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Analog Discovery 3 or budget bench setup
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RAPo:
I think it would help if the OP described in somewhat more detail the elements of her/his curriculum.

But you have to start somewhere in order to follow the course so you have to check if the AD is "enough for the course."

As indicated above, complement it with a DMM and PS, and be prepared to write off the AD in one or two years and step up the ladder.

I have an AD3 and a well-equipped bench. The bench devices get more use than the AD3, but the pattern generator and impedance analyzer for low frequencies from the AD3 are very useful.
hao004:

--- Quote from: RAPo on June 19, 2024, 09:56:57 am ---I think it would help if the OP described in somewhat more detail the elements of her/his curriculum.

But you have to start somewhere in order to follow the course so you have to check if the AD is "enough for the course."

As indicated above, complement it with a DMM and PS, and be prepared to write off the AD in one or two years and step up the ladder.

I have an AD3 and a well-equipped bench. The bench devices get more use than the AD3, but the pattern generator and impedance analyzer for low frequencies from the AD3 are very useful.

--- End quote ---
Thanks for the replies! Actually we now have completed quite a number of labs that involved the use of equipment like oscilloscopes, signal generators etc on basics such as diodes, BJTs, op-amps, attenuators, impedance matching circuits, filters and oscillators. The remaining electronic courses are RF communication, DSP, microcontrollers and some electives. The reason I am looking for a test setup is to experiment on other circuits that were not covered in labs like Class A amplifiers and also have some side projects to strengthen my practical skills and to able to design actual hardware instead of just being able to do well on exams.
Grandchuck:
I suggest you explore REW (https://www.roomeqwizard.com/) when you get to Class A and THD investigations.
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: hao004 on June 19, 2024, 02:33:20 pm ---
--- Quote from: RAPo on June 19, 2024, 09:56:57 am ---I think it would help if the OP described in somewhat more detail the elements of her/his curriculum.

But you have to start somewhere in order to follow the course so you have to check if the AD is "enough for the course."

As indicated above, complement it with a DMM and PS, and be prepared to write off the AD in one or two years and step up the ladder.

I have an AD3 and a well-equipped bench. The bench devices get more use than the AD3, but the pattern generator and impedance analyzer for low frequencies from the AD3 are very useful.

--- End quote ---
Thanks for the replies! Actually we now have completed quite a number of labs that involved the use of equipment like oscilloscopes, signal generators etc on basics such as diodes, BJTs, op-amps, attenuators, impedance matching circuits, filters and oscillators. The remaining electronic courses are RF communication, DSP, microcontrollers and some electives. The reason I am looking for a test setup is to experiment on other circuits that were not covered in labs like Class A amplifiers and also have some side projects to strengthen my practical skills and to able to design actual hardware instead of just being able to do well on exams.

--- End quote ---

You already have been working on "actual hardware", so that is not a useful discriminant.

Analogue RF is a different world completely, e.g. scopes aren't much use and spectrum analysers become more useful. Important exception: SDR.

Class A amplifiers may or may not be "new circuits", depending on frequency and amplitude. For measuring distortion, consider specialised instruments like a Keithley 2015 THD.

Don't forget that probes become part of the circuit being tested. It is beneficial to know the different classes of probe, why they exist, and where they need to be used.
RoGeorge:

--- Quote from: hao004 on June 19, 2024, 02:33:20 pm ---The remaining electronic courses are RF communication, DSP, microcontrollers and some electives. The reason I am looking for a test setup is to experiment on other circuits that were not covered in labs like Class A amplifiers and also have some side projects to strengthen my practical skills and to able to design actual hardware instead of just being able to do well on exams.
--- End quote ---

If that is the main intent, I would not recommend any more an educational devboard like Analog Discovery or Adalm2000.

Would be better to have lab instruments.  If the budget is very tight, maybe build the more simple ones, like power supply, a soldering station, a low distortion audio generator, and so on.

Can not say which instruments/brand/model to buy, it's up to your budget.  Keep in mind that most DSO these days have the same hardware inside (for a given series of products), and all the additional software features like extra bandwidth, memory points, logic decoders, etc., can be easily unlocked later.

If I were to start now a new EE lab, I would save money until I'll have enough to buy a 4 channels 12 bits DSO, probably a Siglent.  That's a fully featured professional oscilloscope.  Though, each time a question like "what oscilloscope to buy" pops up on this forum, the pros and cons debates tend to never end so I won't insist why I would prefer that one.  :)
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