Beautiful project! I love how it turned out and I'm impressed by the homemade solenoids.
I don't quite understand how the strikers work. Is there something magnetic attached to the top of the wood dowel?
I don't quite understand how the strikers work. Is there something magnetic attached to the top of the wood dowel?
So, the electromagnet ‘pulls’ the piece of steel into its inner cavity.
The wooden stick and bead seems to be arranged and mounted in a way that gravity will ‘pull’ the piece of steel away from the solenoid.
I think the solenoids are only strong enough to ‘swing’ the stick and bead toward the tube, but not hold it in place for a sustained period.
[update]
Totally wrong. Seems to be the opposite. The solenoid sucks in the piece of steel, moving the stick and bead away from the tube, but normally, at rest, the bead rests against the tube, because of the hinge and gravity.
The electromagnet is pulsed to control how hard to strike.
I am really interested in what you are able to come up with.
I remember taking apart old telephones with bell ringing mechanisms.
That might be a source of further design inspiration for you.
Maybe ballpoint pen springs?
I purchased a child’s xylophone to try something similar with, but the cost of the solenoids was a dealbreaker for me at the time ($6+ per solenoid on eBay).
Give me a break. Soft steel is >99% iron and I bought 4' for <1/2 that price from HD. Rip-off.
There's a little plastic hinge that goes on the end of the dowel / slots into the hanger. I don't have a picture, but the file is here: https://github.com/keredson/chimes/blob/main/striker_hinge.s...