Pinned cylinder
part · 850 · Middle Ages
A cylinder with pins — the carrier of the “program” of musical automata (described by the Banū Mūsā brothers).
Principles and materials it uses
- Program control of a machine — uses. The cylinder is a replaceable carrier of a sequence of actions.
- Wood — is made of. The cylinder of the Banū Mūsā flute player is wooden.
Where it is used
- Music box — is part of. The cylinder’s pins pluck the teeth of the comb.
- Barrel organ — is part of. A pinned cylinder sets the tune.
- Carillon — is part of. Automatic carillons have a pinned drum.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Bouchon’s loom — inspired. Bouchon, the son of an organ maker, carried the idea of a recorded sequence over to punched tape.
Things built in a similar way
- Punched card — works like. Pins on a cylinder and holes in a card are two ways of recording a sequence for a machine.