[sdiy] Odd transistor connection, why???

[David Ingebretsen]

As I am digging into my Steiner resurrection, studying schematics, and
trying to simulate some of these circuits, I am hitting a problem with the
SPICE simulations. I have every confidence the schematics are correct, and
the circuits work (at least the few I actually built in the 70's), but the
simulations are not working.

The common link between the ones which don't work is a weird NPN transistor
connection. Nyle connected the base to the emitter or collector and then
uses the transistor as a two pin device, like this:


             ______
            |      |
          __|__    |
          /  \     |
    _____/    >____|_____ 

What does this do to the transistor? What is the point of doing this? He
does it in his VCO and in the EG. I am becoming convinced it is this weird
connection which is giving SPICE problems. I can see when it the base is
connected to the collector, it should be a diode, but then why connect it to
the collector at all? I have no idea what it does when connected to the
emitter. In all the EG schematics, the base goes to the emitter. In the two
different VCO schematics I have, it goes to the collector.

The Synthacon schematics for the VCO and EG are here: 

http://www.xmission.com/~dingebre/page9.html

(since they are on the net in other places, I don't think I'm violating any
copyright. If I'm wrong, let me know immediately).

David