Scientific amusements . The Autophone. music, and that not of a very elevated class. Besides,there is a good deal of expense connected with thepossession of an organ. But the Americans, with aview to popularize music, have invented the AuTOPHONE,which is simply a mechanical accordeon, manufactured bythe Autophone Company, of Ithaca, New York. The principle of the instrument is represented inthe illustration, and is extremely simple. An upright THE AUTOPHONE. 177 frame carries within it on one side a bellows, and on theother a flexible air chamber, which serves as a reservoir. The upper portion
Scientific amusements . The Autophone. music, and that not of a very elevated class. Besides,there is a good deal of expense connected with thepossession of an organ. But the Americans, with aview to popularize music, have invented the AuTOPHONE,which is simply a mechanical accordeon, manufactured bythe Autophone Company, of Ithaca, New York. The principle of the instrument is represented inthe illustration, and is extremely simple. An upright THE AUTOPHONE. 177 frame carries within it on one side a bellows, and on theother a flexible air chamber, which serves as a reservoir. The upper portion contains a set of stops like anaccordeon, but the escape of the air throiagh the smallvibrating plates can only take place by the upper surfaceof the frame work, upon which slides a thin plate ofBristol board pierced with holes at convenient distances,and set in motion by the mechanism shown in the annexeddiagram. The figure represents an axle furnished with a series. Detail of the Autophone. of washers, which, acting upon the plate, cause it lomove round. It is the bellows movement that turns theaxle by the aid of two catches, B and C, which workupon a toothed wheel fixed upon it. The catch B moves the paper on which the tune is perforated, when the bellows is empty, the other catchwhen it is distended; but a counter catch, D, representedby the dotted lines in the illustration, is so arranged thatthe paper cannot pass on except the tooth of the catchD is opposite a hole pierced upon the plate above. Inthe contrary case there is no movement of the paper 178 SOUND. during the dilatation of the bellows. The effect of thisvery ingenious arrangement is to give to the musicalband of board-an irregular movement, but it economisesit in the case of sustained notes. The whole action ofthe instrument depends upon the correct working of thebellows. The effect, from an artistic point of view, certainlyleaves something to be desired, but the instrument ischeap,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade189, booksubjectscientificrecreations
