The scale of these electrical systems is almost incomprehensible. It’s as if this organ is an eldritch monstrosity that just keeps going and going and going, without any regard for the limits of what the human mind can hold.
Chris, your tour of these otherwise off-limits parts of the organ are superb and I am grateful to you for sharing these. I am utterly astounded at all that wiring none of which was even color coded. My utmost respect goes out to all the uncredited engineers and technicians who designed and built all of this in an age where everything was calculated by hand and drawings were done with pencil and paper.
Interesting to consider... An awful lot of large pipe organs in churches get maintenance from time to time, but they can go for long periods of time without service. Ideally, when the Midmer Lost was completed in the early thirties and everything was working fine, how many full-time employees would they have wanted to show up full-time to keep everything working up to specification? I can only imagine that even when it was brand new, there would never be a time when there wasn't something that needed to be fixed or tuned.
Emerson Richardson may have been an organ designer, but he couldn't have been an engineer! To have the audacity to think that you could build something with this much wire, this many connections, and this many relay contacts in series per functions, and have it ever work reliably for long is mind blowing! But they gave it a helluva try! Why are some in glass enclosures? Are they pressurized to operate, or just for viewing.
Thanks for these videos! 👍👍👍 A request: Please compile all of the Boardwalk organ videos into a playlist. It's not hard to do and it makes it far easier for viewers to watch them in sequence.
It’s great you’re documenting this. I guess this will be like one of the last big moments of attention to these bits as it’s decommissioned and replaced by digital. As soon as you left the room, i guess not many people will be coming there anymore for the coming years. And amazing that they could build stuff like this in the 30’s. It’s very risky to build something on such big scale; If the method is not 100% solid after everything has been built, so much expensive and headache causing trouble could come to the surface.
The biggest nightmare of all this control system are the switch/relay contacts, They apparently didn't use silver. or all the contacts would be black by now, (One of the advantages of silver is that silver tarnish is conductive.) And all these switches are built of wood, which changes shape and dimensions with time. Maintainiing the thousands of switches and relays must have been full time work for several technicians.
How in the world were they able to make and install this whole thing for $350k back in 1929-1932? A 1930 dollar is worth $17.73 today, so that would mean the cost of this instrument would be a little over 6 million today. You sure couldn't design, make and install this instrument for 6 million, today.
Inflation figures are misleading. It's more accurate to think in terms of purchasing power. What would 350k buy then and how much would that cost today. I agree that this thing looks like several hundred million today if done the same way - by hand with wires and artisans. With modern computer controls and mfg processes to create the pipes etc you could get a lot closer to the 6 million.
Absolutely staggering! So I have a few questions Chris. 1) When all this was operational (ish), how often would a technician need to visit these farther flung areas? Would it just be for maintenance purposes, ie tracing issues / isolating divisions for repairs? Was there a map of where everything was? 2) You pointed out setting boards. Am I right in thinking these are how you set registrations? Effectively the “programmable” part of the instrument? If so, how would a visiting player logistically go about using this functionality? 3) This one’s a possible video idea. Could you show what it takes to power everything up and walk us through how to take the instrument from fully shut down, to fully powered up? Thanks for all your effort and insight. Incredible stuff. Nick
The original right relay is still in use(?). How much of this equipment supports that? IE are some of those stitches permanently closed to allow the original relays to play?
7:00 looks like the setterboard for the permanently assigned swell pedals for the 5-manual console. I think you could set pedals 2 and 4 to be anything like on the 7 manual but the other three were set to certain swell boxes using that setterboard
Whenever you delve into these organ details I wish I had a big glossary of all those terms! I also with I had some diagrams. You make a good effort to show the relative location of things, but it still gets confusing over video.
All of that really makes the ML a technical wonder! I'm curious as to how reliable all of that worked. I know you mentioned that a few things are disconnected, but is there anything else there that is working? I enjoy these videos.
I've been working on pipe organs since 1985 when I was in high school and have had my own company since 1991. You can hear an organ I built here: th-cam.com/video/3KxWX2KH7EI/w-d-xo.html
I’m wondering. Do you have a schematic overview of how all this was hooked up? So keyboards, switches, relais, blowers, pipes etc. I think this one is helpful: th-cam.com/video/jkdQK7HIvPM/w-d-xo.html
Wow, what a mess. Maybe the worsening depression and the onset of WWII prevented the completion of those unfinished components. This wiring is reminiscent of old airplane wiring systems.
Note that everything in the video was completed, they left spares for things but as far as we know, at the the time of inauguration in 1932, everything worked.
The relay equipment runs off of the low voltage DC, around 12 or 13 volts. I don't know if the 500VDC lines ran the blowers, but it's entirely possible.
The scale of these electrical systems is almost incomprehensible. It’s as if this organ is an eldritch monstrosity that just keeps going and going and going, without any regard for the limits of what the human mind can hold.
Chris, your tour of these otherwise off-limits parts of the organ are superb and I am grateful to you for sharing these. I am utterly astounded at all that wiring none of which was even color coded. My utmost respect goes out to all the uncredited engineers and technicians who designed and built all of this in an age where everything was calculated by hand and drawings were done with pencil and paper.
The amount of wiring is mind blowing. I don't know how they ran and connected all that by hand, and built that organ in just a couple years time.
One wire at a time! Probably got lead poisoning from the solder fumes!
Interesting to consider... An awful lot of large pipe organs in churches get maintenance from time to time, but they can go for long periods of time without service. Ideally, when the Midmer Lost was completed in the early thirties and everything was working fine, how many full-time employees would they have wanted to show up full-time to keep everything working up to specification? I can only imagine that even when it was brand new, there would never be a time when there wasn't something that needed to be fixed or tuned.
