h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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I like it - a range could be supplied and played as
an ensemble. I don't know what the velocity curve
looks like for a fidget spinner, but making the
wild assumption that it remains fairly flat for
much of the spin-time, and making the additional
assumption that a person will tend to impart a
predictable and consistent amount of spin per
fidget, then you could supply a set of say 8, each
tuned to a different note, allowing the player to
create polyphonic chords depending on how many they
can set and keep spinning at once. |
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// it remains fairly flat for much of the spin-time // |
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That's not going to stay true while you're leaching energy to
make noise, is it? |
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No, but since we're making such wild assumptions in
the first place, one more doesn't seem too far a
stretch. If necessary, you could resort to
electronics to amplify a minimal friction piezo needle-groove
arrangement you might get away with using a little
SR45 button battery for power. (Which suggests also,
the idea of a battery boosted fidget spinner that you
kick off manually, but which sustains its spin with
some additional power - a different idea, but might
be cool at least in terms of fidget spinners) |
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I see this as using the same essential mechanics as
the classic Fisher Price Record Player (link) |
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Yet the description specifies //modulated spiral grooves//. |
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//the idea of a battery boosted fidget spinner that you kick off
manually, but which
sustains its spin with some additional power// |
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Did that already. See link. |
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//it would run down almost instantly// |
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Yes, but given that the recording isn't very long that probably
doesn't matter. |
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//I see this as using the same essential mechanics as the classic Fisher Price Record Player// |
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My brother had one of those Fisher Price record players when we were little.
One night I left it in front of a gas fire, and the side of it melted.
It still plays though. |
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Really it's a music box, rather than a record player. Pretty cool though, and I imagine that would work (kind-of) as
well.
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This sounds suspiciously like a tiny vuvuzela ... |
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//and one or more modulated spiral grooves//
Is this right? - or would this device have
either:
- a single spiral groove, or
-
multiple concentric circular grooves?
Charitably, I suppose the intended meaning of
"one or more" could have been to refer to one
spiral groove on either side (like a record) but
then there would be no point in specifying "one" -
a two-sided record will always have two spiral
grooves*
* (except for flexi-discs and
some special promo records) |
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//Is this right? - or would this device have either:// |
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- multiple spiral grooves, concentrically placed, each terminating in a runoff groove. |
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Suppose there are two - an outer groove and an inner. One would spin up the device,
lift the stylus
into position above the start of your selected 'track', then allow it to make contact and
play. When
the track has finished, the needle ends up in a circular loop called the runoff groove.
If that
encodes information, it will be heard as a repeating sound, à la the end of Sgt.
Pepper.
Obviously, more than two tracks is possible, although they may end up being pretty
short..
Tracks consisting /only/ of a single loop are of course possible, and might be most
interesting for demonstrating the sound of different waveforms. |
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Technically, there is also a fourth option: |
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- multiple spiral grooves, intertwining each other. |
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This was used in some novelty records. I saw one (on TV) which played a horse-race, with different horses winning - effectively it acted as a
random number generator.
But that isn't what I was intending. |
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<resists urge to post fusical midget spinner> |
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