How a Wind Up Music Box Works

Bill reveals the engineering inside a toy music box. He describes how the comb is mass manufactured, details the spring, gears and governor that drive the box, and shares some history of early music boxes. Outtakes are included at the end of the video.

[@MakersMuse]

Went into it thinking I knew how they worked - ended with mind blown over the reverse-driven worm gear and differently cut combs. Fantastic!

[@edenshaffer1302]

I thought the same thing😂😂

[@PatJones82]

Same!

[@opalb9006]

maker's muse!!!!

[@taofledermaus]

I go into your videos feeling cocky "Oh, I know how that works..." but dang it, I am humbled each time being surprised I learned something! Always a pleasure! Oh, did Bill take all his toys apart to see how they worked as a kid?

[@savage101.]

TAOFLEDERMAUS WHY ARE YOU HERE

[@rjramos2775]

Hi there

[@738polarbear]

What was the purpose of him not being able to say a SIMPLE word . It really annoyed me

[@nothingtoseehere1221]

Why are u here

[@michagrill9432]

You here too?!? O.O

[@HoshiHikari]

I always wondered what “the spinny thing” was! I just thought it was FOR stopping the music at will. I didn’t realize it was for controlling the speed! Wow! PHYSICS.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

it's the same idea as governers on steam engines.

[@HoshiHikari]

@@sheilaolfieway1885 that would be so cool to know if I ever even heard of that

[@evanherriges4042]

@@HoshiHikari On a gas engine, the governor controls the max rpm of the motor so that it does not over rev. Basically the same use as in this music box.

[@galihxtreme]

Well, in modern jewellery box, it can be interrupted by a stick with springs, with the top tip/end being weighed down by the box's lid/cover, which pops up and free when that lid/cover lifted up, and then automatically plays the music. Same way of how refrigerator light is activated by a switch near the door frame

[@Unna1969]

Yes, afaik as I know the governor on a steam engine has got a built-in valve that is opened or closed depending on the speed of the rotation. The governor of the music box can also be compared with the escapement in a grandfather clock. It slows down the clock mechanism significantly. Without the governor the weight in the clock would rush down and the hands would spin like crazy.

[@MissKellyBean]

I got such a giggle out of the "pens" bit at the end. It is so humanizing to see that occasionally, even simple tasks can sometimes confound us ALL. Thank you for sharing that - you are so clever and intelligent that it can be intimidating; the ability to laugh at one's self is quite charming.

[@misanthrophex]

The ability to laugh at ourselves is the mark of a mature person IMO. Most kids, especially teenagers, can't deal with the thought that they're not perfect, ever notice that?

[@mumblepunk6003]

this is the result of a linguistic feature of some US accents where those two vowel sounds become very similar - often so similar as to be indistinguishable. It is, in fact, literally called the "pen-pin merger", because the pronunciation of those two words so readily demonstrates the phenomenon.

[@engineerguyvideo]

@mumblepunk6003 I was in my 30s before I realized there were two different sounds

[@nikolasc1594]

"..The music will resonate inside your skull." *Peers into soul*

[@ZackJenkins]

This is what I came here for.

[@danielsanbsas]

I DO NOT HEAR ""WILL"" MAY BE BAD PRONUNCIATION OR IS OTHER SCARIE TIPICAL CONTRACTION

[@danielsanbsas]

I never I saw or I read ""skull"

[@ge3z3r94]

it resonated in my skull when he did that

[@nikolatesla3874]

Your production quality is excellent. Animations are very clean and informative. Keep up the good work.

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Nikola Tesla Steve does those with Cinema4D. He is masterful at creating them.

[@carlelg5001]

+engineerguy They are excellent!

[@karthiksen2390]

Nikola Tesla i am your great fan😘😘

[@jidma]

you know your videos are good when they are praised by Nikola Tesla himself

[@gilbertbaranda1864]

Yes..it's very clear ..now i now How i going to fix my music box thankksss😊😊

[@ethanvasquez9904]

*puts music box on my teeth* My skull: oh shit! It's a bop!

[@northwoods-fn4lc]

Not only are you really good at explaining all this, you have perfect animated CGI diagrams to make it even easier to understand and aid your explanation. You should have your own TV show. definitely subbed.

