I don't think I'd replace a full oscilloscope with a PC scope, but is the AD2 adequate as a replacement for a dedicated function gen?
Yes, the AD2 has 2 channels of 14 bit 100 MS/s 30 MHz arbitrary waveform generators. There are quite a few built-in waveforms and the two channels can be combined to form a sweep generator.
You can download the Waveforms software and play around with the Demo device. There's a lot of capability in waveform generation.
Has Dave done a video on the AD2 and if so was the video recent enough to give a proper impression of the AD2 as it currently exists?
Dave did a video on the original AD but AFAIK the only major change is with the power supply outputs and this involves the capability of increasing the current by feeding the AD2 from a wall wart.
I'm not aware of a video detailing the AD2 but there are MANY on the Internet.
If they've raised the price to $400 I'm assuming there must be some increased reliability or functionality in the product to justify the price rise, or is it higher because of parts scarcity, or maybe an early victim to the inflation creep that's coming?
I have attributed it to opportunistic pricing. With Covid, universities couldn't have in-person lab classes so there was massive demand for labs-at-home and you couldn't get an AD2 even if you wanted one. That situation has eased and there are a couple of thousand in stock at Digilent.
Other items haven't increased in price so I am definitely leaning toward opportunistic pricing. And, when NI took over Digilent, they had competing products. It wouldn't do for the Digilent products to supplant the NI products.
I have the original AD and the AD2 (plus the Digital Discovery) and I like them a lot. I spend some time going over fundamentals and there is nothing on the market that does a better job than the AD2. I have the new Transistor Curve Tracer attachment along with the Impedance attachment (plus the BNC adapter, of course) and these optional gadgets do a very nice job.
The curve tracer output is for a 2N4401 transistor and IIRC, the impedance plot is of a 0.1 ufd ceramic capacitor.
The Breadboard Breakout and Breadboard Adapter are pretty handy gadgets. It doesn't show it but the Breadboard Adapter comes with a matching Breadboard. Very handy for small learning projects.
https://store.digilentinc.com/test-and-measurement-equipment/adapters-and-canvases/When the AD2 was just $279, I had no problem recommending it in every oscilloscope thread. Today, I'm a little more subdued. $399 for a $279 gadget is ridiculous.