Hello everyone, Wally Venable has been asking about MIDI-controlled
accordions. He also wants it to be solenoid controlled rather than
using pneumatics, etc.

We have built several dozen accordions using 12 VDC solenoids over the
past 50 years. (Yes, 50 years of automatic instruments restoration!)
The MIDI-controller circuit boards are supplied from our great friend,
Bill Klinger, of Klinger Organs: http://www.klingerorgan.com/index.html 
We also always use the Biotech tablet MIDI system in all of our
MIDI-controlled instruments: https://www.brotechelectronics.com/ 

To see one of our accordions, with lots of videos and photos of the
layout of everything, please visit my web page at
http://www.nickelodeonco.com/titano-accordion-midi.html 
You will also see how I used a MIDI "band box" sound module to accompany
the accordion.

Our accordions have a complete volume control -- from 0 to "full tilt"
-- that you will see is controlled by a knob through the back door.

The very best accordions made in the world are from Tony Decap (Decap
of Herentals, Belgium) with full expression, etc.

I hope this helps anyone interested in such a project. To see what is
involved in adding a pneumatic system to an accordion please visit my
webpage http://www.nickelodeonco.com/barn-find-decap-70-key.html 

This is actually a site showing what is involved in a restoration of
a Decap of Antwerpen dance organ I found in a barn near Niagara Falls.
You will have to scroll way down to the bottom to see the accordion
conversion.

All the very best,

Ron Schmuck - The Great Canadian Nickelodeon Co.
Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada
http://www.nickelodeonco.com/ 
nickelodeonco@gmail.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]