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Description
The Analog Thing V1.2 (in short THAT) is a high-quality, low-cost, open-source, and not-for-profit cutting-edge analog computer designed for desktop use to solve (sets of) differential equations. With its patch panel instead of keyboard, mouse, and monitor, its user interface differs noticeably from those of its digital stored-program cousins. The patch panel is divided into groups of analog computing elements such as integrators, summers, and multipliers.
THAT allows modeling dynamic systems with great speed, parallelism, and energy efficiency. Its use is intuitively interactive, experimental, and visual. It bridges the gap between hands-on practice and mathematical theory, integrating naturally with design and engineering practices such as speculative trial-and-error exploration and the use of scale models.
Dynamic system modeling on THAT can serve a variety of valuable purposes. It may help understand what is (models of), or it may help bring about what should be (models for). It may be used to explain in educational settings, to imitate in gaming, to predict in the natural sciences, to control in engineering, or it may be pursued for the pure joy of it!
THAT can be used with various kinds of oscilloscopes, such as conventional cathode ray tube oscilloscopes, digital oscilloscopes, and USB oscilloscopes in conjunction with PCs.
Features
- 5 Integrators – Circuits that perform integration over time.
- 4 Summers – Circuits that add inputs continously.
- 2 Comparators – Circuits that compare inputs to support conditional functions.
- Master/Minion Ports – Interfaces that allow daisy-chaining multiple THATs to create arbitrarily large programs.
- 8 Coefficient Potentiometers – Rotary knobs to provide user-defined inputs.
- 2 Multipliers – Circuits that multiply inputs continously.
- Panel Meter – A digital panel meter for precision measurements of values and timing.
- Hybrid Port – An interface for controlling THAT digitally to develop analog-digital hybrid programs.
Included
- 1x RCA-RCA cable
- 30x Patch cables
- 6x Adhesive feet
- 1x Master to minion ribbon cable
- 1x USB-A to USB-C cable
- 1x Quick-start manual
Required
- USB power supply
- BNC adapters/cables to connect an oscilloscope