[@MelissaDuffySacredBreath]

Yes, I wish I had him as a grade school and high school teacher. He does an excellent job teaching!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Mechanized instruments, especially those that rely on metallurgy to function have always interested me. Also, I sure can relate to your dialogue screw ups at the end.

[@Joshplv]

o/ hello ,wasn't expecting to see you here !!!

[@Joshplv]

love your vids I'm currently working on making myself the mortar you made :-)

[@DavidKlausa]

+NightHawkInLight If you were ever around Wisconsin, you'd enjoy visiting House on the Rock. They have a massive collection of mechanized instruments.

[@jackmcslay]

19th century version of the MIDI audio format

[@s0nnyburnett]

+Jack Mcslay Beat me to it.

[@TonyBullard]

+Jack Mcslay Forgive my pedantry, but MIDI isn't an audio format. It's performance data.

[@MrTridac]

+Jack Mcslay Yep, and we added variable gate length and velocity :)) And control channels :D Yay MIDI \o/

[@MattOGormanSmith]

+MrTridac piano rolls do both of those too. some of the punched slots were wiggly to modulate the velocity. Control channels tho, were only printed instructions to the operator to pedal faster :)

[@kjamison5951]

MDCCCL, not MIDI. Roman numerals for 1850...

[@DanielWesleyKCK]

1:53 ... "Hey, that doesn't sound half bad." 1:59 ... "Oh."

[@reyushah5666]

Right

[@matiasherrero3033]

This is the best comment of the video. You should be higher in the list my friend.

[@AttyMonroe]

This is amazing. I never realized the mechanics of a music box was so complex.

[@Melanittanigra]

So if you were to put a music box in a vacuum it would play too fast?

[@robspiess]

Yes (Well, no. See EDIT), though it would still accelerate slower than if there were no governor at all (due to rotational inertia and the governor having mass). Also, it wouldn't make any sound unless it were physically touching something touching air (or touching a microphone). EDIT: Actually, no, this governor also uses friction. Notice @3:45 that the ends of the governor are connected at the top but not the bottom. When it spins fast enough, they rise upwards, rubbing on the top plate slowing it down.

[@U014B]

It would, but you wouldn't be able to hear it, anyway.

[@robspiess]

***** Sure you would, if you put on your ear on it or touched it to your teeth. Though if you were in a vacuum you'd probably have bigger issues to worry about.

[@piast99]

Unless you hold it in your teeth.

[@adrienperie6119]

Yes and also you wouldn't hear any sound. Well done we're proud of your deductive skills.

[@Klauskii]

"The music will resonate inside your skull"

[@MossPalone]

+Klauskii that sounds horrifying

[@OOZ662]

+Jude Lau Your skull works as a great radio amplifying dish too. That's how that "extend your car keyfob range by pressing it against your head" trick works.

[@kymberlys]

+Jude Lau That's what happens when you speak or sing as well: the vibrations of your vocal cords are resonating inside your skull.

[@negirno]

+Kymberly Sangalang And that's why we find our voice odd when we record it and play it back?

[@dariusz.9119]

+Jude Lau It only sounds horrifying. In case you would want to know something more about this subject google: Aftershokz Bluezb, Ishin-Den-Shin (Disney Research) or take a look how Google Glass speaker works. In my opinion it's very interesting technology.

[@PikaPetey]

Pens..

[@commentator4ever498]

Hi I luv ur vids

[@engineerguyvideo]

Not dead, just slow

[@commentator4ever498]

@@engineerguyvideo Hmm yes I finally get noticed

[@dickyarya8204]

Hooray

[@DeadlyAlive...]

@@engineerguyvideo wow just 1 day ago? I don't know if you'll ever read this. I meant to ask but I was discouraged by the oldness of the video. The governor's design doesn't seem like its purpose was to use air resistance, wouldn't it be more fan-like if so? Could it be that it's just using (non-air) friction mostly? It might be expanding or moving a bit upwards due to centrifugal force, touching just slightly the walls and reducing its speed. If not, why was it made like that? Why does its arm allow its edges/wings to move upwards? Notice that there are also some bumps/lumps on the top of its 'wings' (not a native speaker, sorry). Thanks for the great videos. I had as a kid an exact copy of this one, playing London Bridge.

