In Tom's defense. :)

[jorgen.bergfors at idg.se]

Tony Clark writes:
>I think it is clear that there was obviously too much expectation on 
>the part of certain individuals for mind blowing advances in circuit 
>design.

Well the kicker here is that Tom created that expectation himself by writing 
such things as "I keep looking for the perfect VCO. The VCO-3B almost fits 
bill", "This is a GREAT VCO!", "This is worlds most dangerous VCF ".
It's fine to publish simpler circuits, that are easier and cheaper to build, as 
long as you clearly declare what they are and not pretend they are world class. 
I'm sure he has put a lot of effort into this, but think about how much time 
DIYers around the world might waste if they build the circuits in the belief 
that they really are the best you can find? 
There is definitely a place for simplified circuits too, as long as they are 
labeled as such.
I'm all for using cheap easy to get components and I think Tom's initiative is 
a very good one. It's just the prose on his web site that bothers me a bit. And 
I think suppliers of high quality kits like Paul Schreiber must be even more 
bothered. 
To build stable and reliable analog circuitry is not trivial. Even the pros 
like Moog had problems with that. Beginners deserve to know what the pitfalls 
are before they waste too much of their time.
I don't have all the answers myself but I listen to the other people on this 
list and try to avoid making the mistakes that they have done. I also think I 
should warn the others not to make the mistakes that I have done. 
I like to check with the other people on the list what their opinion on a 
circuit is, before I try to build it. Why waste time if somebody else already 
has found out that the circuit has problems? Or that a better one exists, that 
is just as simple to build?


/Jorgen