Imagining a Simple Closed Pneumatic System...

John Sylte · 2010-03-17T02:13:02+00:00

Hello Everyone, I am designing a new musical instrument. It is a wind instrument of sorts that requires an action mechanism wherein one button will operate two pads. The pads are to close off holes that determine which notes will sound. The button would resemble a disposable clicky pen, where you push a button and the tip of the pen comes out the other end. In my case though, the button won't have two default positions, only one. It also won't be driven by a solid object, like the pen shaft. When the button is pressed I am imagining it will press into a small pneumatic ram, which will increase the air pressure in the closed system, transfer the pressure through the rigid walls of a small diameter rigid/flexible medical grade surgical tubing, and on the other end of the tubing, drive a similr ram that operates a simple lever, opening a pad that will sound a note. In my mind I see two simple mechanisms that a small surgical tubing can just push right on to. Is anything like this in use in any other applications today? WOuld this be a new thing? It seems too simple... Thank you for any/all help!

Imagining a Simple Closed Pneumatic System...

John Sylte
@john-sylte-Nv87P5

Updated: Oct 19, 2024

Views: 984

Hello Everyone,

I am designing a new musical instrument. It is a wind instrument of sorts that requires an action mechanism wherein one button will operate two pads. The pads are to close off holes that determine which notes will sound. The button would resemble a disposable clicky pen, where you push a button and the tip of the pen comes out the other end. In my case though, the button won't have two default positions, only one. It also won't be driven by a solid object, like the pen shaft. When the button is pressed I am imagining it will press into a small pneumatic ram, which will increase the air pressure in the closed system, transfer the pressure through the rigid walls of a small diameter rigid/flexible medical grade surgical tubing, and on the other end of the tubing, drive a similr ram that operates a simple lever, opening a pad that will sound a note. In my mind I see two simple mechanisms that a small surgical tubing can just push right on to. Is anything like this in use in any other applications today? WOuld this be a new thing? It seems too simple...

Thank you for any/all help!

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gohm

Member • Mar 17, 2010

Pnuematic actuators and flex tubing have been used in applications beofer, I am not sure if in a musical design such as you suggest. Although there is a guy with a robotic band in the US so it's possible he incorporates something like that.

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tashirosgt

Member • Mar 17, 2010

As I understand the design, we have a tube with a plunger at each end. When one plunger is pushed in, it pushes the other one out. I think the problem with this design is leakage. To make the design more robust, you need a way to replenish any air that leaks out of the tube. I don't think it is common to have a pneumatic system where there is not some supply of pressure to replace leakage. For example, one could theoretically make a hydraulic jack by having a tapering pipe with a threaded plug that screwed down into the big end and a piston that moved up and down in the small end. But practical hydraulic jacks have a pump since they must account for leakage.

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