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Making Clarinet Reeds
Professional article by Douglas Monroe on how to make your own clarinet reeds.
From professoraloha
28
Shown below in
Figure # 1
,
(Figure #1.
The basic hermetically sealed Form 1A(normally open) Reed Switch and its component makeup.)
A Reed Switch consists of two ferromagnetic blades(generally composed of iron and nickel) hermeticallysealed in a glass capsule. The blades overlapinternally in the glass capsule with a gap betweenthem, and make contact with each other when inthe presence of a suitable magnetic field. Thecontact area on both blades is plated or sputteredwith a very hard metal, usually Rhodium orRuthenium. These very hard metals give rise tothe potential of very long life times if the contactsare not switched with heavy loads. The gas in thecapsule usually consists of Nitrogen or someequivalent inert gas. Some Reed Switches, toincrease their ability to switch and standoff highvoltages, have an internal vacuum. The reedblades act as magnetic flux conductors whenexposed to an external magnetic field from either apermanent magnet or an electromagnetic coil.Poles of opposite polarity are created and thecontacts close when the magnetic force exceedsthe spring force of the reed blades. As the externalmagnetic field is reduced so that the force betweenthe reeds is less than the restoring force of the reedblades, the contacts open.The Reed Switch described above is a 1 Form A(normally open (N.O.)or Single Pole Single Throw(SPST)) Reed Switch. Multiple switch usage in agiven configuration is described as 2 Form A ( twonormally open switches or Double Pole SingleThrow (DPST)), 3 Form A (three normally openswitches), etc. A normally closed (N.C.) switch isdescribed as a 1 Form B. A switch with a commonblade, a normally open blade and a normally closedblade (see
Figure # 2
) is described as a 1 Form C(single pole double throw (SPDT)).
(
Figure #2
. The 1 Form C (single pole double throw) threeleaded Reed Switch and its component makeup.)
The common blade (or armature blade), the onlymoving reed blade, is connected to the normallyclosed blade in the absence of a magnetic field.When a magnetic field of sufficient strength ispresent, the common blade swings over to thenormally open blade. The normally open andnormally closed blades always remain stationary.All three reed blades are ferromagnetic; however,the contact area of the normally closed contact is anon-magnetic metal which has been welded to theferromagnetic blade. When exposed to a magneticfield, both the fixed reeds assume the same polarity,which is opposite that of the armature. The non-magnetic metal interrupts the magnetic flux on thenormally closed blade so that the armature seesan un-interrupted flux path to the normally openblade, and it is that which it seeks. Here theattractive force is of sufficient magnitude betweenthe normally open and armature that the contactsclose.
The Basic Reed Switch
REED SWITCH CHARACTERISTICS MEDER electronic
www.meder.com
Germany # ++49-(0)7733-94870, USA # 800-870-5385
29
To close Reed Switch contacts, two approaches aregenerally used. 1. The use of a permanent magnet(see
Figure #3
);
(
Figure #3
. The basic operation of a Reed Switch under theinfluence of the magnetic field of a permanent magnet. Thepolarization of the reed blades occurs in such a manner tooffer an attractive force at the reed contacts.)
or 2. The use of a coil wound with copper insulatedwire (see
Figure #4
).
(
Figure #4
. A Reed Switch sitting in a solenoid where themagnetic field is strongest in its center. Here the reed bladesbecome polarized and an attractive force exists across thecontacts.)
When a permanent magnet, as shown, is broughtinto the proximity of a Reed Switch the individualreeds become magnetized with the attractivemagnetic polarity as shown. When the externalmagnetic field becomes strong enough themagnetic force of attraction closes the blades. Thereed blades are annealed and processed to removeany magnetic retentivity. When the magnetic fieldis withdrawn the magnetic field on the reed bladesalso dissipates. If any residual magnetism existedon the reed blades, the Reed Switch characteristicswould be altered. Proper processing and properannealing clearly are important steps in theirmanufacturing.
MEDER electronic REED SWITCH CHARACTERISTICS
www.meder.com
Germany # ++49-(0)7733-94870, USA # 800-870-5385
30
Pull-In
(PI) is described as that point where thecontacts close. Using a magnet, it is usuallymeasured as a distance from the Reed Switch tothe magnet in mm (inches) or in field strength AT,mTesla, or Gauss. In a coil, the Pull-In is measuredin volts across the coil, mA flowing in the coil, orampere-turns (AT). Generally, this parameter isspecified as a maximum. No matter how well thereed blades are annealed, they will still have a slightamount of retentivity (a slight amount of magnetismleft in the blades after the magnetic field is removedor eliminated from the Reed Switch). To obtainconsistent Pull-In and Drop-out results, saturatingthe Reed Switch with a strong magnetic field first,before taking the Pull-In measurement will producemore consistent results. (see
Figure #5
).When measured in a coil, or specifically, a ReedRelay, the Pull-in is subject to changes at differenttemperatures, and is usually specified at 20
o
C (see
Figure #6
)
Pull-in/Drop-out Temperature Effects
-40-30-20-1001020304050-60 -10 40 90 140
Temperature (C)
Rateofchange(%)
(
Figure #6
. The Pull-in and Drop-out points will change withtemperature at the rate of 0.4%/
o
C.)
Here, because the copper coil wire expands andcontracts with temperature, the Pull-In or operatepoint will vary with temperature by 0.4%
o
C. Welldesigned relays usually take this parametric changeinto consideration in the design and specification.
Figure #5
. For most accurate results, saturate the contacts with a magnetic field first, before testing for Pull-in and Drop-out.
Basic Electrical Parameters of Reed SwitchProducts
REED SWITCH CHARACTERISTICS MEDER electronic
www.meder.com
Germany # ++49-(0)7733-94870, USA # 800-870-5385
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Reed Switch Ingles
What is a Reed Switch? Ingles
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