Rolls RFX147 User Manual

LIMITED WARRANTY

This product is warranted to the original consumer purchaser to be
free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal installation,
use and service for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase as
shown on the purchaser’s receipt.

The obligation of Rolls Corporation under this warranty shall be
limited to repair or replacement (at our option), during the warranty period
of any part which proves defective in material or workmanship under
normal installation, use and service, provided the product is returned to
Rolls Corporation, TRANSPOR TATION CHARGES PREPAID. Products
returned to us or to an authorized Service Center must be accompanied by
a copy of the purchase receipt. In the absence of such purchase receipt, the
warranty period shall be one (1) year from the date of manufacture.

This warranty shall be invalid if the product is damaged as a result
of defacement, misuse, abuse, neglect, accident, destruction or alteration
of the serial number, improper electrical voltages or currents, repair,
alteration or maintenance by any person or party other than our own
service facility or an authorized Service Center, or any use violative of
instructions furnished by us.

This one-year warranty is in lieu of all expressed warranties,
obligations or liabilities. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, OBLIGA­TIONS, OR LIABILITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, SHALL BE LIMITED IN DURATION
TO THE ONE YEAR DURATION OF THIS WRITTEN LIMITED
WARRANTY. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an
implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

RFX147

ROTORHORN

Rotating Speaker Simulator

IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF
THIS OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED,
WHATSOEVER. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of
special, incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation or
exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal
rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

RFX

Salt Lake City, UT

8/01

OWNERS MANUAL

INTRODUCTION

SPECIFICATIONS

Thank you for y our purchase of the RFX147 Rotorhorn. This unit is a line level
rack mount signal processor for duplicating the sound of a rotating horn speaker
cabinet electronically. It has a two-wa y crosso v er network to produce the eff ect of
bass and treble "rotors". The unit is housed in a single space 19" rac k painted
steel chassis and is intended for live perf ormance or studio work. The RFX147 is
simple to use and is ready to work on power up.

FEATURES

• Accurate simulation of "Leslie" fast and slo w speeds

• Front panel and f oots witch control of all functions

• Smooth sounding CHORUS eff ect

• Mono VIBRATO effect

INSPECTON

1. Unpac k and Inspect the RFX147 pac kage
If obvious physical damage is noticed, contact the carrier immediately to make a
damage claim. We suggest sa ving the shipping carton and packing materials for
safely transporting the unit in the future.

2. Please complete the Warr anty Registration Card and return it to the factory.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

Introduction
Features
Inspection
Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION 2
Front P anel
Rear Panel

CONNECTION 3

Input: Dual 1/4" unbalanced
Output: Dual 1/4" unbalanced
Input Impedance: 50k Ohms
Output Impedance: 100 Ohms
Output Lev el: +5 dB max
Delay Time: 6 mS
Crossover Freq. 800 Hz

Size: 19 x 1.75 x 6 inches
Weight: 7 lbs

BRIEF HISTOR Y OF THE ROTATING SPEAKER
Electronic devices that produce a “Leslie-lik e” sound ha v e been a v ailable since

the sixties. Cheap solid state components and the need f or more portable equip­ment led to the development of numerous “electronic Leslies” and tremolo-vibrato
add-on devices. Fe w early Leslie simulators were authentic enough to f ool e ven
causal listeners and rarely sounded like a real Leslie Speaker. Most relied on
simple phase-shift circuitry and their primary advantages were compactness and
low cost. Current equipment is much impro v ed and it’s often difficult to tell the
difference between a real Leslie and a simulator, especially on recordings.

All mechanical rotary tremolo systems are based on the Doppler-effect. Disco v­ered by Austrian mathematician and ph ysicist Christian Doppler (1803-1853) in
the early nineteenth century, the Doppler-eff ect is the apparent variation in pitch
that a stationary listener hears from a moving sound source. In practice , the
loudness of the sound also appears to vary and it is this combination of frequency
(vibrato) and ampli-tude (tremolo) modulation that give rotating speaker and other
Doppler-effect systems their characteristic sound.

OPERATION 4
SCHEMATIC 5
SPECIFICATIONS 6

A brief history of the rotating speaker effect
WARRANTY BACK COVER

Basic Doppler characteristics are easily created electronically . However , most
simulators don’t reflect sound or produce the unique audio characteristics of
mechanical systems. Rotating speak er elements also direct sound out the sides
and back of the cabinet which is reflected off nearby walls and surf aces . The
listener hears this combination of primary and reflected sound as a moving audio
field. Adding a second cabinet further enhances the effect. Even when the audio
source (organ) is mono, the rotating speaker elements and reflected sound create
a realistic stereo effect.

The RFX147 Rotorhorn simulates the Leslie speaker effect unlike any other
electronic simulator by utilizing an internal crossover . This provides a way to effect
the upper and lower frequencies differently m uch lik e a real rotating speak er. A
more authentic effect is thus produced.

1 6

FOOT

SWITCH

LEFT OUT

RIGHT OUT

LEFT IN

RIGHT IN

120 VAC

50/60 Hz 15 VA

MADE IN U.S.A.

MODEL RP147

SERIAL NUMBER

147-

RISQUE DE CHOC - NE PAS ENLEVER

NRTL/C

WARNING:

To reduce the
risk of electric shock or fire,
do not expose this device to
rain or moisture.

