* PM_K-1 : input loading -- line receiver (25k) vs Hi-Z instrument buffer (1M) * * This is the circuit-level proof of a decision we made by hand: why a guitar/bass * needs a HIGH-impedance input. A passive pickup is inductive, so the load impedance * it sees shapes its tone. Plug it into a low impedance and you damp its resonance * and lose treble + level; a high-Z buffer preserves it. * * Pickup model: open-circuit source + winding resistance + inductance + self-capacitance. * Plus a typical ~300 pF guitar cable. We drive two identical pickup+cable networks * from one ideal source and load them differently, then compare. * * Run: ngspice -b sim/input_loading.cir (from inside the EDA container) .title PM_K-1 input loading: line 25k vs instrument 1M Vpu src 0 AC 1 * --- Branch A: LINE input, ~25k receiver impedance --- RdcA src a1 6k LpuA a1 a2 3 CpuA a2 0 150p CcabA a2 0 300p RinA a2 0 25k * --- Branch B: INSTRUMENT input, 1M Hi-Z buffer --- RdcB src b1 6k LpuB b1 b2 3 CpuB b2 0 150p CcabB b2 0 300p RinB b2 0 1meg .ac dec 100 10 100k .control run meas ac a_1k find vdb(a2) at=1000 meas ac b_1k find vdb(b2) at=1000 meas ac a_peak max vdb(a2) from=1000 to=20000 meas ac b_peak max vdb(b2) from=1000 to=20000 echo echo " Level @1kHz : line(25k)= $&a_1k dB inst(1M)= $&b_1k dB" echo " Resonant peak : line(25k)= $&a_peak dB inst(1M)= $&b_peak dB" echo " -> the 25k load drags the signal down and flattens the pickup's natural peak;" echo " the 1M input preserves level and tone. Hence the switchable Hi-Z front end." wrdata ../eda/sim/input_loading.csv vdb(a2) vdb(b2) .endc .end