Chris,
I worked with Jim on several piano technology projects. JIm's day job was an instrumentation engineer, and he was highly skilled in making test and measurement equipment.
I have no direct knowledge about the equipment in the picture. But I suspect it was designed to support and tension a piano string; the pulley on the left end of the device is the clue. I also guess the larger sliding cylinder would serve as an adjustable termination -- establishing the speaking length of the string. And on the left (far) end I suspect is a transducer (electro-magnetic sensor) of some sort. That transducer would be positioned along the speaking length, and likely was used to observe vibration modes/nodes.
As configured, the equipment would *not* be used for analyzing longitudinal modes. In fact, Jim built a dedicated and massive monochord with specialized transducers to study those LMs. The result was an article c.2008 in the PTJ.
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John Rhodes
Vancouver WA
360-721-0728
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2018 10:26
From: Chris Chernobieff
Subject: From the Jim Ellis Workshop. What the heck is it?
Another has it. It could be coming up for sale. That's all the pics available.
Original Message------
More photos?
Why do you have it?
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David Skolnik [RPT]
Hastings-on-Hudson NY
914-231-7565
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