Don't buy any kit with XR2206 WFG

[RandyKeenan]

Bloggers. I have been reading the blog re the XR2206, and have found your entries very interesting and helpful. I have been evaluating XR2206 ICs from various sources and have found their performance unimpressive. Based on this blog, I assume that they are all bogus. Thus, I would like to obtain a few of the original XR2206 ICs made by Exar for comparison.

[coromonadalix]

unless you have some originals stashed somewhere  loll  witch i have, like the Max038, and xr8038

there was a time  you could get free samples ...

[rsjsouza]

Amazing photo, Jon Paul! A lot of history there. Thanks for sharing it.

in 1973, I used the  very similar Intersil 8038 function generator in my Popular Electronics Super Audio Sweeper.

50 years pass, I still have the hand wired prototype. still works, but needed new lytics and contact cleaning  of Allen Bradley AB pots and rotary  switches.

Amazingly it's  in cal, but Frequency at high end off 4%, needed a tweak of trim pot.
Was an MITS kit, and PE cover.

Found spare parts and discovered the super rare orignal ceramic and gold Intersil ICL 8038s as well as vintage Exar 2206s, (second design choices). The bipolar voltage regulator was a Raytheon 4194 in T0-66 métal can.  these rare ICS are seen in the photo

Enjoy,

Jon
the ramblings of an old retired EE

[RandyKeenan]

I would be interested in obtaining a couple of the XR2206 ICs.

[valcher]

If my memory serves me right, the analogue of the XR2206 is the Soviet chip К174ГФ2 - https://radio-hobby.org/uploads/datasheets/k/k174gf2.pdf

[wraper]

If my memory serves me right, the analogue of the XR2206 is the Soviet chip К174ГФ2 - https://radio-hobby.org/uploads/datasheets/k/k174gf2.pdf

Seems to be the same. However it does not seem to be available for purchase either. Also there is XR2206CP from Shenzhen honglifa http://hlf-ic.cn/en/products/show-134.html Dunno if it's any good, though. Counterfeits with Exar logo might be just that with fake label (package looks exactly the same).

[RandyKeenan]

I have been evaluating XR2206 ICs, both recent versions (allegedly bogus) and original versions. So far, the recent ones seem to work as well as the original.
I have also purchased one of the XR2206 waveform generator kits from Amazon. I seems to work as claimed. I have heard that at voltages above 12V that there is instability/jitter. I have been running mine at about 24V and found no problem.

[RandyKeenan]

I have continued working with the XR2206, and am working on a circuit that tames some of what I consider its shortcomings for my applications.

As I have not been satisfied with the XR2206, however, I have designed and built a waveform generator that I prefer. It is based on generic ICs, namely three opamps (and two volt regs). It provides the usual wave-forms: square/pulse, triangle/ramp, sine. It covers 1Hz to 30kHz and provides duty cycle of <5% to >95% (and corresponding pos and neg ramps) with minimal frequency or amplitude variation.

[Conrad Hoffman]

Last time I messed with counterfeit 2206 parts, the big problem was getting the original sweep range over the rated supply voltage. Other than that, they seemed to work well enough. Unfortunately, the sweep was the feature I needed. 

[Peter_O]

Bought a HYDZ251 kit with a 'HLF XR2206CP 24A8' in December 2024.



It kind of worked from the start, but with all the problems mentioned in this thread.
If you are on a tight budget and just need some kind of alternating output it's a cheap solution for a price of 3 Euros including some plexyglas housing and shipping.
The triangle is better that the sinus of course.
I did not spend the time to optimize the sinus.

The product insert is attached below.