[@jaimes9844]

Trying to fix a music box and stumbled upon this video...just loved it! Nothing like actually finding out how something works! So intricate! Thank you!

[@hayleydreher1996]

Me too. Mine broke and i needed to know what to look for to fix it. The clock spring broke but i was looking up curled peices of metal 😂

[@stephentroyer3831]

I often look at things and think, "How did someone come up with this?" This guy answers those questions thoroughly and clearly. That is awesome.

[@samurphy]

+Stephen Troyer I was in year 3 of my computer science degree when we started digging into the architecture of x86 processors rather than just high level programming. The level of complexity that exists between a simple Java program and the actual silicon of a CPU is both mind boggling and staggering.

[@cbernier3]

+Sean It's a lot, but to be fair, hundreds of people were involved. It's not like someone engineered the whole thing themselves.

[@samurphy]

+cbernier3 I'd wager tens of thousands, vs hundreds..You're right. But trying to grasp that level of complexity beyond the obvious is staggering. A modern computer is one of humanities greatest technological achievements, and it's used by people with grade 2 spelling to look at pictures of cats. :)

[@mrigankgupta3490]

What is a good book to start with to understand the computer from a physical point of view . From the silicon to programming as we are taught?

[@saturnstar5603]

Thank you. I just got a music box today as an early Christmas present because it kept playing its song way too fast. I knew it wasn't broken, but the governor wasn't spinning. It is missing that curved gear that makes it spin. Thank you sir.

[@adog3129]

music box nightcore

[@joeskis]

Now this is the way to make a KZbin channel. Immediately begins with the point of the video. No intro graphics. No explaining why you're making the video. No subscription begging. Excellent.

[@songs5118]

I just restored an old music box that my nan gave me before she died, and I've finally heard the song she heard as a little girl, and it's beautiful. Thanks for this video :)

[@frollard]

That blooper expose' was hilarious!

[@AlbertaGeek]

Absolutely fascinating. Especially the part about the governor - I had no idea. This channel continues to underscore the brilliant engineering that goes in to what we think of as mundane, everyday objects.

[@ronuronu814]

AlbertaGeek 18th and 19th century science are a fascinating way to encourage high schoolers to take up science. And in senior year abruptly introduce them to quantum physics and calculus. Which they think is tough until they to engineering school. While people in theoretical physics classes think about suicide.

[@ViolinistJeff]

Fascinating and very well done.

[@Badassmotherhugger]

this was beautiful, thank you!

[@muffinman1157]

I love how perfectionist you are. Not enough effort is put into the production value on other channels.

[@artramirez3506]

Pens, Pins, Pans, Pens......

[@shelrothartings7753]

+A Ramirez Puns

[@MortSubitegoddamnit]

+A Ramirez A very diverse fern.

[@mdoerkse]

+A Ramirez Poor engineerguy. It sounds like his dialect doesn't clearly distinguish between "pin" and "pen" there is a line the runs through the US and people on the southeast side have that problem. It is actually called the pin/pen merger by linguists.

[@ElectricityTaster]

+A Ramirez puns

[@the_original_Bilb_Ono]

and im from the southeast usa.

[@hobbswindrod]

I want to try to make a music box. A few days ago I was at my great grandparents house. As me, my mom, sister and grandmother were looking though paper work, I told my sister about a music box that scared me out of my wits a while back. We looked around for a few minutes and found an old 18 note music box that was made in Switzerland and played “Annie’s song” by John Denver and now I want to make one (sorry for the paragraph and thank you so much if you read to the end 😊)

[@der-lii7051]

Me too

[@Vitz_atelier]

I wasn't born in the era of music boxes, but the few I've had contact with growing up filled me with an indescribable joy. This video mad me very nostalgic.

[@Asdayasman]

Loved the outtakes at the end.

[@FlyingJetpack1]

These videos are always so high in quality, never fail to amaze me. And the bloopers had me rolling XD

[@nyceyes]

I love this series and presenter. As an engineer, these are so fun to watch and appreciate, but in truth, this is great for all viewers. Thank you for these. 🤗☺️🌻

[@garykuovideos]

These videos are so well-written and produced. Thank you so much for sharing them!

[@michaelbeck6937]

I love the out takes at the end!

[@pithhelmet3717]

I don't know why this was in my recommendations but I'm oddly happy it was

[@tall_prince]

Me too

[@salsaknock]

The inclusion of bloopers on this video made it all the better. Thank you for making these wonderfully educational videos.

[@vsttppqq1]

That blooper shows the enormous effort put into the making of this very informative n concise video:-) Thank u!

[@binaryflawgic5713]

So "pens" is why videos are taking so long to make

[@felipecosta9632]

hahahahaha

[@johanschneiders6293]

I think "penterest" will really catch on

[@ShreyRupani]

TehMonkey Probably the heavy duty animation.

[@berthedderly5987]

TehMonkey.

[@mediocreicerinkparodies1099]

@Shrey Rupani r/woosh it was a joke

[@theflutemaya4737]

Want to convey my sincere thanks to you for making this video so professionally. It exactly what was needed.

[@swagzilla3000]

I love your videos because they concisely show the genius behind everyday items that you usually wouldn't look at twice in a way thats easy to understand

[@SchoolofRockNRoll]

Ive NEVER felt so calm while learning new things. I love you Bill!!

[@SufferingPlanet]

Y'know... I used to love listening to the music boxes my grandmother had, and while I understood the basics of how the music was made [the comb's teeth and drum], I never gave much thought to how it was all put together. Thank you, both for reminding me of the simple pleasures I had as a child and for explaining how brilliant these little machines are.

[@rixku3358]

Wow! Absolutely brilliant indeed! I always loved winding and hearing music boxes ever since I was a kid. Got myself some recently and as I’m looking at it, I wanted to know how it works making me stumble upon this video! Your explaining is very straight forward, making it say to understand. Thank you for making the video!

[@chai8274]

This is amazing!

[@hYpercritesde]

i got this video in my recommandations and when i clicked i was surprised how well it is explained. plus no annoying intro, no generic background music. i love it, thanks!

[@andrewgc19881]

love the slow mo's - they show exactly what the viewer needs to understand.

[@prd2bevgy]

Just amazing works of art! Great video very well done. I’ve been fixing music boxes over a year and it truly makes me so happy! I salvage them from thrift stores and call them projects I’m basically a music box doctor lol.. I love a good challenge and I have had some in really bad condition which is so sad. I also carry spare turn keys, I see quite a few missing them.

[@alexandernaturefreak]

Beautifully done. Thank you Bill Hamok the engineer guy and the people behind the scenes.

[@jimswenson6131]

I played with music boxes as a kid and I was always fascinated by the spinning governor. I had no idea my entire adult life as to the role that clever mechanism played, but I did always wonder why the music did not speed up appreciably when I wound-up the spring very tightly before playing. It's brilliant that air resistance played a role--WOW! Thank you for making such a fascinating video!

[@ginaolmstead7151]

Thank you! This helped me repair a music box my parents gave when I was a girl that I have now handed down to my daughter! Somehow the governor had fallen out of place. I was at a loss but this was the perfect video! And fascinating!

[@MartKencuda]

As always, I love these videos. You explain everything so well, and all without treating the viewer like an idiot. Please don't stop!

[@RicardoAmaralAndrade]

I loved the final part. It's funny and (in a way) inspiring!!

[@rosemfall6717]

so much engineering behind such a tiny piece, amazing

[@ianelley]

Fantastic video, I love explanations of things we take for granted. Great detail, keep up the good work !!

[@CliffRoth]

I love this channel, thanks for making these vids!

[@ivo-skautstruzinsky-skaut8942]

Wow, when I accidentally discovered youtube video about music boxes, I did not expect something so in-depth with such production value. Amazing stuff!

[@user-tu8xj4gs9r]

love you. Thanks to you, I could easily understand the structure and working principle of the music box.

[@benjaminmathon7417]

An air resistant governor, I wasn't expecting that. I was more thinking about a centrifugal braking one

[@benjaminmathon7417]

+benjamin mathon What system are they using for mechanical watches ?

