Help interpreting function generator specs.

[Rene]

Hello,

Silly question from someone that is just getting into electronics….One of my Siglent SDG1025 function generator specifications states the following:

125MSa/s sample rate, 14bit vertical resolution, 16Kpts wave length

Could someone explain to me what these values mean? I think I can make up the meaning of some of the values but I would rather be sure than guessing.

Thanks.

[barry14]

These specifications refer to the arbitrary waveform mode in which you can specify any waveform you want.  To do this you select amplitude values (denoted as samples) of the waveform at equally spaced time intervals.  The 125MSa/s (which stands for 125 million samples per second) is the maximum rate the generator can output the waveform samples. 14bit vertical resolution refers to the allowable range of values of the amplitude (with 14 bits the range is 16384 to 1). 16Kpts wave length is the maximum number  of individual values in one cycle of your waveform (16000 points).  In summary, the generator can output amplitude samples of your waveform  at a maximum rate of 125 million samples per second with each sample having an amplitude resolution of 14 bits and with each cycle having 16000 individual samples before the cycle repeats.

[Rene]

Thanks Barry,

Your answer helped me confirm what I thought those values represented. After your remark regarding that the specification are related to the arbitrary waveform mode, I installed the software that is used to create arbitrary waveform and I see the that the software always breaks the waveform into 16000 horizontal points. That put the 16Kpts wave length specification into perspective really nicely.

I do have a followup question though. In your reply, you said that all those specification referred to the arbitrary waveform and I am wondering if you really meant to say that or if it was a typo. In other words, are the specifications really just for arbitrary waveforms or do the specifications also relate to the built in standard function such as Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse and Noise? After all, aren't the built in functions basically pre-built arbitrary function?

Thanks.

[w2aew]

Thanks Barry,

Your answer helped me confirm what I thought those values represented. After your remark regarding that the specification are related to the arbitrary waveform mode, I installed the software that is used to create arbitrary waveform and I see the that the software always breaks the waveform into 16000 horizontal points. That put the 16Kpts wave length specification into perspective really nicely.

I do have a followup question though. In your reply, you said that all those specification referred to the arbitrary waveform and I am wondering if you really meant to say that or if it was a typo. In other words, are the specifications really just for arbitrary waveforms or do the specifications also relate to the built in standard function such as Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse and Noise? After all, aren't the built in functions basically pre-built arbitrary function?

Thanks.

The standard waveforms are likely generated by the same hardware, using built-in or numerically generated waveform samples (as opposed to using analog waveform generation circuits).