More actual pix - here
A true 8-voice
analog polyphonic with KP580BM80A based controller, 16 digitally synced analog
oscillators, 8 MOOG-like discrete ladder filters, 1 SAW_UP/SAW_DOWN/TRIANG/SQUARE
LFO, 1 noise source, 256 memory presets in four banks (192 ROM, 64 RAM), sequencer
and UP/DOWN/UP_AND_DOWN arpeggiator. Four AA type batteries are used for memory
back_up. Modulation of pitch, VCA, VCF and waveform is possible. Polyphonic
and monophonic modes are provided.
Monophonic mode
is quite complex and unusual. Some of these sounds resemble ready chords sampled
and played back at a different pitch. Monophonic portamento may be used in auto
and antiauto modes (in terms of Roland SH101). Polyphonic portamento action
sounds a little bit similar to JUPITER 8. The weight of this device is about
17-18 kilograms. Designed approx. 1985, assembled in CCCP Latvia.
It has two powerful
features. The first one is that the waveform of each of the oscillators is programmable,
i.e. rise time, pulse width and fall time (per cycle) can be adjusted . In other
words if you, say, set the maximal rise time, pulse width to zero and fall time
to zero too, you will get a nice SAW, if the rise time is equal to the fall
time and the pulse width is zero, this will be a good TRIANGLE. If the former
two are zeros and the latter (I mean pulse width) is somewhere between MIN and
MAX the signal waveform will be PULSE. If the parameter settings are not so
extreme and some modulation is applied this will be a ...e-eeh..uu-uhm.. VARIABLE
GEOMETRY WAVEFORM !!!
Another one (powerful
feature) is a 6-parameter VCF EG . Three knobs are levels and the rest three
are durations. This is something like ADSR with a phase reverse switch, but
these levels can be set without any limitations. During the attack phase the
control voltage varies from LEVEL 3 to LEVEL 1, then from LEVEL 1 to LEVEL 2
(decay-like) and then from LEVEL 2 to LEVEL 3 (release). Mention should be made
that LEVEL 1 can be lower than LEVEL 3 meanwhile LEVEL 2 can be higher than
LEVEL 3!
Filter is 24dB/Oct
lowpass transistor ladder type built of discrete transistors and KP198HT1 transistor
array chips (CA3046-friendly, not pin to pin compatible according to reference
book). Filter cutoff frequency is defined by EG, control pedal, pitch bend wheel
(a bit like in JUPITERS), LFO and keyboard. Keyboard tracking is OFF or FULL
.
VCA EG is a 5 parameter ADSR - like conditional only (in terms of memorymoog).
MIDI was not installed in early versions, although the circuit board layout
includes all connections for the UART, optocoupler etc.
Manual - here