Electronic Concertina

[m3838]

Any folks out there, that can help with advice to an ignoramus with this project?

If I'm to make my own, say, English concertina, only for training, battery powered, with headphones jack, where do I start?

I'm thinking to touch the possibility to make dirt cheap kit, plywood ends, springed buttons, hinged ends, pressure sensitive device between the ends, not the buttons themselves.

So, when you make RC model plane, you can come up with any type of the glyder, but need some off the shelf RC controller and receiver.

Is there anything like that to make a MIDI output with?

It doesn't even need the mechanical buttons, only some sensitive areas, corresponding to some notes. The buttons can be printed on some paper, and one can change the layout at will. No drilling, no springs, no levers, no shiny cute buttons, no finish - down to earth, russian army type.

Thanks.

[inventor]

Someone once told me that it is possible to set up a computer keyboard with specific keys playing specific notes. I didn't have a computer at that time so I never made a note of the program (a shareware program if I remember rightly). Does anyone know of this or how it can be done. It could be ideal for a person who wanted to try out a Hayden or Jeffries Duett system.

Inventor.

P.S. If it can also be used to write music notation directly from the computer keyboard I would personally find that very usefull indeed.

[David Barnert]

Someone once told me that it is possible to set up a computer keyboard with specific keys playing specific notes. I didn't have a computer at that time so I never made a note of the program (a shareware program if I remember rightly). Does anyone know of this or how it can be done. It could be ideal for a person who wanted to try out a Hayden or Jeffries Duett system.

Inventor.

P.S. If it can also be used to write music notation directly from the computer keyboard I would personally find that very usefull indeed.

Talk to Rich Morse. I believe he's done it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one who first mentioned it to you, because many years ago he talked to me about doing it with a Hayden layout.

[ragtimer]

Any folks out there, that can help with advice to an ignoramus with this project?

If I'm to make my own, say, English concertina, only for training, battery powered, with headphones jack, where do I start?

I'm thinking to touch the possibility to make dirt cheap kit, plywood ends, springed buttons, hinged ends, pressure sensitive device between the ends, not the buttons themselves.

So, when you make RC model plane, you can come up with any type of the glyder, but need some off the shelf RC controller and receiver.

Is there anything like that to make a MIDI output with?

Yes -- there are "MIDI Encoder" small printed circuit cards you can buy from Internet suppliers. There are two flavors -- those that take a separate button input for each note, and those that scan a "matrix" of, say, 8 by 8 buttons. The latter are somewhat cheaper and require less wiring (be prepared to spend a LOT of time hooking up wires, so the fewer the better).

It doesn't even need the mechanical buttons, only some sensitive areas, corresponding to some notes. The buttons can be printed on some paper, and one can change the layout at will. No drilling, no springs, no levers, no shiny cute buttons, no finish - down to earth, russian army type.

You'd probably be best off to use real pushbutton switches, for positive contact and your own tactile feedback.

 

I myself have wondered about making a silent practice instrument to play thru headphones, or which could play piano or organ or whatever tones on a MIDI sound box.

 

Converting "bellows" squeeze pressure into volume may be the hardest part of a home project.

There are professional MIDI concertinas, with true bellows pressure/vacuum sensing for volume control -- not clear what pieces you could buy and adapt to your own project.

--Mike K.

[gwhlevy]

Jordan Petkov has a website where he advertises several different MIDI boards he has for sale. Ask him about his MIDI Bandoneon circuit board. This board includes a wind-control built into the board.

 

Wim Wakker has 2 MIDI concertinas for sale currently, an Anglo and an English. I've been assured that a Hayden is in the works. The URL for Wim's 'site is Wim Wakker's MIDI Concertinas

 

There was also discussion on the Repair portion of the Forum regarding building a MIDI concertina.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Grant Levy

Costa Mesa, Calfornia

Orange County

[gwhlevy]

I realized I forgot to include a link to Jordan's website. It's: Jordan D. Petkov

 

Grant Levy

Costa Mesa, California

Orange County