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Gain Cell

Gain Cell

2015-07-19 by neilbaldwin70

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil


Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-19 by Ken Stone

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>

Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-20 by Neil Baldwin

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>


Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-20 by Ken Stone

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>

Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-20 by Neil Baldwin

So try swapping out the two 10n caps for something else?

Also I've notice that with the CV disconnected and, for example, a 5V sine wave connected to the input, the gain at the output stage is massive. Should you see unity gain with no CV applied?
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 20 July 2015 at 10:47, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>


Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-20 by Ken Stone

Leave the 10n there, and add a couple 100n on the main board (it's stripboard, isn't it?)
Adding a 100k trimmer wired b/w the rails via 100k (or greater) to the CV input will let you trim it to unity. It seems to vary a little, dependent on the transistors used.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

So try swapping out the two 10n caps for something else?

Also I've notice that with the CV disconnected and, for example, a 5V sine wave connected to the input, the gain at the output stage is massive. Should you see unity gain with no CV applied?

On 20 July 2015 at 10:47, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>

Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-20 by Neil Baldwin

Getting somewhere now, cheers Ken.

Incidentally, if you wanted to decrease the amount of available gain, would it just be a relatively simple mod?
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 20 July 2015 at 11:44, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Leave the 10n there, and add a couple 100n on the main board (it's stripboard, isn't it?)
Adding a 100k trimmer wired b/w the rails via 100k (or greater) to the CV input will let you trim it to unity. It seems to vary a little, dependent on the transistors used.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

So try swapping out the two 10n caps for something else?

Also I've notice that with the CV disconnected and, for example, a 5V sine wave connected to the input, the gain at the output stage is massive. Should you see unity gain with no CV applied?

On 20 July 2015 at 10:47, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>


Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-20 by Ken Stone

To decrease the available gain, reduce the value of the CV pull-down, or reduce the value of the feedback resistor between pins 5 and 6 of the cell.

Ken
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 1:12 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Getting somewhere now, cheers Ken.

Incidentally, if you wanted to decrease the amount of available gain, would it just be a relatively simple mod?

On 20 July 2015 at 11:44, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Leave the 10n there, and add a couple 100n on the main board (it's stripboard, isn't it?)
Adding a 100k trimmer wired b/w the rails via 100k (or greater) to the CV input will let you trim it to unity. It seems to vary a little, dependent on the transistors used.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

So try swapping out the two 10n caps for something else?

Also I've notice that with the CV disconnected and, for example, a 5V sine wave connected to the input, the gain at the output stage is massive. Should you see unity gain with no CV applied?

On 20 July 2015 at 10:47, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>

Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-22 by Neil Baldwin

Thanks Ken.

On one of the gain cells, the output breaks up quicker than the other. I matched the NPNs as suggested but it doesn't make any difference. If I turn the gain pot up, at a certain point (just past midway if it matters) suddenly there is an inaudible load on the output. Here's a photo of it hooked up to my oscilloscope. If I then turn the pot further both the frequency and amplitude changes (of course). The initial appearance of this is not gradual but jumps in quite alarmingly. The other gain cell has a much more gradual breakdown at high gain.

Any ideas?

Here's a Dropbox link to a picture from the scope:


Neil
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 20 July 2015 at 23:29, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

To decrease the available gain, reduce the value of the CV pull-down, or reduce the value of the feedback resistor between pins 5 and 6 of the cell.

Ken

On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 1:12 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Getting somewhere now, cheers Ken.

Incidentally, if you wanted to decrease the amount of available gain, would it just be a relatively simple mod?

On 20 July 2015 at 11:44, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Leave the 10n there, and add a couple 100n on the main board (it's stripboard, isn't it?)
Adding a 100k trimmer wired b/w the rails via 100k (or greater) to the CV input will let you trim it to unity. It seems to vary a little, dependent on the transistors used.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

So try swapping out the two 10n caps for something else?

Also I've notice that with the CV disconnected and, for example, a 5V sine wave connected to the input, the gain at the output stage is massive. Should you see unity gain with no CV applied?

On 20 July 2015 at 10:47, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>


Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-22 by Ken Stone

Sorry, I have no idea what's causing that. Maybe read up on Blackmer cells.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 4:24 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken.

On one of the gain cells, the output breaks up quicker than the other. I matched the NPNs as suggested but it doesn't make any difference. If I turn the gain pot up, at a certain point (just past midway if it matters) suddenly there is an inaudible load on the output. Here's a photo of it hooked up to my oscilloscope. If I then turn the pot further both the frequency and amplitude changes (of course). The initial appearance of this is not gradual but jumps in quite alarmingly. The other gain cell has a much more gradual breakdown at high gain.

Any ideas?

Here's a Dropbox link to a picture from the scope:


Neil

On 20 July 2015 at 23:29, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

To decrease the available gain, reduce the value of the CV pull-down, or reduce the value of the feedback resistor between pins 5 and 6 of the cell.

Ken

On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 1:12 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Getting somewhere now, cheers Ken.

Incidentally, if you wanted to decrease the amount of available gain, would it just be a relatively simple mod?

