Organ Roll Scanner v.2.1

With this solution it is possible to convert organ rolls of crank organs up until 32 keys with any scale into midi files! The rolls are read with a scanner that is connected to the usb port of the computer. The music can be played during the scanning process so the end result can be judged directly. The scanner consists of a transport mechanism to transport the paper from one spool to the other and a web cam that reads the roll. The hole pattern of the organ roll is converted into music with the use of image recognition techniques. The scanner application is extensively adjustable so this solution is suitable for reading a wide range of organ rolls. The transportmechanism The hardware is kept as simple as possible. All complicated issues are solved in the software. This concept offers a lot of advantages and its easy to make changes or add features later on. The hardware consists out of a transport mechanism that transports the paper from one roll to the other and a camera that reads the organ roll. A webcam that can be connected to the usb-port of the pc is used for the camera. The camera is mounted above the organ roll so the largest part of the camera image is coverd by the organ roll. Its no problem that the camera can move a bit compared to the organ roll because the software detects the precise direction of the organ roll. The organ roll runs across a black surface to get maximum contrast. This enhances the quality of the final Midi file. The transport mechanism can be build with a manual crank or automatically with an electric motor. The manual transport mechanism works very well though because the software measures and compensates the roll speed. This way the speed of the music in the midi file will always be right and its not necessary to turn the crank with a constant speed.

With this solution it is possible to convert ...