Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- wiki:troubleshooting_whistle-malfunctions [2026/01/26 03:37] – created bb3d
+++ wiki:troubleshooting_whistle-malfunctions [2026/01/28 20:22] (current) – [Practical things to check] bb3d
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ===== General =====
-There are a lot of reasons why a 3D-printed whistle might not work in some way, but generally can be reduced to a few issues
+There are a lot of reasons why a 3D-printed whistle might not work in some way, but generally they can be reduced to a few main tuning issues to check
   * Flow percentage issue (generally too little flow)
   * Pressure advance issue
-  * bridging layers are not solid
+  * bridging layers are not solid, allowing air to escape the chamber(s)
+====How a whistle works====
+I find it helpful to understand how a whistle works in order to troubleshoot what a possible issue is.
+{{:wiki:screenshot_2026-01-25_at_21.44.56.png?400}}
+==In the screenshot above, you have 3 main things happening==
+  - Air enters via the airway
+    - The air accelerates, usually by gradually making the airway smaller
+  - Air hits the "blade", creating a fluttering effect
+  - That fluttering, along with the air building up pressure in the chamber, makes the air inside the chamber vibrate, which creates sound
+====So a whistle will most likely fail at====
+  * The airway - too restrictive or an obstructed path not allowing air to accelerate
+  * The blade - not sharp/uniform enough to create fluttering
+  * The chamber - air escaping and not building pressure
+===== Practical things to check =====
+From the above, we should check
+  * If the airway has stringing or similar in it
+    * You always want to "paint on" seams away from any of the above components
+  * If the blade is not sharp
+    * Points to a Pressure Advance, cooling, or flow issue
+  * If there are holes in the chamber walls or walls of the whistle, allowing air to escape
+    * Could be flow, seam, or retraction issue