Music Trade Review
Issue: 1915 Vol. 61 N. 9 - Page 12
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
12
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
The Turney Automatic Tracker.
Insist On Your Manufacturer Furnishing You With This Simple and Perfect Device.
u'
Construction and Operation
A and R are side members of the Spool Box which carries the tracker bar C, and carries also the rolls C
and C- for winding-on and for rewinding ihe perforated music sheet D which passes over the tracker bar.
l o r the sake of clearness only one perforation D 1 ii indicated, being in proper register with the aperture
D ' in the tracker bar.
In order to maintain the proper lateral relation of the sheet with the tracker bar it is necessary to shift
the tracker bar. The tracker bar is shiftable laterally of the sheet, being provided with a pair of guide
pins E and F at one end passing through the side frame B and with a single pin G at the other end
passing through the side frame A.
The adjusting mechanism includes a spiral spring H bearing against the side frame A and against a
collar J, which is mounted on the pin G and is adjustable in position thereon by means of a set screw
K so as to permit of manual variation of the force of the spring. This spring exerts a continuous
force tending to shift the tracker bar C to the left. For shifting it to the right there is provided a pneu-
matic or bellows having a fixed plate L attached to the side frame A and a movable plate M carrying a
forwardly projecting arm N faced with a felt pad O which bears against the rounded end of the pin G.
A suction is maintained continuously against the end of the pin G and tends continuously to shift the
tracker bar to the right.
A continuous suction is maintained within the bellows and the force of this suction is merely varied more
or less as the necessity for adjustment is greater or less, thus maintaining in fact a continuous current of
air with an undulating pressure or suction for effecting the desired adjustments.
By this means an
extremely nice regulation is secured, the slightest departure from the normal position causing a corre-
sponding increase or decrease in the pressure sufficient to correct the error. The adjustments and readjust-
ments are always very slight and the sheet is held very closely to its normal position at all times. In
fact, scarcely any movement of the tracker bar can be seen. A t the same time this continuous system
permits of an extreme simplification of the apparatus, and the pneumatic connections are reduced to the
simplest possible constructions.
In the mechanism' illustrated the interior of the pneumatic or bellows L, M communicates through a
small bleed hole P with a suction pipe Q, in which a suction is continuously maintained, and the pneu-
matic communicates also through a small flexible tube R with a tracking-control aperture S in a block I ,
which normally moves with the tracker bar and constitutes practically a part thereof. In the normal
position of the sheet its right-hand edge partially covers the aperture S. The quantity of air admitted
through S is such that the suction within the pneumatic is just sufficient to balance the force of the spring
H. When the sheet shifts to the left a greater quantity of air is admitted through the aperture S, which
constitutes practically an admission port to the pneumatic, and the suction in the pneumatic is decreased
and the spring H shifts the tracker bar to the left so as to maintain the normal position of the tracker
bar relatively to the sheet. If the edge of the sheet for any reason covers more than the normal area of
the aperture S, the quantity of air admitted to the pneumatic is less than normal, the suction is increased
and the tracker bar is shifted to the right so as to correct the error.
In order to provide for sheets having wider and narrower margins the part T , in which the tracking-
control aperture S is formed, is longitudinally adjustable with respect to the part carrying the note aper-
tures. For this purpose the block T is arranged to slide on the pins E and F and has a slot in which is
located an adjustable nut U projecting slightly beyond the face of the block and threaded upon a screw V ,
which is fastened to the end of the note-carrying part of the bar and is adapted to pass freely through
the block T . The nut U can then be turned easily with one's finger while the first notes are being
played. The nut U is beyond the edge of the sheet, which is maintained in a practically fixed position
relatively to the aperture S and the block T . If the sheet does not register exactly by reason of being
distorted, then the turning of the nut U in one direction or another will cause the note portion of the
tracker bar to shift slightly to the right or to the left until its apertures come exactly into alignment
with those in the sheet, after which the tracking-control is entirely automatic.
AMERICAN PLAYER ACTION CO.
