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Console design project: Help needed!

Building organ consoles for use with Hauptwerk, adding MIDI to existing consoles, obtaining parts, ...
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Nick18

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Console design project: Help needed!

PostThu Jun 04, 2009 12:17 pm

I recently bought 4 keyboards (56-key), the pedalboard (30-pedals) and the bench from a decommissioned organ in the netherlands.
The pedalboard is not a straight one which is unusual in the Netherlands I think. I don't know how this kind of pedalboard is called...

My question:
I have midified 2 manuals now, I think they are built by Laukhuff, they use the same keycontact system.
I placed the two manuals on a desk but now I want to build a console for it.
Do you have any ideas what dimensions I have to choose? Such as the height of the keyboards, position of the pedalboard. Maybe I have to work with the AGO standards but I don't have them here.

I have some reference designs/dimensions here but they are all dealing with two manuals and because I have four I doubt if it will still be a easy to play at that distance/height...

My very preliminary Sketchup drawing can be downloaded here (I'm still learning Sketchup :wink: ):
http://www.liondesign.nl/hauptwerk/Console.skp

Any suggestions will be more then welcome!
Met vriendelijke groeten (Best regards),
Nico
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ReinerS

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostThu Jun 04, 2009 1:31 pm

Hello,

both the AGO (American Guild of Organists) and BDO (Bund Deutscher Orgelbauer) have published specifications, which cover exactly what you need. I do have the BDO specs at home, they are dated from 2000 I believe. If you whish I can dig out the source where these can be ordered (I think the booklet costs about 20 Euros).

Best regards
Reiner
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eajohnson

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostThu Jun 04, 2009 1:52 pm

Hello Nick
In case you haven't yet found it, here is a link to the AGO store where they have a publication of console dimensions:

http://www.agohq.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?S ... ry_Code=OI

Good luck with your project!

Eric
Owner of an old Schober homebuilt, midified and Hauptwerkified.
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Nick18

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostThu Jun 04, 2009 2:07 pm

Thank you all for the help so far.
I don't know what the AGO/BDO standards really are I've just heard about them, so I don't want to buy it already.
I just need to know a good placement of the pedalboard and the manuals, not every detail of a console.

What do you think of this, is it useful?
http://organ.wicks.com/pdf/agoconsole.pdf
Met vriendelijke groeten (Best regards),
Nico
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telemanr

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostThu Jun 04, 2009 2:50 pm

That pdf is what I used to place my pedal board in relation to the manuals. And it is how our church Casavant is positioned so it makes it easy to go from home to the church organ.
Rob Enns
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Nick18

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jun 05, 2009 5:04 am

telemanr wrote:That pdf is what I used to place my pedal board in relation to the manuals.

That is also an important issue for me, but do you think that the height will be suitable for four manuals?
Met vriendelijke groeten (Best regards),
Nico
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Martin_Dümig

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jun 05, 2009 7:22 am

Hello,

i could send the BDO Spieltisch specifications from 1972 (very detailed) and a short pamphlet of AGO about console-measurements and standards (three pages), both as pdf-files to everybody mailing me with privat mail.

.... just readized that the AGO-sheet is the same sheet nick18 already has given a link above.

With best regards - Martin Dümig
You can play Bach on every organ.
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Nick18

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jun 05, 2009 9:12 am

Would be great! I've sent you a PM.

Regards,
Nico
Met vriendelijke groeten (Best regards),
Nico
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telemanr

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jun 05, 2009 12:12 pm

Nick18 wrote:
telemanr wrote:That pdf is what I used to place my pedal board in relation to the manuals.

That is also an important issue for me, but do you think that the height will be suitable for four manuals?


It's the height I use, and I have 4 manuals. You can't really lower the height much if that's what you are thinking. Your knees will start to hit the underside of the lowest manual. You might change it a 1/2" or so but that's about it.
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Nick18

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jun 05, 2009 1:34 pm

Thanks for the info! I can imagine that I might hit the manuals if I lower it too much..
One more question :wink:
Are you still able to reach the music rack, to control your sheetmusic, and the 4th manual?
Met vriendelijke groeten (Best regards),
Nico
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telemanr

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jun 05, 2009 2:32 pm

I have a custom setup and the music rack is homemade. The bottom edge of a piece of music is exactly 4" above the middle of the black keys of the top manual. This is easily reached for turning pages etc. So in other words, the music rack juts out a bit over the top keyboard but doesn't get in the way of playing.
.\
. \_ <--bottom of music rack
____ <-- black keys

Hope that's clear. I had to put periods at the beginning of the lines because the forum strips out spaces.
Rob Enns
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Nick18

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostThu Jul 23, 2009 5:14 pm

Thanks to everybody for the kind help!
I started building my console but my Sketchup drawing is far from complete :oops: !
I'm sorry, when it comes to the building stage I'm always in a hurry...

I combined the BDO and the AGO specs and I made a simple paper drawing.

To show you the first impressions :D (as you see there's still a lot of work to do):

The manuals as I bought them, I had to paint the upper manual white keys.
The manuals came from three different organs so they don't fit on each other.
Image
Image

After I made the keyboard stacks myself, they finally fit now.
Image

Pedals with neodymium magnets mounted:
Image

The reed contacts for the pedalboard:
Image

Prototype setup till now, with selfmade midi control board. I still have to convert two manuals to midi:
Image


So far the stuff that I bought, from now on everything is selfmade :wink:

My new console stage1:
Image

Stage2:
Image

I will show you if I make any progress again...
Met vriendelijke groeten (Best regards),
Nico
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Morse

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Re: Console design project: Help needed!

PostFri Jul 24, 2009 3:07 pm

I just noticed that this thread makes reference to the Wicks AGO specification document. I believe that there is an error in the first figure. The height to the lowest manual is always 29.5 inches. The figure is dimensioned with this height being to the second manual up. The dimensions given in the document text are correct, however.
Al Morse

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