So, you've taken the quantum plunge. Or maybe you're interested in getting some Nanolog Devices, but aren't sure ​on how to go about installing the devices into your circuit board. 

Either way, our Nanolog Devices are actually quite simple to integrate into both new and existing circuits. There's several ways to get started, all of which will require a soldering iron outside of machine mounting processes. There are some short videos at the end of this post that will walk you through the various ways to successfully integrate your device into a circuit. 

A simple wire set-up can be extreme effective for testing devices in a circuit, as well as swapping out different styles of components. There are two gold-plated sockets on each Nanolog Device, with one being located on each end of the unit. Simply place the bare wire through the sockets, bend towards the outside of the unit, and solder. 

​This process is of course not ideal for final products, however can be great way to try new things quickly in the prototyping stage or for testing. This method is great for seeing how Nanolog Devices will perform with existing circuits. 

Thru-hole mounting will require the use of header pins. These parts do not come with the devices, however can be purchased from almost any component provider, and suggested links are provided below. 

​The main advantage to the thru-hole mount is the convenience and "switchability" that this approach affords. Once the pins are installed on the device, they can be easily mounted and unmounted either directly on to PCB boards, or onto sockets to attach to PCB boards.

We have a few preferred options for header pins, however any option will work as long as the width fits in the 1.1 mm spacing of the Nanolog Device. Header pins can cost as little as 5 to 15 cents per unit:

Short Pins: Wurth Electronics Inc. P/N 61300111121 (these are the parts used in our video below)
Long Pins: Samtec Inc. P/N TSW-101-15-T-S

Our devices have a gold plating that extends to the bottom of the device. This allows them to be soldered directly to a PCB, assuming the solder pads of the PCB correctly outline the device dimensions pictured above (being 15 mm x 7 mm). 

This is a very quick and easy way to mount a device. Simply place within the solder pad outline, and solder each gold plated edge. This requires no additional parts, and is a sturdy approach to pedal building. Done properly, it's very secure and takes up minimal space. The downside to this approach is the interchangeability aspect, as this method is not easily changed once applied. For this to work, you will need a working PCB layout with the correct traces defined.

Our Nanolog Devices are a new class of electronic component, and operate using "molecular electronics". A single Nanolog Device can replace a pair of clipping diodes (silicon, germanium) and even pre-amp tubes to create dynamic, warm, and organic overdriven tones. These devices are 100% analog, and as such, they have a very low milliamp draw. 

The softer clipping of these devices eliminates much of the harsh, "tin-like" buzziness that traditional diodes create. Additionally, the devices provide a warmer low-mid range response, and overall increased dynamics. 

For more information, please visit our Devices page that describes how these devices operate, the science behind them, and the many clear benefits they provide. 

Our Nanolog Devices can be purchased in single or small batches directly from Small Bear Electronics.

For larger orders, 100+ units, please contact our VP Marketing directly for additional information.  

For technical support please do not hesitate to reach us, we will likely get back to you in less than 24 hours. 

If you want to visit the beginning of Nanolog Devices, check out this video by JustNick published in 2014. It's a pretty in-depth explanation of the clipping, harmonics, and differences that they provide. He's using the very first guitar pedal prototype ever designed, built by the legendary ​Dr. Scientist. Since then we've made many improvements, upgraded our device construction, accomplished years of scientific testing, and even built a new "N3" model. 

Quick note: a "molecular junction" is the technical term for Nanolog Device. Molecular Junction "A" is now "N1" and Junction "B" is now "N2". 

In this extended video clip, we dive into the difference between the carbon "N1" and "N2" settings compared to traditional silicon and germanium diodes, track by track.

Are you letting silicon bring down your tone? 

In this video, we explore the difference in dynamic range and output between a silicon diode and our new patented carbon technology. To do this, we run our "C4 Distortion" into Protools and toggle between two of its settings so you can both hear and see the difference that carbon brings to the table. 

Interested in what carbon distortion and quantum mechanics means for your tone? Check out the video below that covers the inception, purpose, difference, and potential applications of "quantum tunneling" and carbon clipping with Nanolog Devices:

...Need to know more? We know one 16 minute video likely won't answer everything that comes to mind. So please, leave some comments and questions below to give us some food-for-thought for our next video! 

​You can also head over to Delicious Audio for a quick read Q&A session with our President & Co-Founder, Adam Bergren, here.

Lots of exciting press today!  The WaveFunction Overdrive is now available in limited quantities through our online store.  We're actively looking for dealers to distribute our products locally - so please contact us.  
​edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/molecular-electronics-improves-guitar-sound-quality-u-of-a-researchers-say
​​www.canada.com/technology/nanoscientists+transform+guitar+sound/13660643/story.html
​​http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/molecular-electronics-improves-guitar-sound-quality-u-of-a-researchers-say
​www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=75578
https://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/achievements/highlights/2017/nanotechnology.html
​

So, just What is Molecular Electronics? And how can it be used to create something interesting?