[@superdau]

+benjamin mathon Works differently. It has a balance wheel. Just imagine the watch having a circular pendulum and instead of gravity there's a second small spring to make it oscillate.

[@CutterSlade001]

+benjamin mathon I think the governor is at least also friction based. It bends and then it's rubber surface rubs against the housing. Look closely at the top of the weights at 03:32 there are even "brake pads".

[@radben951]

+Cutter Slade Great catch. He definitely missed that on this device. He shows an image of another model at 05:15 which appears to genuinely only use air resistance.

[@JMMC1005]

+Cutter Slade I was thinking the same thing. If it was purely air resistance they wouldn't have made it of such flexible material, and there would have been no need for it to be so chunky, nor would each side be only supported by a thin bit of material at the top. It's definitely designed to flex and then rub against the top.

[@talideon]

Looks like the pin-pen merger area is expanding...

[@darkridge]

I'm wondering where that merger has happened. I grew up in central California and i pronounce them identically. Maybe I'll look it up.

[@engineerguyvideo]

+darkridge For me it is from my southern Indiana accent ....

[@Altrue]

+engineerguy I feel for you! As a non-native english listener, the difference between the sound of pin and pen was so small it was almost negligible. Props for taking so much time to say it right :)

[@eduardog3000]

+engineerguy Odd, usually the merger causes the e in pen to sound like the i in pin, but you are doing the opposite, making the i in pin sound like the e in pen.

[@engineerguyvideo]

+eduardog3000 Indeed. I grew up with the only the -in, learned the -en late in life and now find it hard to say the -in.

[@wege8409]

I never realized that this is how people listened to music before the radio. Really makes me appreciate music boxes more. The thing about the weighted comb teeth decreasing the frequency really interesting too. Thanks!

[@bEsTnOT2B]

i love the artistry of this little stuff

[@pouyan225]

"These modern music boxes then,are a charming vestige of a past filled with brilliant engineering,and craftsmanship."

[@snakeplissken2148]

This is such a cool video! As born in 1986 i still remember my teddy bear who had a music box inside that was "charged" wit a cord coming out of his back. i couldnt sleep without him and listened so often to the music that i knew every tone. one day he stayed silent and it was a catastrophic event. but luckyly my mother opened up the bear, and discovered that some of his fillings were tangled inside the mechanism. she made him work again. Until watching this video i had no thought about this bear for probably 25-30 years, but now i somehow miss hin.

[@saucyplebeian7901]

Thank you for being so thorough in your explanation in the inner workings, I am hoping to machine my own and this is so helpful!

[@Terrafighter]

This video has been super helpful in a project I’m planning around making my own music box system! I hope it works out and I can show it in a video of my own!

[@nerys71]

Fascinating video and the bloopers at the end about the pens was hilarious.. err I mean pins. :-)

[@jimnyenhuis560]

would have loved to see how messing with the air resistance (different air pressure?) affected the sound

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Jim Nyenhuis We thought of putting it in a bell jar (vacuum) . . .

[@UncLester]

+engineerguy That would have been quite interesting. Seeing how the vacuum would influence not only the governor but also how the sound would travel.

[@TheToXeye]

attach a microphone to the soundbox itself, glued to it

[@TheToXeye]

Piezos

[@SR20DETDOG]

+engineerguy My first thought was to grind away some material from the governor but I guess that's because I own a grinder and not a vacuum chamber haha.

[@mammothadventureracing]

Excellent video which does justice to history of this forgotten piece of music history.

[@ddoyle11]

The outtakes were awesome!

[@nicholasviazzo5104]

Am I wrong in thinking that the governor in that particular model works on friction between the tops of the rubber and the plastic case of the music box? The rubber seems to be specifically eccentrically connected at the top allowing for the bottom to rotate out while spinning. Also there seem to be raised pads at the top of said pieces that would limit the contact/friction with the plastic. Even in the slow motion you can see them rotate out as it gets up to speed. I have seen the usually flat and light metal governors that you showed in one of your older examples. I just thought they might be employing a slightly more involved process in this more modern version. Just a thought.

