ASR drift
2004-06-27 by John Loffink
The question of ASR drift has come up before and I finally had my system in
a state where I could measure this. I 'm calling it drift rather than droop
since the voltage drifts upwards rather than downwards. As a first test I
measured the output voltage of each stage of a dual ASR module. I believed
I had matched the 1% output stage resistors to better than 0.1%, but the
reading on OUT3 would seem to indicate otherwise. (This information is in
table format and may display strangely if you receive in ASCII only.) The
input clock was about 10 Hertz so there was no opportunity to drift and the
output voltages were fairly constant. Measurements were taken using an
Extech MM-560 multimeter with 5-6 digit resolution.
Input Voltage (from MOTM-850) ASR stage voltage (volts) Voltage with
10 Hz clock (volts) Difference (volts) Difference from input
voltage (semitones)
2.68899 OUT1 2.69811 0.00912 10.94%
OUT2 2.69754 0.00855 10.26%
OUT3 2.58515 -0.10384 -124.61%
OUT1B 2.71238 0.02339 28.07%
OUT2B 2.71382 0.02483 29.80%
OUT3B 2.70626 0.01727 20.72%
Next I measured the output drift of OUT1 by disconnecting the clock signal.
Input Voltage (from MOTM-850) ASR OUT1 time interval (seconds) ASR
OUT1 Voltage with no clock (volts) Difference from previous reading
(volts) Difference from prior measurement (semitones)
2.68899 0 2.698 0.00901 10.81%
20 2.698 0 0.00%
40 2.7 0.002 2.40%
60 2.71 0.01 12.00%
80 2.719 0.009 10.80%
100 2.729 0.01 12.00%
120 2.738 0.009 10.80%
Finally I compared this to a MOTM-101 Sample & Hold. You can consider the
first time interval reading as the offset error.
Input Voltage (from MOTM-850) ASR OUT1 time interval (seconds) ASR
OUT1 Voltage with no clock (volts) Difference from previous reading
(volts) Difference from prior measurement (semitones)
2.68899 0 2.6673 -0.02169 -26.03%
20 2.6671 -0.0002 -0.24%
40 2.6588 -0.0083 -9.96%
60 2.6468 -0.012 -14.40%
80 2.6347 -0.0121 -14.52%
100 2.6226 -0.0121 -14.52%
120 2.6106 -0.012 -14.40%
The numbers measured indicate that the output offset error of a CGS ASR is
about the same as a MOTM-101, while the drift is slightly better. My
circuit boards used the CA3140 for the S&H buffer amps, no sockets, and high
quality poly caps, Mouser part number 1429-2473. I also believe that I used
the lowest offset voltage version of the TL074. The drift seen is minor for
notes at a moderate tempo, but would be significant if you want to hold them
for significant lengths of time. Overall, other than the anomaly of the
OUT3 voltage, the circuit met or exceeded my expectations, as drift is a
common problem in sample and hold designs.
John Loffink
The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
http://www.wavemakers-synth.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
a state where I could measure this. I 'm calling it drift rather than droop
since the voltage drifts upwards rather than downwards. As a first test I
measured the output voltage of each stage of a dual ASR module. I believed
I had matched the 1% output stage resistors to better than 0.1%, but the
reading on OUT3 would seem to indicate otherwise. (This information is in
table format and may display strangely if you receive in ASCII only.) The
input clock was about 10 Hertz so there was no opportunity to drift and the
output voltages were fairly constant. Measurements were taken using an
Extech MM-560 multimeter with 5-6 digit resolution.
Input Voltage (from MOTM-850) ASR stage voltage (volts) Voltage with
10 Hz clock (volts) Difference (volts) Difference from input
voltage (semitones)
2.68899 OUT1 2.69811 0.00912 10.94%
OUT2 2.69754 0.00855 10.26%
OUT3 2.58515 -0.10384 -124.61%
OUT1B 2.71238 0.02339 28.07%
OUT2B 2.71382 0.02483 29.80%
OUT3B 2.70626 0.01727 20.72%
Next I measured the output drift of OUT1 by disconnecting the clock signal.
Input Voltage (from MOTM-850) ASR OUT1 time interval (seconds) ASR
OUT1 Voltage with no clock (volts) Difference from previous reading
(volts) Difference from prior measurement (semitones)
2.68899 0 2.698 0.00901 10.81%
20 2.698 0 0.00%
40 2.7 0.002 2.40%
60 2.71 0.01 12.00%
80 2.719 0.009 10.80%
100 2.729 0.01 12.00%
120 2.738 0.009 10.80%
Finally I compared this to a MOTM-101 Sample & Hold. You can consider the
first time interval reading as the offset error.
Input Voltage (from MOTM-850) ASR OUT1 time interval (seconds) ASR
OUT1 Voltage with no clock (volts) Difference from previous reading
(volts) Difference from prior measurement (semitones)
2.68899 0 2.6673 -0.02169 -26.03%
20 2.6671 -0.0002 -0.24%
40 2.6588 -0.0083 -9.96%
60 2.6468 -0.012 -14.40%
80 2.6347 -0.0121 -14.52%
100 2.6226 -0.0121 -14.52%
120 2.6106 -0.012 -14.40%
The numbers measured indicate that the output offset error of a CGS ASR is
about the same as a MOTM-101, while the drift is slightly better. My
circuit boards used the CA3140 for the S&H buffer amps, no sockets, and high
quality poly caps, Mouser part number 1429-2473. I also believe that I used
the lowest offset voltage version of the TL074. The drift seen is minor for
notes at a moderate tempo, but would be significant if you want to hold them
for significant lengths of time. Overall, other than the anomaly of the
OUT3 voltage, the circuit met or exceeded my expectations, as drift is a
common problem in sample and hold designs.
John Loffink
The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
http://www.wavemakers-synth.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]