It's interesting to see how the wiring here compares to the electromechanical telephone switches of the day.
It's the exact same technology.
That machine might have done much, but it did a swell job. ;)
nyuk nyuk
I can’t imagine doing all the wiring to that system it’s like the person that designed it had to be an Electronic genius
Emerson Richardson may have been an organ designer, but he couldn't have been an engineer! To have the audacity to think that you could build something with this much wire, this many connections, and this many relay contacts in series per functions, and have it ever work reliably for long is mind blowing!
But they gave it a helluva try!
Why are some in glass enclosures? Are they pressurized to operate, or just for viewing.
They are pressurized to operate, like the big relay rooms but on a smaller scale.
Thanks for these videos! 👍👍👍
A request: Please compile all of the Boardwalk organ videos into a playlist. It's not hard to do and it makes it far easier for viewers to watch them in sequence.
Yes I was thinking about that and it's done. I can't believe I've made so many videos about the organ so far!
It’s great you’re documenting this. I guess this will be like one of the last big moments of attention to these bits as it’s decommissioned and replaced by digital. As soon as you left the room, i guess not many people will be coming there anymore for the coming years.
And amazing that they could build stuff like this in the 30’s. It’s very risky to build something on such big scale; If the method is not 100% solid after everything has been built, so much expensive and headache causing trouble could come to the surface.
The biggest nightmare of all this control system are the switch/relay contacts, They apparently didn't use silver. or all the contacts would be black by now, (One of the advantages of silver is that silver tarnish is conductive.) And all these switches are built of wood, which changes shape and dimensions with time. Maintainiing the thousands of switches and relays must have been full time work for several technicians.
How in the world were they able to make and install this whole thing for $350k back in 1929-1932? A 1930 dollar is worth $17.73 today, so that would mean the cost of this instrument would be a little over 6 million today. You sure couldn't design, make and install this instrument for 6 million, today.
They probably would, building it all in china
Inflation figures are misleading. It's more accurate to think in terms of purchasing power. What would 350k buy then and how much would that cost today. I agree that this thing looks like several hundred million today if done the same way - by hand with wires and artisans. With modern computer controls and mfg processes to create the pipes etc you could get a lot closer to the 6 million.
Seems simple enough to me...!!😛
Absolutely staggering! So I have a few questions Chris.
1) When all this was operational (ish), how often would a technician need to visit these farther flung areas? Would it just be for maintenance purposes, ie tracing issues / isolating divisions for repairs? Was there a map of where everything was?
2) You pointed out setting boards. Am I right in thinking these are how you set registrations? Effectively the “programmable” part of the instrument? If so, how would a visiting player logistically go about using this functionality?
3) This one’s a possible video idea. Could you show what it takes to power everything up and walk us through how to take the instrument from fully shut down, to fully powered up?
Thanks for all your effort and insight. Incredible stuff.
Nick
These videos are very interesting. Love them
Seems to be as complicated as the circuits on a computer motherboard.
1017 Race St is now Chinatown. Interesting.
The original right relay is still in use(?). How much of this equipment supports that? IE are some of those stitches permanently closed to allow the original relays to play?
7:00 looks like the setterboard for the permanently assigned swell pedals for the 5-manual console. I think you could set pedals 2 and 4 to be anything like on the 7 manual but the other three were set to certain swell boxes using that setterboard
This instrument and the building it occupies prove that bigger is not necessarily better.
Huh?
I am always amazed viewing these great videos. Mind boggling how they did it. Thanks Chris!
the wiring looks destroyed in some spots, i wonder what the lifespan on all that is
Whenever you delve into these organ details I wish I had a big glossary of all those terms!
I also with I had some diagrams. You make a good effort to show the relative location of things, but it still gets confusing over video.
Do any wiring diagrams of the organ exist? Whoever designed the control system of this organ must have been brilliant!
All of that really makes the ML a technical wonder! I'm curious as to how reliable all of that worked. I know you mentioned that a few things are disconnected, but is there anything else there that is working? I enjoy these videos.
😮 Wow !×
Chris - Are you an organ builder - or simply an enthusiast with a camera?
I've been working on pipe organs since 1985 when I was in high school and have had my own company since 1991. You can hear an organ I built here: th-cam.com/video/3KxWX2KH7EI/w-d-xo.html
I would like to know more about the current state of the Choir division and the blower for that section for the organ.
As far as I know it's up and running, just coming on line last week.
I’m wondering. Do you have a schematic overview of how all this was hooked up? So keyboards, switches, relais, blowers, pipes etc.
I think this one is helpful: th-cam.com/video/jkdQK7HIvPM/w-d-xo.html
Pls do another update, also, when will the organ be 100% working at this rate?
There is more copper wire in this hall than in the entire universe, but i wonder: how are all the windchests, solenoid, shades etc are powered?
@JL85FW Yep, you're right! I've seen that video some months ago and i forgot it ahahah
Just wait until you see what Bell had back in the day.
Wow, what a mess. Maybe the worsening depression and the onset of WWII prevented the completion of those unfinished components. This wiring is reminiscent of old airplane wiring systems.
Note that everything in the video was completed, they left spares for things but as far as we know, at the the time of inauguration in 1932, everything worked.
What voltage does the relay equipment run off & would that 500V DC have been supplying the original DC motors?
The relay equipment runs off of the low voltage DC, around 12 or 13 volts. I don't know if the 500VDC lines ran the blowers, but it's entirely possible.
Cnagoka, none of the crescendos work at this time, right?
Nope not yet.
If you don't understand, then you're fighting a losing battle. It's not viable for restoration and should be scrapped.