Synthesis Technology MOTM-510 The WaveWarper, Инструкция по сборке и руководство пользователя

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SYNTHESIS TECHNOLOGY PAGE 14
MOTM-510 ASSEMBLY 7/11/04
WWW.SYNTHTECH.COM
Use the 2 remaining tywraps to bundle the wires to the Bourns pots and most of the
wires to the jacks. Trim off the excess.
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CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE FINISHED BUILDING THE MOTM-510!
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All that’s left to do is test it! But before we do, please read the following Theory of Operation. A
‘hands-on’ tutorial follows, with several audio demos you can listen to at:
www.synthtech.com/demo/warper
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The ROOT/UNITY/POWER switch is physically disconnecting active signals while the module
is under power. Therefore, the module may output ‘pops’, ‘crackles’ and ‘thumps’ when
switching position. Also, it is possible to apply enough pressure on the knob without turning it
to another position, but will cause this noisy output (the contacts of the switch “bounce” and
this causes noise).
The switch assembly is
NOT BAD, nor is the module “bad”.
THEORY OF OPERATION/TUTORIAL
The MOTM-510 is a small, ‘pre-programmed’ analog computer. It is set to perform 1 basic
mathematical calculation, whose end result is a ‘warping’ or distortion of the input(s). The
analog computer is the Analog Devices AD538 IC chip (the gold-plated one), which has
internally many op amps and laser-trimmed resistors set up for the specific calculation.
And what
is that calculation, you ask?
To start with, the AD538 is a combination of multipliers and
log amps . What’s a log amp? Good
question: it’s a specially designed amplifier whose output is not linear, but goes as the
logarithm of the input. Wait, you groan, as sweat begins to form on your brow….what’s a
logarithm ? OK, here’s the quick overview.
A while back, extremely smart people decided that it was easier to add numbers than multiply
them, especially since there were no calculators or slide rules. So, they figured out that if there
could be some way of “cheating”, using say pre-printed tables, so that if you wanted to multiply
X times Y, instead you could add 2 values
based on X and Y and still get the right answer, that
would be KEWL! So, these tables were calculated and were called logarithms.
Here’s an example: 2 x 3 = ?