:

CAUTION:

To reduce the risk
of electric shock do not remove
lid. No user serviceable parts
inside. Refer servicing to
qualified service personnel.

FOOT

PEDAL

1

ROLLS CORPORATION

5968 South 350 West

Salt Lake City, UT

84107

1

Title: RFX147 ROTATING SPEAKER SIMULATOR

Size: Document Number:

Date: 24 - Aug - 2001

Rev:

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SCHEMATIC

DESCRIPTION

FRONT PANEL

5 2

INPUT LEVEL: Adjusts the amount of signal from y our instrument to the RFX147
input circuitry .
OUTPUT LEVEL: Controls the amount of signal from the RFX147.
CHORUS/VIBRATO SWITCH: Selects between the Chorus/Rotating Speaker
effect mode and the mono Vibr ato mode.
DEPTH: Controls the dela y time of the modulation circuitry. It essentially adjusts
the amount of effect.
RATE: Adjusts the amount of time taken to switch betw een Speed 1 and Speed 2.
SPEED 1: Adjusts the first modulation speed
SPEED 2: Adjusts the second modulation speed
ON/OFF SWITCH: Selects either the eff ected mode or b ypass .
SPD SELECT SWITCH: Selects Speed 1 or Speed 2.
PWR LED: Indicates the RFX147 is conntected to a po wer source and the Pow er
Switch is in the ON position.

POWER SWITCH: Applies po wer to the RFX147.

REAR PANEL

120 VAC 50/60HZ: P o w er cord - connect to a properly grounded A C outlet.
FOOT PED AL: 1/4" Tip Slee ve jack for connection to the optional RFX402 passiv e

volume/panner/control pedal, for adjusting SPEED 2. NO TE; WHEN THIS PEDAL
IS CONNECTED , THE FRONT PANEL SPEED 2 KNOB IS BYPASSED.

FOOT SWITCH: 1/4" TRS jac k - connect to the pro vided RP8 two-b utton s witch
for selecting Effect/Bypass and Speed1/Speed2. The EFFECT 1 switch bypasses
the effect, EFFECT 2 selectes Speed1 and Speed 2.

LEFT OUT:1/4" unbalanced jack for connection to an amplifier or mix er.
RIGHT OUT: 1/4" unbalanced jac k for connection to an amplifier or mixer.

NOTE: WHEN OPERATING IN MONO USE THIS JACK.

LEFT IN: 1/4" unbalanced jack for connection to your ke yboard, sound module, or
other instrument you wish to have the Rotorhorn eff ect.
RIGHT IN: 1/4" unbalanced jac k f or connection to your k e yboard, sound module,
or other instrument you wish to have the Rotorhorn effect.

NOTE: WHEN OPERATING IN MONO USE THIS JACK.

CONNECTION

OPERATION

Shown below in Fig 1 is a connection example for the RFX147.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE CONNECTING IN MONO, USE THE RIGHT INPUT AND
OUTPUT.

Connect the keyboard or module output(s) to the RFX147 INPUT(S), and the
RFX147 OUTPUT(S) to an amplifier, mix er, snake, etc.

Connect the RP8 footswitch to the FOO TSWITCH jack via a stereo 1/4" TRS to 1/
4" TRS cable.

If you have the optional RFX402p pedal, connect the CV OUT to the
FOOTPED AL input via a stereo 1/4" TRS to 1/4" TRS cable.

Plug the power cord into a properly grounded AC outlet and s witch the RFX147
power switch to the ON position.

Fig 1.

To begin operating your Rotorhorn, first make sure all proper connections are
made, and the unit is on. We recommend mounting the unit in a secure 19" rack.

Press the effect ON/OFF switch, or press the EFFECT 2 switch on the RP8
footswitch to the OFF or b ypassed mode so when y ou send signal to the unit y ou
hear an un-effected signal. Adjust the INPUT level control f or maximum input
without distortion, adjust the OUTPUT level control to provide the proper amount
of signal for the next device.

Remember that the more INPUT signal the RFX147
has to work with, the less OUTPUT is needed and thus there will be much less
noise created. The bypass level should match the effected level as closely as
possible.

Press in the CHORUS/VIBRATO switch so the RFX147 is in CHORUS mode. This
is the most effective rotating speak er eff ect. The VIBRATO is a mono eff ect.

Now engage the effect by pressing the ON/OFF switch or pressing the EFFECT 2
switch again on the RP8 f oots witch. Y ou should hear the effect. Use the RP8
EFFECT 1 switch or the SPD SELECT on the front panel of the RFX147 to switch
between the two speeds. This emulates the tw o speeds of the rotating speakers .

Figure 1 shows sample settings for the Rotorhorn. The DEPTH control is set f or a
full sounding effect and the RATE control is set for a fairly quick change from
SPEED 1 to SPEED 2. SPEED 1 is set f or a slo w modulation and speed 2 is set
for the fastest modulation.

This is just a starting place. Experiment with different settings to acheiv e a sound
you like.

RIGHT IN

INPUT
LEVEL

OUTPUT

LEVEL

CHORUS

VIBRATO

DEPTH

RATE SPEED 1 SPEED 2

OFF

SPD

ON

SELECT

PWR

Fig 2.

USING THE FOOT PEDAL - RFX402p

If you have the optional RFX402p, connecting it via the FOOTPEDAL jack on the
RFX147 rear panel will bypass the SPEED 2 control. The RFX402p will then
become the control for SPEED 2.

43