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Nicholas Viazzo The patent on this governor mentions both friction and air resistance. We used close up high speed video to see if it scraps along the top. To our eye it did not. A few eagle-eyed viewers have noted that to them the high-speed video we show in this version does show the governor contacting the top surface.

[@nicholasviazzo5104]

+engineerguy Cool, although I didn't actually see them touching, it did seem they had taken steps to account for it. It's interesting to know that the patent does actually call for both. Thanks for the response, and please keep up the great videos.

[@eugenerk]

+engineerguy The amount of friction to maintain constant speed once the the governor spins up, deforms and makes contact with the round boss above it is infinitesimal. Since the molded frame is likely warped to some extent the contact probably happens at a single high point under the overhang, where it would be very hard to see. I was able to adjust the playback speed on similar music box by sliding the governor up and down on its steel shaft, changing how much it needed to deform before making contact, and thus the maximum speed that it could reach.

[@ryanharris5825]

+engineerguy This should be fairly easy to test if air resistance is having an effect of the rotational speed of the governor. Place the music box in either a vacuum chamber or a pressure chamber with a camera and watch whether or not it speeds up or slows down.

[@bashkillszombies]

+Nicholas Viazzo Very well noticed! I thought the design seemed a bit odd given it was intentionally and apparently purpose built to swing outwards and deform the top. I wasn't sure why that would just be by happenchance, and this comment made me feel less of a weirdo for wondering. :P

[@Lerkero]

Another excellent video about a simple device that doesn't seem so simple anymore. Great work and I look forward to the next one. By the way, I have never heard a difference between 'pin' and 'pen'. Let it pass!

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Lerkero I was unable to hear a different -- I was raised with a southern Indiana accent -- and said every -en as -in. I could not hear the difference. I worked with a voice teacher in Pittsburgh years ago and learned the difference, but now, if I'm tired I always say -en for -in.

[@BrienMalone]

+engineerguy My wife pronounces the difference between Laurie (law-ree) and Lori (low-ree) but I say both the same way - and I'm the word nerd of the family. *shrug* At some point you just have to ask yourself whether precise enunciation is important to your point.

[@antivanti]

+engineerguy I can clearly hear the difference but I'm also used to hearing different accents so I probably wouldn't have noticed no matter how you'd said it. I guess not having a local English dialect or accent to overshadow others helps in that regard. We're taught Oxford English in Swedish schools but grow up on mix of American, British and Australian movies and TV-series with all manner of different accents. There's no right or wrong. Just different! =)

[@Abelhawk]

I really really like your voice. Very scholarly and easy on the ears.

[@arsenicide3375]

I have a small music box collection, I can definitely appreciate the fine craftsmanship in all of them now!

[@swsephy]

I love this video. I thought I already knew how music boxes work but I only knew half of it. It's funny to think how something so simple requires what I feel is a lot engineering. Wonderful video. Thank you.

[@Nexxscorn]

"Also, if you rest the music box gently against your teeth the music will resonate inside your skull." That sounds so metal and hardcore! The way you say it just makes it that much more extreme!

[@ieyazzu9297]

This video is a gem! Thank you for the knowledge!

[@brendafreiheit7460]

Thank you so much for this very educational video. Music boxes are quite sophisticated and brilliantly designed. Thank you for explaining the fascinating intricacies of these mechanics.

[@AlexNaanou]

It's a friction governor, you can see it @3:47, at a specific speed the top mounted weights lift up and start rubbing on the upper frame (note the protrusions on each weight, designed to extend the wear if the governor without increasing the area coming in contact with the frame), the higher the rpm the more friction to resist the rotation... otherwise the governor would be just a set of vertical flaps, if it was only air then no need for the weights, odd mounting geometry and the extra materials ;) You can test this by flattening the upper frame or shifting the governor down on it's shaft, the speed should increase until the weights start hitting the bushing to the left of the image.

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Alex Naanou The patent mentions both air resistance and friction. In our high speed footage we didn't notice it touching. Your idea to test it by slipping it down the worm screw is a good idea.

[@nutsandgum]

+Alex Naanou At 5:15 you can see a pure air resistance governor. It looks like a fan blade :) I always wondered a kid why these things had a little fan in them. Likely I assumed it was for cooling hehe.

