Electronics > Beginners
Real World Use Of A Function Generator
The_Welding_Library_Guy:
Hi All,
Im in the process of building up a electronics work bench and have spend a bit of time on google looking at all kinds of enticing toys. I have been thinking about looking for a scope and function generator but I had a question. I know a scope is must have gear and I know you use a function generator to generate signals veiwable on your scope. But other then helping you learn how to use your scope with a controlled signal. Is there any other real world use for one?
Thanks
rstofer:
Of course there is! In fact, just plugging the output of a signal generator into a scope is pretty meaningless unless your generator is building up some non-sinusoidal waveform.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/a-valentine_s-day-activity-for-your-scope-and-function-generator/msg1136847/#msg1136847
You may decide you care about amplifiers or filters. In this case, you want to generate very clean sine waves that you can use to check for things like gain and phase versus frequency. Yes, a network analyzer is more useful than a scope in this regard (usually) but we use what we have.
You might be building some kind of digital frambus that needs a clock input.
I'll concede that the signal generator is my least used piece of equipment but I don't do a lot of analog work. Other than analog computing, my interests lie in the digital domain or FPGAs and uCs.
Give serious consideration to the Digilent Analog Discovery 2. You get a 2 channel signal generator, a two channel scope, a dual output power supply, 16 bits of digital IO including the ability to function as a logic analyzer and decode various protocols and so on. Most people ignore it but they really shouldn't. It is a complete lab in a small box.
Oh, and the Waveforms software does a much better job of making Bode' Plots than you will ever get with a signal generator and scope. You can download the software and tinker with it in 'demo' mode.
Wimberleytech:
--- Quote from: The_Welding_Library_Guy on February 05, 2019, 07:45:43 pm ---Hi All,
Im in the process of building up a electronics work bench and have spend a bit of time on google looking at all kinds of enticing toys. I have been thinking about looking for a scope and function generator but I had a question. I know a scope is must have gear and I know you use a function generator to generate signals veiwable on your scope. But other then helping you learn how to use your scope with a controlled signal. Is there any other real world use for one?
Thanks
--- End quote ---
1) Use them as a clock source for a digital circuit you are building/breadboarding
2) Use an input signal to sweep over a range of frequencies to characterize the frequency response of a circuit
I seldom need one. Sold the ones I had. I do have a little Chinese function generator (off ebay) for the rare time I need one.
bsudbrink:
--- Quote from: The_Welding_Library_Guy on February 05, 2019, 07:45:43 pm ---But other then helping you learn how to use your scope with a controlled signal. Is there any other real world use for one?
--- End quote ---
Absolutely. You use it to put complicated looking Lissajous patterns on your scope to impress visitors/your spouse.
GreyWoolfe:
--- Quote from: bsudbrink on February 05, 2019, 08:18:03 pm ---
--- Quote from: The_Welding_Library_Guy on February 05, 2019, 07:45:43 pm ---But other then helping you learn how to use your scope with a controlled signal. Is there any other real world use for one?
--- End quote ---
Absolutely. You use it to put complicated looking Lissajous patterns on your scope to impress visitors/your spouse.
--- End quote ---
And granddaughter.
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