Anatomy of a WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ
ACME SIREN
This is one part the WurliTzer did not manufature. It was made in England by the Acme Company.
Air entering through the mouthpiece goes to 5 holes in the base. These holes align with the holes
in the black disk. The holes in the disk are angled so that air passing through them causes the
disk to rotate. The rotation causes the air holes to close and open relative to the holes in the
base which turns the air flow into pulses which we hear as sound. As the disk speeds up the pulses
get closer together so we hear the pitch of the sound rise.
The bearings top and bottom are adjustable to optimise the gap between the disk and the base.
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