Abstract: A trash enclosure includes a bay with a moveable lid and a sensor attached to the inner periphery of the bay. The moveable lid attaches to the enclosure and moves between an open position and a closed position to cover the bay. Upon detection of an object within the bay, the sensor causes the lid to open. Accordingly, the inner periphery shields the sensor to inhibit detection of objects beyond the inner periphery.

Abstract: The invention relates to the provision of a sustainer that is compatible with single coil pickups and stacked, single coil pickups. In this regard, feedback is substantially eliminated by processing and altering the direct electromagnetic radiation emitted by the driver. Another aspect of the invention provides a musical instrument, and a sustainer for a musical instrument that overcomes the problems with shifting forces between magnetic fields that are present in some known prior art devices and that are worsened when the driver is placed between the neck pickup and the bridge pickup. Another aspect of the invention is to provide suitable drive force and battery life with half as many batteries of some known sustainers, thereby providing a high efficiency switching amplifier. Another aspect of the invention provides that the sustainer can be enabled or disabled by one momentary contact switch, thereby providing that the major components of the sustainer are responsive to a transition in a control signal.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus has a support member and a plurality of white keys and black keys. Each of the white keys and the black keys has a fulcrum section and a driving section, and are pivotally mounted about the fulcrum section with respect to the support member. A mass body assembly, that is an action member, has a moving fulcrum, a driven section on a first side of the moving fulcrum that is driven by each of the driving sections of the white keys and the black keys, and a center of gravity that is located on a second side opposite the driven section with respect to the moving fulcrum. The distance between the driven section and the moving fulcrum of the mass body assembly for the black key is greater than the corresponding distance for the white key. The mass body assembly on the second side is formed from the same members that are commonly used for both the white keys and the black keys.

Abstract: A drummer's practice pad and method for production thereof. The practice pad very closely simulates an actual drum head (the striking surface is as close to actual drumskin as possible), and this allows more efficient practice in the following areas: stick control on the pad surface; finger and hand development; and uniform stick response and rebound. The pad includes a cylindrical practice pad base having a shallow upper recess into which an elastomer pad compound is poured. The pad compound self-levels and hardens in a thin layer to provide an improved striking surface. A polyurethane coating is then applied. This improved striking surface is very realistic of an actual drumskin, and it muffles sound without muting it. It is durable and will not wear out or become depressed. Moreover, the process for making the pad is well-suited for mass production since it is simple and employs readily available materials.

Abstract: The present application discloses a system and associated method for lowering heat dissipation created by running a motor. The system comprises a voltage regulator, the motor, and a controller. The voltage regulator is connected to a supply voltage and has an output voltage with an associated output current dependent upon impedance of the system. The motor, which may be AC or DC, is driven by the output voltage and an output current at a current running speed. The controller controls the supply of the output voltage and associated output current to the motor toward varying the current running speed of the motor while minimizing the power dissipated throughout the system.

Abstract: A hammer head for a piano which is simple in structure and is capable of maintaining a humidity preventive effect for a longer time. The hammer head comprises a hammer body having a hammer felt including two flat surfaces substantially parallel to each other, and a string striking portion for striking a string, and a humidity preventive film adhered on the two flat surfaces of the hammer felt of the hammer body so as to cover the flat surfaces. A method for manufacturing such hammer heads at a low cost is also provided.

Abstract: A manual string locking assembly for clamping the strings of a musical instrument, such as a guitar, adjacent to the fretboard nut of the instrument is disclosed. The string locking assembly is mounted on the headstock of the guitar between the fretboard nut and tuning pegs. The assembly includes a clamping block, having front and rear pillars for easy self-alignment of the strings, mounted directly to the headstock of the guitar to support an adjustable finger operated clamping device which can accommodate strings of varying diameters. A single spring loaded revolvable key operates three machine threaded cam-action flat head cap screws. The three screws are disposed either in an unlocked position to allow free tuning of the strings of the guitar or in a secured locked position to provide a grip between the clamping block and three threaded base-plate tabs to prevent slippage of the strings while the instrument is being played. The key supplies a hex-head insert for adjustment of the locking screws.

Abstract: An integrated support and wired rack system is provided for acoustic-electronic and or electronic percussion instruments in which tubular cross and upright support members form a free standing rack with each tubular section carrying bundled wires inside the support and input and output jacks and connectors mounted on the rack at strategic locations adjacent the drum placement mounts and having cross to upright jumper cables and connectors to allow for the height and width adjustments of the integrated rack system.

Abstract: There is provided a method of determining the pitch in string instruments that are excited by plucking or striking, wherein a vibration of a string is converted by a transducer into an electrical signal and the electrical signal is evaluated.Up to now, the transducers have primarily been electromagnetic transducers for which a plurality of evaluation algorithms and methods are available. Now however, one also wants to be able to use pressure transducers without having to use new evaluation algorithms and methods.To this end, a pressure transducer is used as the transducer and the electrical signal is subjected to differentiation with respect to time.

