What Is A Music Fountain And How Does A Music Fountain Work?
What Is A Music Fountain And How Does A Music Fountain Work?
- 2024-11-07
– All you need to know about music fountain is here
Chapter One: Music Fountain’s Definition
A musical fountain, also known as a fairy fountain, prismatic fountain or dancing fountain, is a type of choreographed fountain that creates aesthetic designs as a form of entertainment. The displays are commonly synchronised to music and also feature lighting effects that are refracted and reflected by the moving water. Contemporary multimedia fountains can include lasers, video projection and three-dimensional imagery.
Installations can be large scale, employing hundreds of water jets and lights, and costing into the millions of dollars. Techniques tend to be complex, and require mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, and electronic components that are usually kept out of view. （Quoted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_fountain）
Chapter Two: Equipment Make-up for Music Fountain
Music Fountain is normally made up of nozzles, pipes and valves, pumps, cables, control panels and Audio Equipment.
Part One: Music Fountain Nozzles
Music Fountain Nozzles are nowadays made of stainless steel as a standard practice. As per the spray type, there are mainly two types, one is comet clear jets, the other is frothy jets like cascade nozzles, bubbler nozzles and the like.
Comet Jets in groups, with height controlled, could give various pattern combinations like peacock shape, mountain jets, Rainbow jets, and the like.
Clear Jet with a laminar tank and pressure buffering inside, could give a glass-smooth jets, named as laminar jets. Laminar Jets equipped with a step-motor controlled cutter could give spray at designated length, which is named a jumping Jets.
A music fountain nozzle, if motivated by a digitally controlled motor (with gearing), could be controlled like a robot, and is called as digital Swing Jets. The most famous of its type is Dubai Khalifa Tower Fountain.
Digital Swing Nozzles are of two types. Those with one motor(for tilt) is called 2d digital nozzles, and those with two motors(Pan plus Tilt) are named as 3d digital nozzles.
Part Two: Fountain Pipes and Valves
Stainless Steel 304/316 is ideal material for fountain pipes meant for fresh water. Duplex Stainless-steel material for Sea water. Pipes’ welding shall be with the same material-class as well.
For uniformed or design spray height of nozzles, pressure valves are used for each nozzle. As a standard practice, Ball-valves, global valves are used for applications which is less than DIAMETER 50MM(2 INCH), and gate valves, butterfly valves are applied for larger ones.
To enable each nozzle with sequence/group control, for materializing chasing effect, an underwater solenoid valve is to be applied for each jet. For which the most famous band and the most durable is Himalaya Brand from China.
Part Three: Fountain Pumps
People used to use Centrifugal pumps (dry pumps) for music fountain, which will make piping complicated, and water-force efficiency pretty low.
The most popular practice nowadays is using submersible pumps. Which, roughly speaking, fall into 3 types:
1.Cast Iron/Cast Stainless Steel pump. The pump type is with a thick cast case, and cast propeller. The structure is thick and robust, good for waters which has got impurities. Meanwhile, it is getting outdated owing to the considerable weight of each unit, and the propellers’ efficiency problem.
2.SP pump, Self-Priming Pumps: SP pumps can evacuate air from the suction line automatically without the need for manual intervention. However, for fountain business, SP pump means the pump type, initially offered by Grundfos, with precise structure, and light weight. China fountain companies like Himalaya Music Fountain Also offers good quality ones with competitive prices.
3.Lower-voltage pumps with DMX Control. This type Pumps are with 24-36V DC power, meant to be used occasions which needs complete safety, say, dry-deck fountain for children’s interaction.
Part Four: Underwater Cable
Underwater cables for fountain purpose should be with waterproof insulation, corrosion resistance, good strength, and good flexibility.
It is normally with Rubber-case, and multi-stand(soft) copper conductors.
Part Five: Fountain control Panels
Fountain control panels get control commands from computer(software), and give control to pumps/valves/lights/motors for synchronization.
Fountain Panels are mainly made up of Control PCBS, power switches, and relay appliances (including relay, solid State relay, contractors).
A good fountain panel should be with carefully-designed, neat layout, clear marks for each wire, and with easy-to-use, easy-to-maintain structure.
Part Six: Audio Equipment For Fountains
Audio equipment is a must for music fountain. As per our 20-years’ experience, the most important quality for this equipment is rain-proof, durability, and reliability. In the meantime, to achieve even, stable, and good music audio quality, the best choice might be full-frequency speakers, of 100-300watt, evenly scattered around audience area.
Chapter Three: Fountain Control Protocol and Software
For compatibility with lighting equipment and stage equipment, for comprehensive shows with water fountain, lasers. Projectors. Moving heads, the most convenient protocol for music fountain will be DMX or RDM.
Fountain software uses audio track as the timeline, and give various tracks, normally one track for one water pattern, so that programmer could make certain fountain actions at certain moments, to materialize music-synchronization.
The best and renowned fountain software is Himalaya Music Fountain Choreography System, and Synchronorm Depence System.
Summary: Music fountain is an integration of water dancing, music, lighting, and creative scripts. A good music fountain is an inspiration, an enlightening, which could really make up a landmark. Wish this world could be peaceful, and could have more infrastructures like music fountain, for a better life for all.
