3-in-1 waveform generator covers wide range of signal generation needs

For a wide range of modern electronics designs, engineers need to generate frequently used waveforms in an easy manner with little to no set up, but they may also need to generate more complex waveforms with many degrees of flexibility.

For example, the signal could be as simple as a clock with constant frequency in an embedded design, or as complex as a mix of modulated waveforms in parallel with digital patterns in radar and communications designs. The AWG4000 Series is the first waveform generator with the flexibility to meet such a broad set of requirements.

As a signal generator AWG4000 is up to nearly any task. It offers two analogue channels, up to 2.5GS/s sampling rate, 750 MHz bandwidth, 14-bit vertical resolution, up to 64 Mpt/ch arbitrary memory, sequence with up to 16,384 entries, and 32-bit digital channels. Many of the specifications can be upgraded in the field, including memory and digital outputs.

In contrast to many AWGs that are designed to be rack mounted only, the AWG weighs in at less than 15 pounds and incorporates a 10.1-in. touch screen. Portability is an important consideration for labs that need to share equipment across design teams in order to conserve budget and must move instruments from bench to bench.

For simple tasks, the AWG4000 offers a basic arbitrary/function generation (AFG) user interface for generating function and arb waveforms with a minimum number of button clicks and a shallow menu hierarchy on the 10.1-in. touch screen.

For more complicated tasks, the instrument offers an advanced Windows-based user interface that can be used to generate complex sequences and modulated signals in parallel with digital outputs.

Signal generation tools such as RFXpress or Matlab can also be installed locally to help users easily create the signals they desire.