Module A-160 is a frequency divider for clock/trigger/gate signals, designed to be a source of lower frequencies, particularly for rhythm uses. The Trigger input will take clock signals from, eg., an LFO, MIDI sync, or the gate from a MIDI-CV interface.
At the outputs, you have access to the sub-divided clock signals, from half the clock frequency down to 1/64. The low/high levels of the output signals are 0V and about +10V.

The A-160 also has a reset input. Whenever a reset signal is sensed, all outputs are set to zero, until the reset voltage disappears.
The Clock Divider can be used in combination with the A-161 Clock Sequencer to produce stepped sequences with a length of from one to eight events.

For more detailed information please look at the English user’s manual: A160_man.pdf

Similar modules:

A-152 Voltage Addressed Track&Hold / Switch (Multiplexer) / Digital Outputs
A-161 Clock/Trigger Sequencer
A-160-2 Clock Divider II
A-160-5 Clock Multiplier

Module A-160-2 is an enhanced version of the standard clock divider A-160. The module is a frequency divider for clock/trigger/gate signals, designed to be a source of lower frequencies, particularly for rhythm uses. The Clock input will take any digital signal from, eg., an LFO, MIDI sync, or the gate from a MIDI-CV interface. At the outputs, you have access to three sets of seven different sub-divided clock signals, from half the clock frequency down to 1/128. The low/high levels of the output signals are 0V and about +10V.

The A-160-2 also has a reset input. Whenever a reset signal is sensed, all outputs are set to certain levels which depend upon the selected mode.

These are the most important features of the module:
Three different sets of dividing factors, selected by a three-position switch at the front panel:
power of two: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128
prime numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17
integer: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Two output modes, selected by a two-position switch at the front panel:
Gate mode: outputs act like the outputs of typical binary dividers
Trigger mode: in this mode the outputs are AND-wired with the clock signal (i.e. the clock pulsewidth affects the pulsewidth of the outputs)
Clock edge type selected by a jumper on the pc board:
positive: the rising edge of the clock signal triggers the state change of the outputs
negative: the falling edge of the clock signal triggers the state change of the outputs
Reset behaviour by two jumpers on the pc board:
level triggered: the level at the Reset input triggers the Reset
edge triggered: the edge of the signal at the Reset input triggers the Reset
positive: a high level (> 2.5V) or the rising edge at the Reset input triggers the Reset
negative: a low level (< 1 V) or the falling edge at the Reset input triggers the Reset Output polarity selected by a jumper on the pc board: positive: non-inverted outputs negative: all seven outputs are inverted

Module A-160-5 is a voltage controlled clock multiplier. The incoming clock signal (socket Clock In) is multiplied by a factor that depends upon the control voltage on socket CV In (0…+5V) and the position of the Mode switch. The multiplied clock signal is available at the socket Clock Out. According to the position of the Mode switch different clock multiplying factors are assigned to the control voltage. With 0V CV no clock output is generated. This state is indicated by “all LEDs off”. With increasing CV integer factors (left position of the mode switch), power of two factors (middle position) or a mix of both (right position) are obtained. Nine LEDs are used to show the currently selected multiplying factor. In addition two LEDs are used to display the incoming and outgoing clock signal.

A manual control is used to adjust the clock multiplication factor manually without the need of an external control voltage. The voltage generated by this control (“Manual”) is normalled to the CV In socket. As long as no plug is inserted into the CV In socket the clock multiplication factor is adjusted by means of the manual control knob and displayed by the LEDs. For dynamic applications (like the ratcheting function described below) the manually generated CV is overwritten by the external CV which has to be fed into the CV In socket.
The module can be used for all kind of clock multiplying applications. One important example is the generation of so-called ratcheting sequences. The band Tangerine Dream is famous for this kind of sequences. A normal sequencer generates only one gate signal per step. A ratcheting sequence may have also more than one gate pulses per step. This function can be obtained by using the A-160-5: one CV output of the sequencer is used to define the number of gate pulses per step. If the control of the step in question is fully CCW the generated CV is 0V and no gate signal is generated (mute of the step). When the control of the step in question is turned clockwise one, two or more gate pulses are generated depending upon the position of the mode switch and the voltage generated by the CV at this step.

Technical note: Due to the nature of clock multiplying it takes a few input clock pulses until the clock output is stable. One has to average a few input clock pulses to generate the multiplied clock output signal. Even when the input clock frequency changes it will take a few cycles until the output clock signal is correct as the module cannot forsee the future of the clock input signal. The generated clock output signal is derived from the last few cycles of the clock input signal. Consequently the module should be driven only by a clock signal with constant or slowly changing frequency.

Module A-161 is an eight-step Clock Sequencer which is internally connected to the Clock Divider (A-160). Eight outputs are sequentially switched by the clock signals from the A-160 (see Fig. 1) and can act, for instance, as sequential rhythmic triggers for an envelope. The reset on the A-160 also works on the A-161 (instant return to Step 1). The low/high levels of the output signals are 0V and about +10V. In combination with a mixer (A-138) short analog sequences can be generated. Our MIDI-Analog-Sequencer MAQ16/3 is suitable for MIDI-controlled analog sequences up to 48 steps. A “real” analog sequencer with 8 steps is the A-155.

