Thierry E-Pro Mod - Part 2

Hi Thierry -

Still haven't received your email. Looking forward to it.

Send it once more not from my "theremin" but from my personal account. Your provider rejected it. I did now another try from my day job professional account. Let's see what happens...

If I get an answer before 04:30PM (GMT+2) which should be 10:30AM at the East coast, I'll be able to ship the module still today.

TW member coalport published a new video on YT where he plays his Etherwave Pro recently upgraded with my EPVM1345 module (serial #01):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHiNVJ6IjpY

Just to tell everybody that I decided to sell the volume response modification on ebay, since there I have a better overview over orders, payments shipping adresses as before where I had to lookup the needed informations in 3 or 4 or more emails. The item # will change every 10 days, but if you search for "EPVM1345" or "Etherwave Pro" in the "worldwide" location mode, you will find it.

Actually it is here: EPVM1345 on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Moog-Etherwave-Pro-Theremin-addon-module-EPVM1345_W0QQitemZ250469053432QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_71?hash=item3a511e73f8&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)

Thierry -

Am getting ready to install the module. However, looking at your PDF instructions, it seems that "Page 4" is missing in the PDF. Page 4 seems to contain a portion of the installation instructions. I am sure I can figure it out anyway, but thought you might like to know.

I just downloaded and checked the document from here (http://files.getdropbox.com/u/1548721/Theremin/EPVM1345_en.pdf).

The page 4 is there, but took a bit longer to show up because it mainly contains two high resolution pictures. Instead of viewing it in the browser plugin it would perhaps help to download and save it to disk before opening it with the offline Acrobat reader.

The text of page 4 is here:
[i]volume loop support. Disconnect the black cable taking care to not to damage the small loop circuit
board since the connector may be firmly attached. Disconnect carefully the broad white ribbon
cable from the volume circuit board without bending the pins of the connector. Locate the two
screws which fix the volume circuit board behind the front panel via sheet steel angles and unscrew
them. Take the volume circuit board off. It should look like this if you have the original version...[/i]
*picture 1*
[i]...or like this if your board has already been modified by Moog Music Inc:[/i]
*picture 2*

Page 5 continues with chapter 4.3

To be sure I send you the document by email!

OK -

I see it now. I had to switch to "page mode" indexing to see page four. When I viewed it in "table of contents mode", page four does not appear. It might be a slight bug in the PDF document - worth checking.

Just got it installed - it seems to be working. :)

Unfortunately, however, the addition of the module seems to have decreased the control range of the volume loop significantly. The control range is now only about four inches from the start of the sound to full volume. Before I had about twice that or maybe more. This decreased range makes the volume very difficult to control.

Normally the range should be even increased... Which jumper setting did you choose?

It is normal that you will have to adjust the volume pot more counterclockwise than before for the jumper settings #3 and #4 since about 8.5dB of dynamics are added for each step to the lower end of the control range, while 1.5dB are taken away at the upper end, resulting in a gain of 8.5-1.5=7dB.
You can do a quick check if the installation went well: If your volume board was "original" with a 3k3 resistor in place of R67, choose jumper setting #1, if it had the Moog mod before (3 resistors and 2 diodes) choose jumper setting #2. With that settings all should fall back in the previous state. If it doesn't there is most probably a problem with one of the 2 solderings. If it does, try the settings #1, #2 and #3 one after the other and check if the response gets smoother from setting to setting. Please report as precisely as possible what changes from one step to the next to allow a detailed diagnostic. It is clear that in case the module was faulty (what I actually can't imagine since I test them thoroughly before shipping) you'll get a free exchange or full refund.

Hi Thierry -

Thanks for the quick reply. No problems with my soldering. As you stated, I have to turn the volume control all the way counterclockwise, but it is not enough to regain the amount of control lost without the module. I do not find it to be increasingly smooth on the different settings - on setting #3 I find the response to have a very strong volume jump about 2/3rds the way through the range. Setting #4 does the same thing, only the jump is earlier in the range. Setting #2 feels "smoother" and setting #1 feels the smoothest. This seems to be opposite of what you are stating. I was hoping for a response similar to my Etherwave standard and Etherwave plus, but I find the sudden jump in volume in the louder portion to feel very unnatural.

I have removed the module and my theremin is much smoother now. I appreciate your offer for a refund, and will take you up on it.