On 20 July 2015 at 11:44, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Leave the 10n there, and add a couple 100n on the main board (it's stripboard, isn't it?)
Adding a 100k trimmer wired b/w the rails via 100k (or greater) to the CV input will let you trim it to unity. It seems to vary a little, dependent on the transistors used.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

So try swapping out the two 10n caps for something else?

Also I've notice that with the CV disconnected and, for example, a 5V sine wave connected to the input, the gain at the output stage is massive. Should you see unity gain with no CV applied?

On 20 July 2015 at 10:47, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

You probably need more decoupling on the power pins to the cells. These cells have huge gain.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Ken

With +/- 12V voltage to the CV voltage divider part I'm seeing about -0.6 to +0.6 V at the CV pin which is correct.

However, with no input signal to Input, turning up the gain pot eventually results in horrendous feedback-type output.

Neil

On 19 July 2015 at 11:34, Ken Stone otherunicorn@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

4.7 instead of 5 pf can be ignored. 100n instead of 220n will cut your bass response.
It is ESSENTIAL that there be a pulldown resistor on the CV input e.g.: a 100k to 5k6 voltage divider is needed between your CV and the gain cells CV input.

On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs108_vca.html


I've built a couple of these to add CV amps to an existing project but am having trouble getting them to behave. Some things to note:


- they're running off 15V so I'm wondering if there are some resistor changes required?

- I had to substitue a couple of capacitors as I didn't have exactly the right values and they didn't appear to be that critical based on my loose understanding of this circuit: the 5pF on the board I changed for a 4.7pF and the 220n required on the input when wiring up I substituted with a 100n


With a 5V peak sine wave input I'm getting horrible distortion. My latest idea was to install a 50K trimmer instead of the 100K fixed resistor on the CV input wiring to see if I could dial in a resistance value that would work better but that's no been particularly successful.


Neil





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>





--
Ken Stone otherunicorn@...
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.cgs.synth.net/>

Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-23 by ghpicard

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH

Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-24 by Neil Baldwin

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH


Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-24 by Neil Baldwin

I hooked up the scope again and this time turned up the gain to max. The interference is a square-ish wave that decreases in pitch as you increase the gain (and vice versa). Seems to kick in at the crossover point between -ve and +gain


Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 24 July 2015 at 15:57, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.


On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH



Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-24 by Neil Baldwin

And a short video with audio. You can see/hear as I increase the gain from 0 up to (nearly) max and back down again.


Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 24 July 2015 at 16:15, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
I hooked up the scope again and this time turned up the gain to max. The interference is a square-ish wave that decreases in pitch as you increase the gain (and vice versa). Seems to kick in at the crossover point between -ve and +gain



On 24 July 2015 at 15:57, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.


On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH




Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-29 by Richard Brewster

I just built six of these for two Serge VCFQ modules. I am getting approximately unity gain with the test circuit with a 5K6 to ground on the CV input and the CV pot disconnected. My problem is a high frequency parasitic oscillation on a portion of the negative excursion of the output signal. All six behave the same. Thinking it has to do with my test breadboard, I added .1uf bypass caps near the power pins to the Gain Cell board. That didn't make any difference. When I added an external 47pf cap from OUT to FB in parallel with the 5pf on the board, I saw a reduction in the width of the parasitic, but it was still there. I also swapped in a TL072ACP for the LF353. Looked the same. Any ideas? I'm running on +/- 15V. Should I try a feedback cap larger than 47pf?

Thanks,

Richard Brewster
http://pugix.com

On 7/24/15 11:22 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
And a short video with audio. You can see/hear as I increase the gain from 0 up to (nearly) max and back down again.



On 24 July 2015 at 16:15, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
I hooked up the scope again and this time turned up the gain to max. The interference is a square-ish wave that decreases in pitch as you increase the gain (and vice versa). Seems to kick in at the crossover point between -ve and +gain



On 24 July 2015 at 15:57, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.


On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH





Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-29 by neilbaldwin70

Exactly what I'm getting Richard though oddly only in one of two I'm using on the same build.

A solution to this would be an enormous relief: this has spent about 3 solid days on my bench and I don't seem to be able to do anything to alleviate the noise.

On 29 Jul 2015, at 19:48, Richard Brewster pugix@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

I just built six of these for two Serge VCFQ modules. I am getting approximately unity gain with the test circuit with a 5K6 to ground on the CV input and the CV pot disconnected. My problem is a high frequency parasitic oscillation on a portion of the negative excursion of the output signal. All six behave the same. Thinking it has to do with my test breadboard, I added .1uf bypass caps near the power pins to the Gain Cell board. That didn't make any difference. When I added an external 47pf cap from OUT to FB in parallel with the 5pf on the board, I saw a reduction in the width of the parasitic, but it was still there. I also swapped in a TL072ACP for the LF353. Looked the same. Any ideas? I'm running on +/- 15V. Should I try a feedback cap larger than 47pf?

Thanks,

Richard Brewster
http://pugix.com

On 7/24/15 11:22 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] wrote:
And a short video with audio. You can see/hear as I increase the gain from 0 up to (nearly) max and back down again.