For more detailed information please look at the English user’s manual: A161_man.pdf.

Similar modules:
A-152 Voltage Addressed Track&Hold / Switch (Multiplexer) / Digital Outputs
A-160 Clock/Trigger Divider

The A-161 requires an Clock Divider A-160 and has to be mounted directly to the right of the A-160.

Module A-162 contains two identical circuits that generate a trigger signal with adjustable delay and lenght from an incoming rectangle signal (e.g. gate, trigger, rectangle output of an LFO or VCO). The rising edge of the incoming signal is used to trigger the new trigger signal. This module makes it possible to delay the onset of a trigger pulse, and also change its length.

On each of the two units, two controls can alter the onset time and duration of triggers, from about 2 ms up to more than 10 seconds. A control LED shows the generated signal.

For more detailed information please look at the English user’s guide as pdf file.

Remark: By request the time range of delay and/or length can be modified very easily by changing the value of a capacitor, e.g. 200 us…1 s or 20 us … 100 ms or 2us … 10ms. That way the module can be used also for audio applications. If you want to modify the module yourself please read this document: Timing capacitors of A-100 modules.

A voltage controlled version of a trigger delay can be realized with the module A-142 Voltage Controlled Decay/Gate.

Module A-163 is a voltage controlled audio frequency divider. The frequency of the input signal (preferably the rectangle output of a VCO) is divided by an integer factor N (N = 1, 2, 3, 4 … up to 32). N can be adjusted manually and modulated with an external control voltage (e.g. from LFO, ADSR, Random, MIDI-to-CV, Theremin, Light-to-CV, analog sequencer) with attenuator. The control input has polarizing function, i.e. the manually adjusted dividing factor can be modulated upwards or downwards. The basic idea of a polarizer is described in the modules A-133 Voltage Controlled Polarizer and A-138c Polarizing Mixer.

The output waveform is rectangle with 50% duty cycle. Unlike the A-115 with fixed dividing factors (2, 4, 8, 16) the dividing factor of the A-163 is voltage controlled and can be any integer value between 1 and about 20 (but only one output). In contrast to A-113 the dividing factor of the A-163 is voltage controlled and the output waveform is rectangle (the A-113 has 4 sawtooth outputs with 4 adjustable but not voltage controlled dividers).

Applications: dynamic voltage controlled frequency division of audio signals or modulation signals. More details concerning frequency division of audio signals can be found in the Trautonium or A-113 information.

Inputs: CV In, Audio In (rectangle)
Output: Audio Out (resp. rectangle modulation CV out after modification)
Controls: Manual N, CV attenuator

After a small modification (a capacitor has to be shortened or replaced by a wire for DC coupling) the A-163 can be used for low-frequency control signals too.

Remark: From 2007 the module is equipped with an additional jumper at the bottom side of the pc board. This jumper is used to select DC coupled (jumper installed) or AC coupled mode (jumper removed). If the module is used to divide slowly changing signals (like clock, trigger, gate or rectangle signals of an LFO) the DC coupled mode has to be selected. For audio signals the AC mode is recommended.

Module A-165 (Dual Trigger Modifier) contains two separate trigger modifiers, to use with logical / digital levels (Gate, Clock, Trigger). Each half of the module enables signals generated by the A-100 to communicate with other instruments (such as an external sequencer), or is simply used where you want to reverse a trigger polarity.

Whatever signal is patched into the input is inverted by the module, and fed out of the Inv. Out (inverted output) socket. At the same time, a trigger signal of roughly 50 ms is generated every time an edge of the trigger pulse is sensed (negative as well as positive). This trigger signal is available at the +/- output.
Two LEDs act as indicators showing the level of signal available at the two outputs.

A-167 is a module that compares analog voltages and derives a gate signal. The state of the gate output (low/high) depends upon which of the voltages is higher. It is possible to compare two external voltages (+In and -In) or an external voltage (+In or -In) with a manually adjustable value (Offs. control). Both analog inputs +In and -In are equipped with an attenuator. Internally the module generates the voltage k1*(+In) – k2*(-In) + Offset and und sets or resets the gate output depending on the result of this internal voltage (>0V or <0V). The factors k1 and k2 represent the manual attenuators. A LED shows the current state of the gate output. The Gap control is used to adjust a so-called "hysteresis". As long as this control is set to zero the switching levels for both on and off state of the gate signal are identical. As soon as the Gap control is turned up the switching levels for on and off state fall apart and a so-called hysteresis appears. The sketch at the bottom of this page shows the Gap function.

Normal and inverted gate outputs are available. In addition the internal voltage k1*(+In) – k2*(-In) + Offset is available at the Analog Sum socket. Consequently the module can be used as subtractor and offset generator too.

Applications: Generation of gate signals depending upon analog voltages. E.g. a gate signal that depends upon the present value of a LFO (triangle), ADSR or random signal can be generated and used to control a voltage controlled switch that on the other hand switches different control voltages or audio signals. The module can even be used to add the free-running mode to each ADSR ,e.g. A-140 similar to a LFO but with separate controls for rising and falling edge and exponential waveforms – in contrast to the linear waveforms of a LFO. See the patch examples below.