Universal Event Generator User`s Manual
Contents
1. yey 1 i lt T vid ah a A 1 ASN PRN 2 i tA 6 4 3 1 iO N j 2 7 x Slope Switch The slope switch determines the shape of the output waveform in all modes except for when the UEG is being used as a step sequencer The top position is the logarithmic mode It is an approximation of the output of a true analog envelope generator which is based on an RC time constant In the UEG a microprocessor is computing an approximation using a piecewise linear method The center position is the linear mode In this mode the output waveform is a series of straight line segments The shape is more typical of digital envelope generators This is also the shape used in the diagram on the front panel The bottom position is the step mode In this mode the TIME control effects the duration that a level is sustained rather than the transition time between levels Using stage one as an example the UEG jumps to LEVEL 1 and then stays there for the length of time determined by TIME 1 y T A 4 1 j i 1 I 7 gt 4 l te N 7 qe 7 7 eae 6 6 j lt2. N E 7 7 4 Q Troubleshooting Issue Why is the GATE sometimes erratic The GATE requires a fairly fast rise time in order to trigger properly If you use a sine wave or a triangle wave you ll probably experience multiple triggers on both sides of the ramp Any synthesizer module output labeled pulse or square is a good candidate to trigger the UEG Issue Why does the MANUAL GATE pushbutton sometimes trigger multiple times The MANUAL GATE pushbutton is not debounced There were a few design decisions that led to this issue Internally this button is simply connected to the opamp that receives the GATE input signal Some switches can generate over 20 milliseconds of bounce If we were to debounce this switch it would also delay the input GATE by 20 milliseconds or more This delay was unacceptable Another option would have been to add more circuitry to isolate and debounce just the switch but we didn t have the room Since our intention for the MANUAL GATE was for setting up the module we felt this behavior was acceptable under these conditions Issue Why is it when use the TCV input the relative time values seem to change at some point The TCV input is used to change the time values of all eight stages It will make each of the stages time longer as the TCV input goes more positive If any stage reaches its maximum time of 8 3 seconds it basically runs out of headroom while the other stag
3. A 4 gt 1 r is RELEASE the bottom position the UEG behaves almost exactly as it does in finish loop mode with one slight difference When the gate is released in this mode the UEG will complete the current stage of the loop and then jump to stage eight to end the envelope Let s say the loop was from stages two to seven and all of the time values were set to maximum If the gate is released during stage 3 the UEG will complete stage 3 and instead of proceeding to stage four it will proceed to stage eight New Feature in 2 0 This switch is now active in LOOP ONLY mode The TRIG OUT jack will now output a trigger at every step of the loop if the STEP switch is set to STEP The TRIG OUT jack will product a trigger at the end beginning of the loop if the STEP switch is set to FINISH LOOP Loop Switches The loop switches simply determine the start and end of the loop The switches are active only in modes that use the loop which are GATED FINISH LOOP GATED RELEASE and LOOP ONLY modes 2 E i 7 The LOOP START switch determines the starting point of the loop and can be set from stages two through four The LOOP END switch determines the ending point of the loop and can be set from stages five to seven 2 N TIME ah y 2
4. STEP This mode will also be covered on the next page a qee D im E A Ze clean gate is a signal that has relatively fast rise time and fall time Two examples would be a square wave or a pulse wave A sine wave triangle wave or ramp wave are not good candidates for generating a clean gate Gated Options Switch The gated options switch defines the various sub modes of the UEG when it is in gated mode STEP in the top position the UEG can be used as an eight stage step sequencer Every rising edge on the GATE input will advance the UEG one stage The LEVEL controls are used to set the output voltage for each of the seven stages while the eighth stage is set by This is the only control that isn t readily apparent from the from panel When the UEG is at stage eight the next pulse on the GATE input will advance the UEG to stage one Also in this mode the TCV input and the SLOPE switch have no function qS lt lt gt ey FINISH LOOP in the center position the UEG behaves similarly as one shot mode with one interesting twist while the GATE input is maintained the UEG will continue to loop between the START and END loop points When the GATE input is removed the UEG will proceed through all of its stages and end after completing stage eight Think of this mode as an ADSR with a complex sustained section
