Generate arbitrary waveforms for a signal generator

[justanothername]

Hello all.
I'd like a recommendation for a program where I can:

• Draw arbitrary waveforms in any sample rate
• Possibility to draw freehand with mouse
• Has simple generators built in
• Is free, ideally open source
• Exports in generic format for any AWG (csv or similar)

Does something like this exists? I need it to generate waveforms for the Analog Discovery and the DG1022.

[CaptDon]

There was one called ARBEXPRESS. I have a Telulex SG100/A and it came with some draw-it-yourself software so you could generate custom waveforms. I'll have to look on the factory CD for the program.

[justanothername]

@CaptDon Its not opensource but the rest works as desired. Thank you very much!

[gnuarm]

Hello all.
I'd like a recommendation for a program where I can:

• Draw arbitrary waveforms in any sample rate
• Possibility to draw freehand with mouse
• Has simple generators built in
• Is free, ideally open source
• Exports in generic format for any AWG (csv or similar)

Does something like this exists? I need it to generate waveforms for the Analog Discovery and the DG1022.

I can't think of an AWG application where I would not be happier with describing the waveform as the output of a program.  Is a mouse defined waveform really what is useful?

[ledtester]

This Hackaday article:

https://hackaday.com/2015/07/01/hacking-a-100-signal-generator/

mentions a program called "Waveform Manager Plus" which I found at:

https://www.aimtti.com/resources/waveform-manager-plus-v404

I haven't used it, but it seems likely that it is a standalone program which you might be able to use.

[poba53]

Hi I have used the Tektronix Arbexpress for a long time together with Tektronix oscilloscopes and AWG. But I cant remember if this software could be useful for other makes or applications. I am retired since three years so my detailed memories of this has faded away.

But the good tools we used was LTSpice, Excel, and DPlot in combination to create any waveform to load the Arbexpress to AWG and large power supplies to test automotive ECM.

Either you have a real waveform from an oscilloscope stored in csv-format, put that into excel and shift the timeline back to zero as LTSpice needs time to start at 0. Or you create any virtual waveform in LTSpice. For the first version you use a pwl-file driven voltage generator. Then you run your simulation for the real or virtual waveform and outputs the results to a new text file x.txt. This time-voltage file has a dynamic time scale so you need a tool to create the dynamic time sampling point converted to a fixed time sampling point. For that I used the Dplot.com software (not free) to read in the LTSpice ascii-file and export it as fixed time samples. Maybe a long tool chain but you can create anything needed for a simple or complex wave of any length

[joeqsmith]

I can't think of an AWG application where I would not be happier with describing the waveform as the output of a program.  Is a mouse defined waveform really what is useful?

I agree.  Many years ago I designed my own Arb.   I used one of those hand held scanners to digitize the waveforms from strip chart recorders that I could then load into it.   I can't think of case where this would have been helpful for me in the last several decades.

Attached is some software I put together using Labview to control my vintage Tek. With LabView now being free for personal use,  it may be an option. 

[Mortymore]

EasyWaveX is the software provided by Siglent for them AWG generators and it allows you to draw and export a wave to generator, or import one from the generator or oscilloscope.
EDIT: The file can also be exported to .csv
https://siglentna.com/service-and-support/firmware-software/waveform-generators/#sdg1000x-series

Uni-T has the same, at least for the UTG932e/962e AWG generators as can be seen here:

 

[notadave]

The Aim TTi Waveform Manager Plus v4.13 is so buggy, that it can not store or load it's own files. The numeric key pad doesn't function. The Zero is sometimes 0 but other times 0x8000 = -32767
After a while it would not even start anymore, but crash right away.
The arbitrary signal feature of the Aim-TTi is useless without a functioning tool.
 

[stealth]

Please excuse me for bringing this topic up again. But I’ve been looking for a similar tool for a long time, and I kept coming across this thread. I’ve finally found what I was looking for: https://github.com/Zahner-elektrik/zahner_wave_editor/releases The tool even works on Linux and macOS and is open source. I just want to make it easier for others to find a usable signal editor.

[CJSouthern]

Thanks for posting this.

I downloaded and installed it and ... I have not the faintest idea where to start with it.

Having previously tried to use EasyWaveX (a program so bad that in my opinion if it had been born an animal it would have been humanely euthanised years ago by now), I really wish someone / anyone would release a tutorial that makes programs like this useful; at the moment, to me, it's a lot like a fancy new sports car ... but no ignition key.