2595 Third Ave., New York
12
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
The Turney Automatic Tracker.
Insist On Your Manufacturer Furnishing You With This Simple and Perfect Device.
u'
Construction and Operation
A and R are side members of the Spool Box which carries the tracker bar C, and carries also the rolls C
and C- for winding-on and for rewinding ihe perforated music sheet D which passes over the tracker bar.
l o r the sake of clearness only one perforation D 1 ii indicated, being in proper register with the aperture
D ' in the tracker bar.
In order to maintain the proper lateral relation of the sheet with the tracker bar it is necessary to shift
the tracker bar. The tracker bar is shiftable laterally of the sheet, being provided with a pair of guide
pins E and F at one end passing through the side frame B and with a single pin G at the other end
passing through the side frame A.
The adjusting mechanism includes a spiral spring H bearing against the side frame A and against a
collar J, which is mounted on the pin G and is adjustable in position thereon by means of a set screw
K so as to permit of manual variation of the force of the spring. This spring exerts a continuous
force tending to shift the tracker bar C to the left. For shifting it to the right there is provided a pneu-
matic or bellows having a fixed plate L attached to the side frame A and a movable plate M carrying a
forwardly projecting arm N faced with a felt pad O which bears against the rounded end of the pin G.
A suction is maintained continuously against the end of the pin G and tends continuously to shift the
tracker bar to the right.
A continuous suction is maintained within the bellows and the force of this suction is merely varied more
or less as the necessity for adjustment is greater or less, thus maintaining in fact a continuous current of
air with an undulating pressure or suction for effecting the desired adjustments.
By this means an
extremely nice regulation is secured, the slightest departure from the normal position causing a corre-
sponding increase or decrease in the pressure sufficient to correct the error. The adjustments and readjust-
ments are always very slight and the sheet is held very closely to its normal position at all times. In
fact, scarcely any movement of the tracker bar can be seen. A t the same time this continuous system
permits of an extreme simplification of the apparatus, and the pneumatic connections are reduced to the
simplest possible constructions.
In the mechanism' illustrated the interior of the pneumatic or bellows L, M communicates through a
small bleed hole P with a suction pipe Q, in which a suction is continuously maintained, and the pneu-
matic communicates also through a small flexible tube R with a tracking-control aperture S in a block I ,
which normally moves with the tracker bar and constitutes practically a part thereof. In the normal
position of the sheet its right-hand edge partially covers the aperture S. The quantity of air admitted
through S is such that the suction within the pneumatic is just sufficient to balance the force of the spring
H. When the sheet shifts to the left a greater quantity of air is admitted through the aperture S, which
constitutes practically an admission port to the pneumatic, and the suction in the pneumatic is decreased
and the spring H shifts the tracker bar to the left so as to maintain the normal position of the tracker
bar relatively to the sheet. If the edge of the sheet for any reason covers more than the normal area of
the aperture S, the quantity of air admitted to the pneumatic is less than normal, the suction is increased
and the tracker bar is shifted to the right so as to correct the error.
In order to provide for sheets having wider and narrower margins the part T , in which the tracking-
control aperture S is formed, is longitudinally adjustable with respect to the part carrying the note aper-
tures. For this purpose the block T is arranged to slide on the pins E and F and has a slot in which is
located an adjustable nut U projecting slightly beyond the face of the block and threaded upon a screw V ,
which is fastened to the end of the note-carrying part of the bar and is adapted to pass freely through
the block T . The nut U can then be turned easily with one's finger while the first notes are being
played. The nut U is beyond the edge of the sheet, which is maintained in a practically fixed position
relatively to the aperture S and the block T . If the sheet does not register exactly by reason of being
distorted, then the turning of the nut U in one direction or another will cause the note portion of the
tracker bar to shift slightly to the right or to the left until its apertures come exactly into alignment
with those in the sheet, after which the tracking-control is entirely automatic.
AMERICAN PLAYER ACTION CO.
2595 Third Ave., New York
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