5. Universal Event Generator User s Manual Revision 2 01 April 13 2003 Encore Electronics 611 Laird Lane Lafayette CA 94549 www encoreelectronics com TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION a a ape iraa aai 4 UNPACKING AND 5 FRONT IP AINE U a p r r a Te aE EEEak 6 MAIN MODE SWITCH a ea a a 8 GATED OPTIONS SWITCH sicctatesapesaceccnatagedaregatecapecetecapeansecanccateceratidetapitatetnetiantes 9 LOOP SWITCHES ee a ee Ae ea r aaae a e ee Taia eaa aeei 10 SLOPE SM O i ivcivacesecasicasecavecssasssveasueasiecccsaeetasnsasuecsudsstiaaceatacasueasweccesasineausaneasions 11 rrr a e E r aa ee ae En pN E E Eai 12 SPECIFICATION S sais saasasenacaiacacatanavenscaniganaaneasansuiadannseanadanasanaaasannicanaunsaianasaaacneaeneas 13 6 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Universal Event Generator 6 The Universal Event Generator UEG is an MOTM compatible module that can be used for generating various events in an analog modular system The UEG has three major modes of operation The first mode is an eight stage envelope generator Compared to a more conventional ADSR an eight stage envelope generator can provide a more complicated control signal Even with this module being microprocessor based we didn t sacrifice attack speed The response time is defin
6. acks the same style knobs and the same style switches We do use a different style of construction however Traditional MOTM modules have their PCBs mounted at a right angle to the front panel The UEG has its PCB mounted parallel to the front panel This was done in order to minimize the wiring of the 15 potentiometers and six switches E 2 7 A ET 4 3 2 YRS a S D 2 The UEG has eight stages There is a time control and a level control per stage The one exception is stage 8 it does not have a level control because stage 8 always returns to zero The position of the time control determines how much time the UEG will spend in a given stage Stages 2 through 8 have a time range from 8 milliseconds to 8 3 seconds Stage 1 has the ability to rise even faster Its maximum speed is lt 1 millisecond This is on par with the best analog envelope generators N 7 7 Vey 2 There is a corresponding level control for each stage Each level control determines the final output voltage when a given stage reaches completion For example if a level control is fully clockwise that stage will output the maximum voltage before moving to the next stage If a level control is pointing straight up the output will be one half of the maximum voltage upon completion of that stage A gra
7. ed as the time it takes the microprocessor to recognize the gate and output its fastest attack signal The UEG s actual rise time is under 500 microseconds while its overall response time is under one millisecond The second mode is a low frequency oscillator In this mode the UEG does not require a gate signal It will simply cycle between programmable start and end points Depending on your settings the UEG can run as fast as 60 Hz or as slow as one cycle every 50 seconds With programmable start and end points and adjustable levels the UEG can go far beyond your simple square wave triangle wave ramp wave The third mode is a simple step sequencer The UEG will advance one stage for every gate input Seven of the levels are adjustable using the LEVEL controls while the eighth level is also adjustable using the TIMES control These modes will be covered in greater detail in the following pages Here are some of the features of the Universal Event Generator Three modules in one envelope generator LFO sequencer Eight stages Time and level controls per stage lt 1 millisecond rise time Variable loop points Over 8 seconds per stage Three output wave shapes Time control voltage modulation input 0 to 5 V output One LED per stage LEDs are pulse width modulated Programmable PWM On Off Manual Gate button Trigger output Unpacking and Installation We re sure you re aware but of course we have to remind you to avo
8. es still have opportunity to get longer This condition will cause an imbalance in the relative times of the stages Issue Why do some LEDs seem dimmer than others The LEDs are pulse with modulated and their brightness represents the relative output voltage of the module stage is set to minimum and its previous stage was set to minimum the LED will have minimum brightness If a stage is set to maximum and its previous stage was set to minimum then the LED will start dim and grow brighter If stage one time is set near fully counterclockwise it will be especially dim because of the minimum time spent in stage one SPECIFICATIONS Microprocessor Internal clock D A converter Output impedance Input impedance GATE trigger voltage Safe Input range TRIG OUT pulse width Controls TIME 1 through 8 LEVEL 1 through 8 Atmel AT90S8535 8 bit RISC 8 MHz 10 bit TLC5615 lt 25 ohms gt 13k ohms 2 5 V 15V 5 milliseconds Adjusts time for the respective stage Range is from one millisecond to 8 33 seconds Adjusts level for the respective stage Range is from 0 to 5 V MANUAL GATE Triggers the UEG manually General Power requirement 15V 60mA 15V 8mA Size 2U x 5U Depth behind panel 1 5 inches
