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Development History of Music Movements and Their Application Characteristics in Greeting Cards
来源: | 作者:Haiyan Guangren Trade Co., Ltd. | 发布时间 :65 days ago | 60 次浏览: | Share:
This article reviews the development history of music movements. They started from the mechanical prototype of music boxes at the end of the 18th century, were miniaturized and applied to greeting cards through the promotion of electronic technology, and then expanded their functions by integrating sensor technology. Now, they are developing in the direction of intelligence. The music mechanism for greeting cards has fixed music but optional tracks. It supports duration grading and multiple triggers, adding a sense of ceremony to emotional transmission.
As a miniature sound-generating device capable of accurately reproducing melodies, the development of music movements has been accompanied by the iteration of precision manufacturing technology and the upgrading of emotional expression needs. Particularly in the field of greeting cards, its application has turned such "talking blessings" into a unique carrier for conveying emotions, which not only retains the warmth of traditional greeting cards but also adds a pleasant surprise in the auditory dimension. From mechanical structures to electronic control, the development history of music movements clearly reflects the progressive trajectory of miniature sound-generating technology.

I. Origin and Embryonic Stage: Preliminary Exploration of Mechanical Structures (Late 18th Century - Early 20th Century)

The technical origin of music movements can be traced back to music boxes in the late 18th century. At that time, music boxes used brass combs as sound-generating components, and the convex points on the cylinder drove the combs to vibrate and produce sound. This purely mechanical structure became the primitive form of music movements. However, the device was relatively large at that time, mostly used as an ornament, and could not be applied to thin and light carriers like greeting cards.
In the early 20th century, the development of precision machining technology promoted the miniaturization of music movements. Manufacturers reduced the volume of the movement to the size of a palm by reducing the gear modulus and optimizing the arrangement of combs. Although it was still driven by machinery, it had initially achieved portability. The melodies of the movements at this stage were fixed, mostly classic folk songs or Christmas carols, with a short playing time (usually 3-5 seconds), and required manual winding to trigger, laying a structural foundation for its subsequent application in greeting cards.

II. Embryonic Stage of Greeting Card Application: Miniaturization Breakthrough Driven by Electronic Technology (Mid-20th Century - Late 20th Century)

In the mid-20th century, the rise of semiconductor technology completely changed the form of music movements. Electronic music movements gradually replaced traditional mechanical structures and became the mainstream in greeting card applications. The core breakthrough during this period was the storage of melody signals in application-specific integrated circuits (ICs). The signals were amplified by transistors to drive miniature speakers to produce sound, and the volume was greatly reduced to a few cubic centimeters, which could be easily embedded in greeting cards.
Greeting card music movements at this stage had distinct application characteristics: although the music content could not be changed, manufacturers provided a wealth of fixed music options, covering various scenarios such as holiday blessings, birthday wishes, and friendship messages; the playing time achieved hierarchical selection, expanding from the initial 5-second short melody to 10-30 second complete chorus segments, meeting the content needs of different greeting cards; the playing method also upgraded from a single manual trigger to simple electronic control, with button playback becoming the mainstream form - when the user presses the raised button on the greeting card, the circuit is connected to start playback, which is easy to operate and has significantly improved stability. Some high-end products also tried the magnetic control trigger method, which controls the on-off of the circuit through the displacement of the magnet when the greeting card is opened and closed, realizing the linkage effect of "playing as soon as the cover is opened".

III. Function Expansion Stage: Diverse Triggers and Experience Upgrading (Early 21st Century - 2010s)

Entering the 21st century, the integration of sensor technology and microelectronic technology has made the functions of greeting card music movements more diverse, achieving dual upgrades in playback methods and user experience. The application of light-controlled playback technology became an important highlight of this stage. The movement has a built-in photoresistor, and when the greeting card is taken out of the envelope and the light intensity changes, the music can be automatically triggered to play without manual operation, further enhancing the sense of ritual in conveying blessings.
In terms of core performance, the playing time of music movements at this stage continued to extend, and some products could support playing complete melodies of more than 1 minute. The sound quality was improved by optimizing the speaker structure and audio processing algorithms, reducing the noise problem of early electronic movements. At the same time, the packaging technology of the movement also continued to progress. The use of waterproof and pressure-resistant shell designs could better adapt to the printing, folding and other processing procedures of greeting cards, reducing the damage risk during transportation and use. Although the movement still maintained the characteristic of "unchangeable music", the music library was extremely rich, ranging from pop songs to classic melodies, and from children's songs to folk music, which could match the needs of various festivals and emotional scenarios.

IV. Modern Innovation Stage: Integration of Intelligence and Personalization (2010s - Present)

In recent years, with the reduction of IoT technology and microchip costs, greeting card music movements have begun to develop in the direction of intelligence and personalization. Although the core "fixed music" mode is still retained (to meet the needs of low cost and high stability), new trends have emerged in function expansion. Some high-end greeting card movements have introduced simple storage modules, supporting pre-writing of customized melodies through dedicated equipment, such as the combination of personally recorded blessing voices and music. This not only retains the feature of "one-time fixation" but also enhances the sense of emotional exclusivity.
In terms of playback control, in addition to the traditional button, magnetic control, and light control methods, new trigger methods such as touch sensing and temperature sensing have also appeared. For example, playback can be started by touching a specific pattern on the greeting card, further enhancing interactivity. At the same time, the integrated design of the movement and the greeting card has become closer. Some products combine the movement with LED lights and dynamic paper carvings to achieve a "music + vision" linkage effect, making the emotional expression of the greeting card more three-dimensional. Driven by the concept of environmental protection, music movements packaged with degradable materials and designed with low-power circuits have gradually increased, conforming to the trend of green consumption.

V. Conclusion: Symbiosis of Technological Iteration and Emotional Needs

From the miniaturization exploration of mechanical music boxes, to the wide application of electronic ICs, and then to the integrated innovation of sensor technology, the development history of music movements has always centered on the core goals of "smaller size, more stable performance, and more scenarios". In the specific carrier of greeting cards, its characteristics of "unchangeable but selectable music, graded playing time, and diverse trigger methods" not only meet the public's needs for low-cost emotional expression but also continuously enhance the sense of ritual in conveying blessings through technological upgrades. In the future, with the further development of flexible electronics, intelligent sensing and other technologies, music movements may achieve more flexible shape design and richer interactive experience on the basis of maintaining their core advantages, continuously injecting new vitality into traditional greeting cards.


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