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Configuration Options (FGen/Arb)

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Last Modified: August 8, 2019

The Function and Arbitrary Waveform Generator (FGen/Arb) Soft Front Panel (SFP) has toolbar controls and different settings in various channel modes.

Toolbar Controls

Use the toolbar controls to perform common tasks for the FGen. The toolbar is located at the top of the SFP.

Control Description
Drag and drop Drags and drops the SFP to the desired position within the browser window. Large SFPs such as the Oscilloscope are always located to the left of small SFPs such as the Variable Power Supplies (VPS). Your window size decides whether the SFPs are arranged vertically or horizontally.
Dropdown

Click to open the current SFP in a separate browser window. To restore it to the original window, close the SFP by clicking and launch it again.

Run/Stop Click Run to start data acquisition or generation. Click Stop to stop data acquisition or generation.
Collaboration Indicates whether you are controlling or viewing the instrument, and whether others are using the instrument simultaneously. Click the button to request or release your control over the instrument. For more information, refer to Collaborating with Your Team Members.

Static Mode

The following settings are available when you select the Static mode:

Setting Description
Waveform

Type of waveform you want to generate.

Frequency

Frequency of the waveform. This option is available only if you select Sine, Square, or Triangle as the waveform type.

Amplitude

Peak-to-peak voltage of the waveform. This option is available only if you select Sine, Square, or Triangle as the waveform type.

DC offset

Mean amplitude displacement from zero. This option is available only if you select Sine, Square, or Triangle as the waveform type.

Phase

Initial phase, in degrees, of the waveform. This option is available only if you select Sine, Square, or Triangle as the waveform type.

spd-note-note
Note  

If you want to generate phase-shifted waveforms, you can open multiple channels and set different phases for the waveforms. If you want a stable phase shift, ensure that the waveforms are synchronized. To achieve that, the waveforms must have the same frequency and you are not recommended to change their frequencies when the SFP is running.

Duty cycle

Percentage of the pulse width in the total period of the waveform. This option is available only if you select Square as the waveform type.

Symmetry

Projection of the line segment between the start and the peak divided by the width of a waveform cycle. The default is 50%. This option is available only if you select Triangle as the waveform type.

Voltage

Amplitude displacement from zero. This option is available only if you select DC as the waveform type.

Sweep Mode

The following settings are available when you select the Sweep mode:

Setting Description Operational Limits
Waveform

Type of waveform you want to generate.

Start frequency

Frequency at which the waveform frequency sweep starts. Start frequency can be either greater than or less than Stop frequency.

Range: 200 mHz to 15 MHz

Resolution: 0.001 mHz

Stop frequency

Frequency at which the waveform frequency sweep stops. Start frequency can be either greater than or less than Stop frequency.

Range: 200 mHz to 15 MHz

Resolution: 0.001 mHz

Step

Frequency interval during a frequency sweep.

spd-note-note
Note  

The number of steps in one sweep equals the rounded up value of |Start frequency - Stop frequency| / Step. The instrument stores the steps in the buffer, which can hold no more than 32,768 steps. When the number of steps exceeds 32,768, a buffer overflow error occurs.

Range: 200 mHz to 15 MHz

Resolution: 0.001 mHz

Step interval

Time interval between each waveform generation during a frequency sweep.

Range: 1 ms to 86400 s

Generation mode

Mode of the waveform generation. Select Run once if you only want to generate the waveform once. Select Loop if you want to generate the waveform continuously.

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Amplitude

Peak-to-peak voltage of the waveform.

-
DC offset

Mean amplitude displacement from zero.

-
Duty cycle

Percentage of the pulse width in the total period of the waveform. This setting is available only if you select Square as the waveform type.

-
Symmetry

Projection of the line segment between the start and the peak divided by the width of a waveform cycle. The default is 50%. This option is available only if you select Triangle as the waveform type.

-

Custom Mode

The following settings are available when you select the Custom mode. The Custom mode allows you to generate an arbitrary waveform stored in a data file.

Setting Description
Source file Data file you want to import. You can load CSV files from Multisim and Multisim Live and TDMS files from LabVIEW. The TDMS files must contain only analog waveform data. You can also load CSV or TDMS files exported from the Oscilloscope. The imported channel must contain 32,768 samples or less.
Source channel

Channel you want to import. If Source file contains data of multiple channels, you can use Source channel to select which channel of data you want to import to the FGen/Arb.

Trigger source

Trigger signal.

  • Immediate—The signal generation begins immediately without any internal or external trigger source.
  • TRIG—The instrument uses the TRIGGER channel on the NI ELVIS III as the trigger signal.
Gain

Scaling factor that the instrument applies to the amplitude of the loaded waveform. The range of the output amplitude is -10 V to 10 V.

Update rate

Number of samples that the instrument generates per second. The range of Update rate is 0 MS/s to 100 MS/s. The resolution of Update rate is 0.001 S/s.

Generation mode

Mode of the waveform generation. Select Run Once if you only want to generate the waveform once. Select Loop if you want to generate the waveform continuously.

Preview graph

Displays the waveform stored in the data file. It may differ from the real waveform generated by the instrument.

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