On 24 July 2015 at 16:15, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
I hooked up the scope again and this time turned up the gain to max. The interference is a square-ish wave that decreases in pitch as you increase the gain (and vice versa). Seems to kick in at the crossover point between -ve and +gain



On 24 July 2015 at 15:57, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.


On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH





Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-30 by Richard Brewster

I think I've solved my problem. The input level was too high. I put a pot between the VCO output I am using and the input to the gain cell. Lowering the input level made the parasitic oscillation disappear.

Richard

On 7/29/15 7:37 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] wrote:
Exactly what I'm getting Richard though oddly only in one of two I'm using on the same build.

A solution to this would be an enormous relief: this has spent about 3 solid days on my bench and I don't seem to be able to do anything to alleviate the noise.

On 29 Jul 2015, at 19:48, Richard Brewster pugix@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

I just built six of these for two Serge VCFQ modules. I am getting approximately unity gain with the test circuit with a 5K6 to ground on the CV input and the CV pot disconnected. My problem is a high frequency parasitic oscillation on a portion of the negative excursion of the output signal. All six behave the same. Thinking it has to do with my test breadboard, I added .1uf bypass caps near the power pins to the Gain Cell board. That didn't make any difference. When I added an external 47pf cap from OUT to FB in parallel with the 5pf on the board, I saw a reduction in the width of the parasitic, but it was still there. I also swapped in a TL072ACP for the LF353. Looked the same. Any ideas? I'm running on +/- 15V. Should I try a feedback cap larger than 47pf?

Thanks,

Richard Brewster
http://pugix.com

On 7/24/15 11:22 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] wrote:
And a short video with audio. You can see/hear as I increase the gain from 0 up to (nearly) max and back down again.



On 24 July 2015 at 16:15, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
I hooked up the scope again and this time turned up the gain to max. The interference is a square-ish wave that decreases in pitch as you increase the gain (and vice versa). Seems to kick in at the crossover point between -ve and +gain



On 24 July 2015 at 15:57, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.


On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH






Re: Gain Cell

2015-07-30 by neilbaldwin70

Interesting. My problem one will produce the oscillation with no input.

On 30 Jul 2015, at 03:03, Richard Brewster pugix@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

I think I've solved my problem. The input level was too high. I put a pot between the VCO output I am using and the input to the gain cell. Lowering the input level made the parasitic oscillation disappear.

Richard

On 7/29/15 7:37 PM, neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] wrote:
Exactly what I'm getting Richard though oddly only in one of two I'm using on the same build.

A solution to this would be an enormous relief: this has spent about 3 solid days on my bench and I don't seem to be able to do anything to alleviate the noise.

On 29 Jul 2015, at 19:48, Richard Brewster pugix@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

I just built six of these for two Serge VCFQ modules. I am getting approximately unity gain with the test circuit with a 5K6 to ground on the CV input and the CV pot disconnected. My problem is a high frequency parasitic oscillation on a portion of the negative excursion of the output signal. All six behave the same. Thinking it has to do with my test breadboard, I added .1uf bypass caps near the power pins to the Gain Cell board. That didn't make any difference. When I added an external 47pf cap from OUT to FB in parallel with the 5pf on the board, I saw a reduction in the width of the parasitic, but it was still there. I also swapped in a TL072ACP for the LF353. Looked the same. Any ideas? I'm running on +/- 15V. Should I try a feedback cap larger than 47pf?

Thanks,

Richard Brewster
http://pugix.com

On 7/24/15 11:22 AM, Neil Baldwin neil.a.Baldwin@... [cgs_synth] wrote:
And a short video with audio. You can see/hear as I increase the gain from 0 up to (nearly) max and back down again.



On 24 July 2015 at 16:15, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
I hooked up the scope again and this time turned up the gain to max. The interference is a square-ish wave that decreases in pitch as you increase the gain (and vice versa). Seems to kick in at the crossover point between -ve and +gain



On 24 July 2015 at 15:57, Neil Baldwin <neil.a.baldwin@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately it has little to no effect.

I've practically rebuilt that cell from scratch now, even matched the other transistor pair. I'm wondering if it's being adversely affected by other circuits around it though the fact that I've got two identical gain cells built onto a piece of strip board in the same M-class module would suggest that's not the case.

For reference, the M-class module is a custom one that I made for a client (his scheme, my design) which includes:

CGS96 Triple Comparator
CGS84 Peaks and Troughs
CGS90 Phaser
CGS60 Stompbox Adapter

The gain cells are to replace the input parts of the CGS60 to give more gain and CV control so I'm only using the output side of that circuit.


On 23 July 2015 at 19:50, ghpicard@... [cgs_synth] <cgs_synth@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

It looks like an HF oscillation. You could try enhancing the decoupling of the power supply input. Ceramic 10nF capacitors between the power legs of the ICs (+ and -) and ground can help. They must be soldered directly on the pins to avoid spurious inductance. Also, try not to route the output wires near the input section.

HTH






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