Hi All.  After facing worn out piano keys in my 1918 Foster, I wanted
to be sure that it would never happen again.

I never really was satisfied how this unit worked, so I dropped the
whole Pianomation unit out of the piano: rail, driver boards and all.
I went for a different approach.

Since this was an old player, I elected to put the Pianomation rail
where the stack was and 'play" the piano from the whippens, like the
original stack did.

I found two old Amphion stack brackets (the adjustable type that raises
or lowers the stack via set screws) and fastened a 53-3/4" x 5" board
to these brackets.  I then mounted the solenoid rail to this board.

The old Amphion stack brackets were perfect for this.  The "stack" sits
on the inner key checks, and can be raised or lowered by turning four
set screws.  I then installed a felted rail for the fingers to rest on.
This rail also provided extra bracing.

The fingers are nothing more than shortened piano action stickers.
They are mounted on a rail scaled to the piano.  A strip of wood holds
the wooden rods (used to fasten the stickers to the flange in uprights)
against the rail to prevent them from moving.  The finger is allowed to
freely move on the rods, but not at the flange.

The white rubber caps have been removed from the tips of the solenoid.
I bought a set of whippen flanges and drilled a hole up through them
and epoxied them on the solenoids looking down at them.  It looks like
a "U" on each end of the solenoids; at each "U" the horizontal stickers
are fitted into the "U".  This does two things: it reinforces the
fingers (keeping them _exactly_ under the whippen), and it allows the
solenoid to push the finger up with no chance of slipping sideways.
Where the modified flanges and lifter fingers meet, I have inserted a
fine threaded screw for lost motion.

If you remove the strip that holds the rods against the rail, you
then have a double joint.  This means if you remove the wood strip the
sticker can be pulled forward and then pivoted toward the keybed.  This
allows you to swing the fingers out of the way and get to the solenoids
without removing the fingers, or even removing the stack.

The solenoid rails have been inverted to allow the solenoids to be
replaced without removing the stack.  Just remove the strip and stop
rail, swing the fingers out of the way and remove the two #11-32 nuts
and replace them.

Digging around my Foster parts pile, I found a stop rail with the right
scaling.  I installed it on top of the fingers and adjusted it to stop
the whippen at the same place when the key is played by hand.

So I used my limited knowledge of physics here: using a lever on the
solenoid to allow the solenoid to develop it's _full_ travel, and have
the correct travel on it's whippen at the same time.  The length of the
finger, it's pivot point, the point that the solenoid pushes up on the
finger has been set to an exact point by my design.

All I have to do to remove the 'stack" Is to remove two connections
from the processor.  Two screws and slide it out, Just like an old
player stack.

This same thing could be done to regular uprights by cutting off part
of the plungers and giving the 'stack" a lower profile.  Some sort of
catch could be installed on the action.

I just installed it for the last time (I hope) regulated it, and
calibrated the electronics.  There is no contest.  The performance of
the Pianomation is vastly improved.

I have several MIDI files that would make the Pianomation fall flat on
it's face before, mainly classical music.  Putting the piano through
it's paces, it never missed a cue, and never 'slurred' any difficult
passage.  Every nuance and accent was there exactly where it should be.

I also played some marimba arrangements.  The Pianomation used to have
trouble with quick repeated notes -- not anymore!

The solenoids now have full travel.  The solenoid no longer has to lift
the key, only the whippen.  This means the full power of the solenoids
can be used to do what they should be doing: playing the piano!  When I
first played the unit at the normal setting, it was far too loud.  That
tells me that I am getting a more efficient transfer of power.

Dare I say it?  I think I will.  This solenoid piano now plays just as
good as any pneumatic piano, simply by relocating the Pianomation unit
from under the keybed, and placing it above the keys, driving the
whippens.  (The original designers of the player piano placed the stack
in that location for a reason.)

Even though it will cost more for parts and more time constructing
the rails and levers, it is time very well spent.  I heard a big
difference.  I will install these units this way from now on.  I never
was comfortable with cutting on an upright keybed and cutting off the
keybed braces on the plate to make room for this thing anyway.  In my
view, you're just asking for touch and regulation problems.

Andy Taylor