Arachnophone

Arachnophone is an automated mechanical music playing device in a similar vein to a player piano.

The device is made out of wood, the base is a resonating octagonal chamber.

In the center is a hollow central core. Attached from the peak of the core and to each side of the board are strings that each correlate to various notes.

The device is played with a plectrum or hammer of some sort.

Inside the core are triggers/switches/keys that are hit by a player-cylinder.

The cylinder contains little "fingers" that hit the inner triggers of the core.

The cylinder is "wound up" in some manner, perhaps a tension device in the hollow core, or perhaps a spring/coil within the cylinder.

The device is played by placing the wound up cylinder into the core. The cylinder then rotates(?) or rises up in the core, as it does so, the fingers hit the triggers, activating the plectrum or hammer on a specific string, until the cylinder reaches the top of the core and play is finished.

Being that there's 8 sides, this means you can have 2 octaves available. Each side is an ascending by half a step. The top is A, upper right is A#, Right is B, and so on until upper left on the first loop is E, then the top is F, and so on until upper left is C, then top is C# until the upper left is G#. 2 octaves.