From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Sat Jul 27 07:52:01 2002
Subject:Re: Lon's Gig from Hell

Hi Mel,

>Could product reviews include test results of an item's tolerance of low
>voltage?

Sure, although a) there's no hard-and-fast standard for testing; and b) many readers would neither understand nor care about the results.

>Technical people out there, I ask you: is testing for such a thing
>a simple matter?

The answer is both yes and no. The basic concept -- lowering (or raising) the voltage over a limited range to see if the tested device stops working properly -- is straightforward, but the response of the device can range from no change at all, to reduced performance, to lockups and strange behavior, to permanent damage to the gear. The tester needs a combination of test-savvy and experience to minimize the destructive aspects of the testing. Since gear mags like Keyboard like to take an "in the trenches" direction with their tests, this usually means giving the gear to "typical" (non-technical) musicians.

Also, this test, while simple, doesn't really mimic a number of real life situations that gigging musicians face. In particular, it doesn't simulate the dropouts and line noise found in generator-powered situations, and it doesn't mimic the problem of music-related brownouts -- ex: dips in voltage caused by the extra current needed to reproduce a heavy kick drum. Tests could be devised to take these issues into consideration, but this opens up a big can of worms over the "best" test procedures, validity of the tests themselves, etc.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
CloneWheel Support Group and HiNote moderator
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com