Abstract: A guitar has a removable neck section including fretboard, electronic pick up system with a built in headphone amplifier system for private listening. The detached main body also has an amplifier with a built in loudspeaker which can be activated when the neck section is attached, or used as a stand alone amplifier for a microphone, tape player, radio, cd player, or other electronic instrument. The instrument can also be played as a standard electronic guitar by plugging it into an external amplifier. The built in sound system enables the performer to move around the room without being constrained by a cord to external amplifiers or speakers. Also, power requirements can be reduced since the speaker moved with the guitar and is not being left in a disadvantageous position.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus determine tuning frequencies for an instrument, such as a piano, by sounding at least three musical notes of the instrument. The sounded notes are recorded and digitally filtered to generate directly partial ladders representative of the sounded notes. The partial ladders are equalized with respective to a reference frequency or one another to determine tuning frequencies for the sounded notes. Tuning frequencies for the remaining notes of the instrument are then determined from the equalized partial ladders. Tone generators which produce the musical notes, such as strings on a piano, are then adjusted to conform the musical notes which they generate to the tuning frequencies. Preferably, the tone generators are adjusted using a display which provides highly accurate macro and micro tuning information in a single display by graphically and dynamically displaying pitch differences of the musical notes generated by the tone generators relative to pitches of the tuning frequencies.

Abstract: A method and circuit is disclosed for soft-commutation of a direct current (DC) motor. An attenuation circuit is connected through auxiliary brushes A, A', B and B' to the commutator (16) to drain circuit from successive armature coils (15) before the main brushes (27, 28) disconnects from each of the coils (15). This prevents the spark generation that normally occurs in conventional DC motors. The attenuation circuit may also be connected before energization of the coil (15) for a soft turning on operation.

Abstract: A musical tool for striking an instrument comprises a shaft and a head connected to one end of the shaft. A layer of short fibers is adhered to the surface of the head. The short fibers have inner and outer ends, the inner end adhered to the head and the outer end projecting outwardly from the head in a direction generally normal to the point of adherence.

Abstract: A new harmonica holding device for holding a plurality of harmonicas on a user. The inventive device includes a neck member having an arcuate portion and a pair of spaced apart elongate arms extending from the arcuate portion. Extending from the terminal end of each arm of the neck members is a rod. Mounted to each one of the rods is a mount member having a center and a plurality of spokes radially extending outwards the from the center. Each of the spokes of each mount member has a clip member which is adapted for holding an end of a harmonica.

Abstract: A resonator for the mouthpiece of a musical reed instrument which solidifies and enhances the instrument's sound. The resonator fits on the tenon of the mouthpiece. The resonator includes an annular member with an inner surface dimensioned and sized to fit on the tenon. A coupling device is provided to releasably secure the resonator to the tenon.

Abstract: A one-piece, silicone rubber drum practice pad and method of practicing drumming. Silicone of the VMQ family and having a durometer of approximately 40 and tensile strength of approximately 1000 is molded into a flat pad approximately 6 inches square, 1/16 inch thick and 60 grams in weight.

Abstract: The invention is related to a stepping motor drive and a driving method thereof and presents a technology to constantly monitor the phenomenon of step out during the operation of the motor and automatically bring into action a restarting circuit when a step out occurs so that said motor having stepped out may be able to automatically restart, wherein the stepping motor drive is provided with a starting instruction designed to start/stop the stepping motor, a speed sensor or an index sensor designed to detect the rotation speed of said motor, means to detect the rotation speed of said motor from the output of said speed sensor, a rotation speed detection means by detecting the difference of rotation speed with the rated rotation speed, a speed judgment means designed to output signals when the rotation speed of said motor has fallen below the set reference speed, and a restarting pattern generating means designed to automatically increase gradually frequency for a prescribed time from the pull-in frequency of

Abstract: A bridge for supporting the strings of a musical instrument including an instrument body and an acoustic transducer, for example, a diaphragm microphone and an air space chamber which is closed airtight and located in front of the sound receiving side of the transducer, wherein the air space chamber extends transversely of the longitudinal extension of the strings and over the zone in which the strings are located next to each other, and wherein the bridge supporting the strings forms a boundary surface of the air space chamber or the bridge is mounted on a wall which forms a boundary surface of the air space chamber.

Abstract: A wear monitoring device for a motor employs pairs of coils on each end of a motor stator. The coils face the rotor and are sensitive to the gap between the rotor and the stator. Each pair of coils is interconnected in series to generate a differential output. Each pair of coils is positioned opposite the other of the pair so that when, as a result of bearing wear, the gap increases between one coil of a pair and the rotor and decreases between the other coil of the pair, a signal is generated on the output. Since the coils are positioned at a separation of 180 degrees and interconnected to produce a differential output, the fundamental-harmonic voltage is canceled out in the differential signal. The differential signal corresponding to pairs of coils located on opposite axial ends of the stator are applied in parallel through respective diodes to a voltage indicator. Thus the voltage indicator is responsive to bearing wear causing the rotor axis to tilt with respect to the stator axis.

Abstract: A stick or mallet for percussion instruments having a rod on which a head is arranged, wherein the head consists of a reformable material as a reformable plastic.