[@PerMortensen]

+engineerguy Is air resistance really that significant a factor? Isn't it just that the gear train reduces the torque delivered to the governor so much that it is very slow to accelerate? The weights then increase the moment of inertia exaggerating that effect. Then again, I do suppose that air resistance and friction would be the factors limiting the top angular velocity of the governor. So it has those two dual functions.

[@AlexNaanou]

+nutsandgum yep =)

[@JackDD]

Are you still active/coming back soon? Your videos are amazing!

[@ilikaplayhopscotch]

The outtakes at the ending were priceless.

[@zranionadiablica4204]

thank you for the detailed explanation of how the music box works, you are great 🙂

[@LeahDay]

Where I'm from, Pin and Pen are pronounced the same.

[@wraithgames]

Gonna assume Ohio :D

[@LeahDay]

@@wraithgames Nope - NC!

[@avinotion]

@@LeahDay I thought NZ.

[@cxx23]

Same here in the midwest.

[@Tigershark1989]

Well obviously where you are from, people don't speak proper english :D

[@MultiSciGeek]

Lol the end was hilarious. Do you have a producer or is it just you and the editor?

[@Tonduce]

superb vid with all the technical info i was looking for.

[@nortok00]

Wow! 🤯 I had no idea how complex these music boxes are! I'm staring at one while watching. Awesome video! 👍

[@petrajaros8637]

Hold up: Are you telling me that a music box will play faster at high elevations? 🤯

[@petrajaros8637]

Also: I appreciate that KZbin suggested this to me next. Well played, algorithm. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5m5qGCDfaypatU

[@eddee8369]

Yes. Music will play faster at higher elevations. It is such a beautiful mechanism!

[@prmduarte]

It will play faster inside a helium balloon too

[@vnth2186]

Son: "I want to become a musician" Mother: "it is decided that you'll become an engineer" The son when he becomes an engineer:

[@captmichael154]

I haven’t yet watched all of your videos but all of the ones I have reviewed all been excellent. You have a very calming voice and presentation style which is appreciated. I share these with my two-year-old grandson to explain things as we find new things. Thank you for your work

[@Recoverel]

Watching this video to better understand the working of a music box movement and trying to fix my own music box. Very informative....and discouraging at the same time in my attempt to fix my music box movement.

[@Gammaduster]

Really neat as always ! Could you make a Behind the scenes video, where you would present your research process ? How do you assemble all these informations, just by dismounting the machinery and analysing it ?

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Nath ! That video would be dull: it would show us sitting around being confused. Each video is a little different, but typically we disassemble something, ask question, search for papers, sometimes talk to people in the industry, once we get a draft it goes to advanced viewers (usually twice) who help refine the video and find errors.

[@marcosdheleno]

+engineerguy how can that be dull? you are the engineerguy! those types of, behind the scenes, are alot of fun, but they are fun in a diferent way, so dont be afraid to test things out, and if it doesnt work, you can at least say, we tried, and move on. trial and error. besides, those questions, the search, make it look like a detective work. so to me, its a win win!

[@Seif.Adlan.]

+engineerguy thank you

[@piranha031091]

I wonder what those "top notch" end of the 19th century music boxes sounded like...

[@gregfraser4052]

+piranha031091 Probably laughably bad to our modern standards. But then again, we at one time thought 32 kbit/s encoded mp3s where the best thing ever, until we learned better.

[@KALSAFilms]

+Greg Fraser they can't sound "bad to modern standards" since they are acoustic devices and we don't produce music boxes with the same complexity anymore.

[@japzone]

+Greg Fraser Not necessarily bad. It's basically the classical version of 8/16-bit chiptune music, and we listen to that stuff all the time still. The indie game VVVVVV has a soundtrack I consider one of my all-time favorites, and it's done 8-bit style.

[@timwhite8780]

+piranha031091 you're on youtube and you want to know what something sounds like? kids these days; can never do anything for themselves kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKHdeGWjbZ2hq9U kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppi9pGeXibKEp7c kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJXUoZR7jNannrc

[@gregfraser4052]

+japzone First off, I love chiptune music! Secondly, probably my words where not chosen ideally, what I meant was that people at that time would gather around the music box and believe that what they heard was the best quality possible. Which it absolutely was at that time. But nowadays with Dolby-Digital-Stereo-5.2-and whatnot-16-speaker-systems we are very much spoiled of how sound can be replicated. It's like expecting the most hi-fi experience possible and then getting the sound quality of a birthday card which upon opening squeaks "Happy Birthday".