9. id generating static when handling the UEG or any electronic circuit The UEG is packed in an antistatic bag and should only be opened in a static safe environment Since this is next to impossible to achieve without special equipment we will try to give you some practical tips on minimizing static damage to the UEG and your other equipment The first thing you will want to do is unpack the UEG and install it in your MOTM system In the antistatic bag you will find the UEG a power cable and four screws Open the bag near your system and try to install it immediately using the provided screws While the UEG is out of the antistatic bag try not to walk around or slide around in your chair These actions could generate thousands of volts of static electricity and damage the UEG Depending on the physical access you have to your system you may want to plug in the power cable before installing the UEG In the upper left hand corner of the photo below you should be able to see the word Power Connect the power cable so the wires are oriented where the word Power is located The included cable is wired the same as the official MOTM cables and can plug in directly to the MOTM distribution board Front Panel The UEG front panel has more controls per square inch than you are probably accustomed to seeing in an MOTM system One of our goals was to maintain a consistent look with MOTM modules We use the same high quality j
10. me and level controls It is a low impedance output and should be able to drive many MOTM inputs The TRIG OUT jack will emit a short positive pulse at the end of stage 8 The pulse width is 5 milliseconds It is useful for triggering other modules such as an MOTM 800 envelope generator or another UEG range is also from zero to five volts Between each of the time and level pots you will find an LED As the UEG progresses through each of its stages the corresponding LED will glow The LEDs are pulse width modulated and will offer some visual feedback relating to the output voltage This feature is more noticeable when the time values are set long Experiment with the module and you will quickly realize how the brightness of each LED relates to the output voltage as it s rising and falling through all of the stages One particular point may be worth pointing out remember we told you stage one is faster than the other seven stages If stage one is set near fully counterclockwise the LED will appear dimmer than the rest This is because the UEG spends very little time in stage one and doesn t have much time to light the LED f Main Mode Switch The switch highlighted in the upper right corner controls the main operating modes of the UEG 79 at 09 90 z 7 7 i gt gt N ve LOOP ONLY In the top position the UEG will loop between the START and END loop points indefinitely withou
11. phic object has been added to the lower right hand corner of the front panel to help remind you of the capability of these 15 potentiometers Just below the last level control is the manual gate pushbutton It is used to trigger the UEG manually Normally the UEG is triggered by the gate input but the manual gate pushbutton comes in handy when you re trying to set up the UEG On the right hand side of the UEG you ll find five toggle switches These switches change major operating parameters of the UEG and each one has its own section in this manual At the bottom of the UEG are 4 quarter inch jacks The two on the left are inputs and the two on the right are outputs The GATE input is the signal that initiates a UEG event The gate input requires a fairly fast ramp such as a square wave or pulse wave Any MOTM pulse output will work great as well as a gate or trigger from a MIDI to CV converter such as the Encore Expressionist The TCV input is used to modulate all the time values The TCV range is from zero to five volts When the input is Zero volts it has no effect on the time values As the TCV input increases from zero it lengthens the time of each of the stages up to the maximum of 8 3 seconds If any of the time controls are already at maximum fully clockwise the TCV will have no further effect on that stage The OUT jack is the main control output Its range is from Zero to five volts and will vary as depicted by the ti
12. t a gate signal This behavior is like a low frequency oscillator In this mode the UEG can run as fast as 60 hertz or as slow as one cycle every 50 seconds To generate a simple triangle wave LFO move the START loop switch to position four the END loop switch to position five and set the levels for stages four and five to opposite ends If the time controls for levels four and five are equal and the slope is set to linear you ll get a perfect triangle wave 7 s 2 N 7 ONE SHOT In center position the UEG behaves as a fairly straightforward eight stage envelope generator Any clean gate regardless of pulse width will trigger the UEG and it will progress through all eight stages In this mode you could think of the gate signal as a trigger input 2 eS 7 7 N af 4 7 GATED The bottom position is similar to the one shot mode but is a lot more complicated In fact the gated mode has a second switch to control multiple functions The front panel shows a line between these two switches The main difference between gated mode and one shot mode is that the UEG will continue to generate an event while the gate is present This will be discussed in detail on the next page 7 4 4 In any of these modes the TCV input will have an effect with the exception of GATED
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