[sdiy] They aren't sawtooths, they're ramps

[Donald Tillman]

   > From: Electronic Battle <electronicbattle at googlemail.com>
   > Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 17:22:07 -0000
   > 
   > Please can someone talk about the difference between sawtooth and
   > ramp waveforms and whether they sound different?

You should introduce yourself.  I haven't seen posts from you before,
and your email header is cryptic.

   > However, original relaxation oscillators generated exponential
   > rises and falls - these are the true sawtooths.
   > 
   > Have a look here:
   > http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/DesignOffice/mdp/electric_web/Exper/05263.png

This drawing is not correct.

The "Sawtooth Wave" really is a linear ramp and reset.  Check out the
Wikipedia page.  Check out other references.  Check out an actual saw.

"Ramp" refers to the ramping part of the sawtooth wave, but could also
refer to waveforms where the ramp is an important part of a waveform
that's not really a sawtooth wave.  For example; a wave that starts
low, ramps up, holds there for a bit, and then resets.

Relaxation oscillators are what they are, they don't define the
sawtooth wave.

  -- Don

-- 
Don Tillman
Palo Alto, California
don at till.com
http://www.till.com