[@LaskyLabs]

I love music boxes. This was wonderful!

[@visheshl]

Amazing wow... So much work went into these

[@Martin-vh3ei]

thanks for using the metric system and not the american one

[@Okand2]

+Martin ᴿ' Anyone who is serious about measurements would do that.

[@kueller917]

+Martin ᴿ' Even in America I commonly see metric in engineering contexts.

[@tiberiu_nicolae]

+Martin ᴿ' Or the dreadful "football fields" unit of length

[@vwestlife]

+Martin ᴿ' The Metric system is used in America. Everyone in the past 40 years or so has learned both the Metric system and the U.S. Customary system in school and is familiar with both sets of units.

[@volo870]

+vwestlife US Customary? As a foreigner, I always thought that is called 'Imperial'. Is there a difference?

[@twistersdude]

Hi, great videos! Was wondering if the software you use to simulate the animation around 4:30 is public (and if so, the name) or something you guys developed?

[@engineerguyvideo]

+twistersdude pretty sure Steve did it with Cinema 4D ... That's heavy duty animation software.

[@twistersdude]

Wasn't aware it handled simple physics like gear rotation. Or did he just rotate each one individually and make it look like they were turning each other? Was looking for some simple-ish 3D physics simulator where you can build and test out simple designs. Not sure if something like that even exists. I know of 2D ones but that's why the video software looked interesting.

[@brandonwilson7784]

Blender (free 3D software) has a pretty good physics simulator. It sounds exactly like what youre looking for. I would recommend looking into it.

[@walterlacoste1404]

gear rotation is no simple physics, at least not on software programs. There are programs that do the gear rotation but not simulating physics, as Bonomous said about Blender, it does physics simulations, like a ball hitting a wall, or a million, but intrincate objects like a gear are not for it.

[@drsam1331]

Walter Lacoste يملظلززةلظىظىظىظىظىظىظىظىظىظظىىظ

[@Moizel]

This science behind the construction makes me love music box even more

[@jeremiahtablet]

This guy could explain how a computer works and make it make sense to an old non technical grandparent. Love your videos and learn so much from them. Just the other day watched your aluminum can video and have been hooked ever since.

[@michaellikeaboss]

Wait, but how does a spur gear turn a worm gear, shouldn't that not be possible?

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Michael Pressman we too were surprised by this ...

[@michaellikeaboss]

+engineerguy is there any explination? maybe the spur gear teeth have an angle to them?

[@swagmoneyjr.3638]

Google it

[@wompstopm123]

the upward force of the plastic tooth pushing the aluminum screw is stronger than the friction that slows it down, this and the air resistance is used to make the governor rotate at a constant speed

[@allmycircuits8850]

You can see that worm used in music boxes has very steep threading compared to threading in usual screws or in worms from elevator mechanisms. This way self-locking doesn not occur (criterion for self-locking is when tangent of thread angle is lower than friction coefficient).

[@Spoif]

+engineerguy 4:34 Oops... In this slow-motion excerpt, the dark-green gear attached to the drum appears to be rotating in the wrong direction.

[@edss]

+Spoif good spot!

[@engineerguyvideo]

+Spoif Yep. We didn't think anyone would notice because it moves so slow.

[@Spoif]

+engineerguy Excuses are futile. It's GREAT to make mistakes because they are the essence of learning. Every day is a school day, and today is no exception. 8)

[@pyro1324]

+Spoif It stood out like a sore thumb to me!

[@LordDragox412]

+pyro1324 "It stood out like a sore thumb to me, once someone pointed it out and I watched the moment over and over to see if it's true and it was, so that's why!" - there, FTFY. #Kappa

[@Felipe-53]

Your work is so inpirational! Thank you.

[@ReasonablySkeptic]

I LOVED this video! Thank you engineer guy. You teach engineering, history, and more all in 1 video.