More actions
Created page with "== Hard and soft limits, the range of possibilities and need for calibration == Before getting into the weeds of how to change strings and bowing wheels, you should know about the concept of ''hard'' and ''soft limits''. Within automated machining, a ''hard limit'' is simply a point beyond which a machine will not function - an example of a ''hard limit'' in the Ekdahl FAR is for instance the maximum speed of the bowing wheel; at a certain point the motor simply cannot..." |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
The pressures ''hard limits'' can be set by loosening the two screws holding the pressure motor and sliding the carriage back and forth. This adjustment should rarely have to be performed as it should be pre-set, but if you change the height of the bridges, change into a string of a different thickness or a differently sized bowing wheel you may have to. The position of the carriage should be set so that when the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] is at its lowest mechanical point, the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing wheel|bowing wheel]] is roughly 1mm away from the string. The easiest way to set the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] to its lowest mechanical point is to use the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Configuration Utility|configuration utility]] and click the "Reset pressure rest and go to rest position"-button in the "Basic bow parameters". This will set the ''bow pressure rest position'' to zero and tell the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] to go to the ''bow pressure rest position''. If the shield is taken off of the Ekdahl FAR you can instead, while the unit is off, rotate the ''corkscrew'' that controls the position of the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] to its minimum position. | The pressures ''hard limits'' can be set by loosening the two screws holding the pressure motor and sliding the carriage back and forth. This adjustment should rarely have to be performed as it should be pre-set, but if you change the height of the bridges, change into a string of a different thickness or a differently sized bowing wheel you may have to. The position of the carriage should be set so that when the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] is at its lowest mechanical point, the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing wheel|bowing wheel]] is roughly 1mm away from the string. The easiest way to set the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] to its lowest mechanical point is to use the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Configuration Utility|configuration utility]] and click the "Reset pressure rest and go to rest position"-button in the "Basic bow parameters". This will set the ''bow pressure rest position'' to zero and tell the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] to go to the ''bow pressure rest position''. If the shield is taken off of the Ekdahl FAR you can instead, while the unit is off, rotate the ''corkscrew'' that controls the position of the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#bowing jack|bowing jack]] to its minimum position. | ||
== Mute limits == | |||
The mute also has three preset positions associated with it; ''mute rest position'' (lower ''soft limit''), ''mute full mute position'' (upper ''soft limit'') and ''mute half mute position''. By reading the previous paragraph the ''mute rest position'' and ''mute full mute position'' should hopefully be quite obvious, the ''mute half mute position'' is an auxilary position that can be set to do things like suppressing the fundamental, create pinch harmonics, or anything else your heart desires. | |||
Just like with the pressure, the mute has two screws for adjusting the mute motor, however the mute also has an upper mute that should first be set to rest roughly 1mm above the string. Reset the mute position mechanically or use the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Configuration Utility|configuration utility]] and press the "Reset rest position and go to rest position"-button in "Mute parameters". Slide the mute motor carriage to where the lower mute rests about 1mm below the string. | |||
== Hammer force limits == | |||
The hammer force limits are a little different than the previous limits discussed, furthermore the [[The Ekdahl FAR - Getting started#command|command]]<nowiki/>s associated with the hammer are prefixed by the word 'solenoid' as this is the electrical device that actually causes the hammer action. The solenoid ''min force'' and solenoid ''max force'' parameters here are simply a convenience that makes it easier to control the instrument. A solenoid force of zero always means "no hammer action". | |||
Solenoid ''min force'' is the lowest amount of force necessary for the hammer to hit the string and solenoid ''max force'' is the maximum force usable. The reason to set the minimum force is because without it, if mapped to for instance velocity of a keyboard, there will be a lot of "dead" values on the lower end where the hammer isn't reaching the string or even triggering the solenoid at all. The maximum amount is used because there can be an upper range where the increase of power to the solenoid simply doesn't audibly change the hammer hit, meaning the upper range would all sound the same. Another use of the upper range can be to limit the force due to the fact that certain strings, mostly thinner ones, will distort or just sound bad when hit too hard. | |||