Observations critical to the function of a commercially made instrument are air-tight seals for the pallets and reedgard, and M2 screws to secure the reed plate to the air chamber. M3 screws fix the reed guard to the air chamber, which sandwiches a rubber seal between both bodies.
PROCESS
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Step one of building the instrument was to understand the mechanics of reed instruments. How do differences in air pressure make the reed vibrate? It comes down to Bernoulli’s principle and the anatomy of the reed chamber.
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Pressing a key opens a path for air to flow past a reed. As the user blows, the reed gets pulled into the opening, briefly shuts off the air, then springs back. This open–close cycle repeats very quickly while you keep blowing, and that rapid vibration is what creates one note.
The instrument is designed to use a
Yamaha P-32D 32-key Pianica reed plate.
Critical measurements taken from a Yamaha P-32D 32-key Pianica to ensure reed-plate compatibility.
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Imported into SolidWorks as a solid-body part-file. Assembly and exploded view created, drawings made.
THOUGHTS FOR FUTURE INSTRUMENT
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While working as a grocery I noticed the register's ringer bells, I thought of making different-sized bells using the same mechanism.
Sketches only
Typewriter format with cashier bells