer records the
pitch of each string. When the power is turned off, the strings cool
down to room temperature and the pitch (and tension in ALL the
strings) goes up. When the system is turned on again, the string are
again heated to the point that they make the same pitch as when
originally tuned. This heating and cooling (and tension change of
every string) every time the system is turned on and off can't be
good for stability. I'd think it would be much more stable if the
strings were heated all the time. Eventually the pitch of a string
drops to where it's below the tuned pitch at room temperature, and
since heating a string can only lower its pitch, that's when a tuner
(person) needs to be called back.<br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4F207507.9010504@piano.plus.com" type="cite"><font
face="Arial"> <br>
David.<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.davidboyce.co.uk">www.davidboyce.co.uk</a><br>
</font> </blockquote>
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