​The field of molecular electronics got going when the idea of using a molecule as a circuit component was proposed theoretically in 1974. Since then, there have been many experiments aimed as using molecules in circuits. Many of these use layers of molecules (not just a single molecule), and due to the way devices are constructed (see Figure 1 below), the critical dimension of the device resides in the same range as many small molecules (2-50 nm).

Figure 1 shows a molecular junction:

​Figure 1 shows to conductive layers with a molecular layer between them. In this case, a layer of ~2 nm is shown (2 molecules thick).

So, the main component, the Molecular Junction, is really a nano molecular sandwich, with conductors as the bread.

In order for electrons to complete the electronic circuit between the two conductors, they must flow across or through the molecular layer, meaning that a molecular junction incorporates molecules directly into the circuitry.

What does a molecular junction look like? Figure 2 shows a SIM card containing two molecular junctions in an adapter designed to enable electrical contact to the devices.

Figure 2: Photograph of a molecular junction:

​Time to put the Nanolog Audio Inc. Studio Measurements Lab to work!

In order to determine how molecular junction clipping differs from conventional diode clipping, we run a 0.3 Vpp (that's peak-to-peak) at 220 Hz into the input. Then, the output is put into an oscilloscope. As the settings on the pedal are changed, the output is monitored. Finally, in order to capture the waveforms and do further analysis, Audacity is used to record several seconds of the waves, and the data exported for plotting.

Here is a direct overlay of the resulting waveforms, showing an offset comparison of the input sine wave with the resulting clipping from a conventional 1N4148 diode pair and two different molecular junctions, one of which is 5 nm thick, and the other which is 8 nm thick:

​Two things are notable right away: the shapes are different, and the heights are different.

First, let's tackle peak height. These data were captured without adjusting the volume knob in order to show the relative amplitudes of the clipped waveforms. This is because the height of the waves will determine the overall volume, and the simple process of switching the clipping device can have a big impact on volume. As well, this height will determine the amount of dynamic range available for the player to interact with. The lower the wave height, the more compressed the signal is, and it can end up sounding "squished," which has an important impact on the tone and touch sensitivity- typically the end result of a more compressed clipped signal is less interactive feel, which is not inherently bad, but certainly different. It will depend on the intent of the player if this is desirable or not.

Second, let's get to the shapes. The more squared-off the waveform is, the more saturation or distortion there will be. That is because if we transform the time domain signal shown above into the frequency domain (more on that later), we could consider a square wave mathematically as an infinite sum of sine waves with different frequencies- this creates a very "saturated" sound perception, as if all of the available space is filled with noises.

The above data are transformed using Audacitiy's FFT algorithm, which is some fancy math that let's us see the individual frequencies the wave is composed of. For this type of clipping, we typically get harmonics- that is, integer multiples of the fundamental tone, which is 220 Hz. We therefore expect to see 220 Hz as the highest intensity, followed by 440, 660, and so on.

There are two things to note about the waveforms: a 5 nm molecular junction produces more compression and a more squared-off wave than an 8 nm molecular junction, and both of these show greater peak heights and more rounded shapes than the diode clipping.

Now, to the transform of these waveforms into the frequency domain, where we can check on how that initial single 220 Hz sine wave made out on its way through the clipping circuit:

Here, we see at far left the first peak, which is at 220 Hz (or 0.220 on this plot, where I've used kHz as the unit).We see that the diode clipping results in the most saturated frequency space, as expected from the waveforms. Both molecular junctions produce less saturation, and the frequencies fall off in intensity more as the frequency increases (follow the tops of the peaks and you'll see the steeper slope in the case of the molecular junctions. It is a bit harder to see a difference between the two molecular junctions, but it is there (I'll have to plot the heights sometime separately to show this more explicitly, but for now, this makes the point). The prediction we make from these plots is that molecular junction clipping will result in a "warmer" tone, with less high frequencies inherent, but at the same time with more dynamic range and less compression. Really cool combination!
​
What does this all mean? It means there is greater control over frequency space due to the nanoscale engineering of the devices used in the clipping circuit! The differences we hear in the sound, and that we can feel when playing through the circuit with different clipping devices is indeed measurable, and now we have some extra tonal colours with which to create soundscapes: an end result that we hope is the nano-enabled musical expression of diverse ideas!

Here are some YouTube videos that show the core technology of Nanolog Audio in action!

First up is a basic demonstration after a description of the technology: