[sdiy] Drum sample playback

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

There's a huge gap between the math required to calculate V=IR and the math required to calculate the Z-transform of a high-order filter simulation. Which part do you have trouble with? ;-)

In all seriousness, I think it's totally worthwhile to understand Kirchoff's Law, Ohm's Law, and other simple algebraic mathematical relationships in circuits. If you want to know why some op-amp circuit that you found on the internet isn't working on your breadboard, it doesn't really take a lot of fancy math to figure out the basics. Unless you're talking about oscillations due to complex impedance of cables, the math isn't that difficult.

My point is that I hope people who are interested in electronics won't completely shy away from the math. Knowing how to read the forward voltage chart on a data sheet, that shows the relationship between current and voltage on an LED, and then calculate a resistor value that will protect that LED from burning out is a good skill to have. Also, when a resistor has a 5% tolerance or a 0.05% tolerance, it's helpful to be able to do the math to figure out the worst case to make sure your circuit won't fail at random.

Beyond the simple math, sometimes it's useful to just have a vague idea of what to expect, and then use an oscilloscope to help fine tune things like the values in an RC filter.

Brian


On Apr 14, 2017, at 11:54 AM, Mike HEQX <mike at heqx.com> wrote:
> I have full respect and admiration for the masters on this list who can get down to transfer functions and predict outcomes in a simulation.I was fortunate to get an electronics education and some amazing electronics work experience, but I am severely mathematically impaired so I leave circuit design to others at this point.
> 
> I don't allow my math deficiency it to stop me and I have invented some really cool electronic devices where I had to cheat like a crooked poker player, but I got the result. I have resolved myself to looking at electronics as a wonderful art form more than a mathematical challenge. I can't imagine what things would be like without all of the brilliant people in electronics doing all of the hard work for me. I would be a plumber.
> 
> On 4/14/2017 3:12 AM, rsdio at audiobanshee.com wrote:
>> On Apr 13, 2017, at 11:50 PM, Elaine Klopke <functionofform at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Googling everything and 'inserting it ' into a design might get you up and running, as you say , but what "fun" is that?
>>> No lack of respect implied for the old ways of doing things, but from a "young whipper-snapper" point of view, getting the thing up and running IS the fun. I would gladly have a module making noise and then go and figure out why it's doing so.
>> I realize that much of this thread is tongue-in-cheek, but it does raise an interesting question.
>> 
>> Textbook designs are not necessarily the best place to start for a schematic, although there are a few genius authors. In a sense, does it matter whether you copy a design that probably started from a textbook anyway or go directly to the textbook yourself and miss out on what other designers have added?
>> 
>> Better than textbooks are the data sheets and application notes from the manufacturers of the silicon itself. Granted, transistors are so general that you're not going to see every potential circuit in their data sheets, but as you get to more complex circuits like a transconductance amplifier you'll learn a lot from the manufacturer. Of course, the same comment could be made about this approach as about textbooks: does it matter whether you copy a design that almost surely came straight out of the manufacturer application notes or go directly to the original notes yourself?
>> 
>> In any case, it's best to start with a schematic that comes along with some design notes. There are many parts of circuits that are only appropriate for the situation at hand, and your application might be rather different. You really need to read and understand how a circuit works before you know whether it's appropriate for your new design.
>> 
>> Brian
>