[sdiy] frequency counter

[WeAreAs1 at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/26/04 8:22:12 AM, ijfritz at earthlink.net writes:

<< I won't argue with you, but could you just say what is wrong with using a 
counter?  It's what I've always used, and it certainly *seems* to work.  In 
what sense doesn't it work? >>

Your ears work better.  They have better pitch resolution than even the 
finest frequency counter (that we could afford, that is).  Lack of resolution at 
the high end of the scale can be a real problem.  Also, counters don't respond 
immediately to changes in pitch -- they take some time to settle (some of them 
can REALLY take some time...)  Mind you, I'm not talking about finding a 
particular *note* -- I'm talking about fine-tuning VCO's until they absolutely 
track each other over many octaves.  Go ahead, try it sometime.  That is, try 
tuning a pair of VCO's without using your ears.  No audio monitor, just your 
counter.  See how close you can get.  If you're satisfied with the result, then I 
guess that's what matters.  It seems like an exercise in futility to me, 
especially when we all already have a pair of the best frequency counters available, 
right on the sides of our heads.

Mike B.