Blowers have the power to make music

It takes a lot of air to operate an accordion but Tony DeCap of Decap Organs, Herentals, Belgium believes he has found the ideal solution for his automated instruments.

For five generations the DeCap family have been designing and building fair/street/dance band organs but these days the demand is not what it was.

So Tony DeCap, the current owner of the business, has been exploring new ideas.

The end result of his endeavours and significant investment is the company's automated accordion.

"What we need for these automated accordions is a constant and consistent supply of air at a fixed pressure delivered quietly", says DeCap.

"Et voila - the multistage MS8 centrifugal blower range from Air Control Industries is exactly what we need".

"It is so right that it could have been made for us".

"In addition, the blower so compact it can be hidden in the base of the plinth on which we mount the accordion".

Special features of the MS8 blower range that make it ideal for this application are a virtual silent (noise levels below 65dB(A)) and maintenance-free operation.

The blowers also have a series of dynamically balanced impellers directly driven by the motor through an extended shaft.

Varying air flow performances can be offered by simply changing the number of impellers.

It is also light weight thanks to its corrosion-free white polyester fan case.

The precision of air delivery is essential for these new automated accordions to ensure the quality of the music.

This is so electronically operated solenoid valves, which are activated via preprogrammed signals from a PDA, deliver the right volume of air at the correct pressure to produce the music.

Launched in December, Decap has already sold 40 of these accordions, most to traditional theme bars around the world but some to private customers who install them in their sitting rooms.

The MS8 blower is a modular unit that can be supplied with up to three stages - with up to three impellers on a single shaft to boost pressure according to application requirements.