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Function Generators

Function generators can generate AC signals with variable frequency, voltage, and waveform shape. They produce sine, square, sawtooth, triangular, and noise waves with adjustable DC offset and duty cycle. Controls include power switch, digital display, offset, amplitude, speed, width, frequency selection, sweep, and mode buttons. The output connects via a BNC connector. A cathode ray oscilloscope displays voltage waveforms over time on a screen. It has vertical and horizontal deflection plates that move the electron beam, along with amplifiers. Controls allow measuring voltage, frequency, gain, and triggering from the input signal.

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VarunKumar
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178 views

Function Generators

Function generators can generate AC signals with variable frequency, voltage, and waveform shape. They produce sine, square, sawtooth, triangular, and noise waves with adjustable DC offset and duty cycle. Controls include power switch, digital display, offset, amplitude, speed, width, frequency selection, sweep, and mode buttons. The output connects via a BNC connector. A cathode ray oscilloscope displays voltage waveforms over time on a screen. It has vertical and horizontal deflection plates that move the electron beam, along with amplifiers. Controls allow measuring voltage, frequency, gain, and triggering from the input signal.

Uploaded by

VarunKumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FUNCTION GENERATORS

Function Generators are instruments capable of generating an ac signal of any frequency (~

100Hz hundreds of kHz), voltage(~1 mv 20V) and various forms (e.g. sine wave, Square

pulse, Saw tooth wave, Triangular wave or noise waveform). They also provide a continuously

variable dc offset, variable duty cycle. They are usually of 2 types: (i) analog and (ii) Digital.

Some of the front panel controls of a typical function generator are:

1 Power Switch For switching obn the power supply

2 Digital Display This is a 4 digit frequency meter

3 OFFSET This knob is for adding a dc voltage to the output signal

4 Amplitude This does the continuous adjustment of output voltage


5 Speed This is for setting wobulation speed

6 Width This knob is for setting the wobulation width

7 Frquency This knob is for selecting the frequency range from 0.3 Hz to 3MHz in

decade steps.

8. Sweep On This is a push button for activating internal sweep

9 Mode Selection Push Button for triangular, sine Square etc.

10 BNC connector This is a 50 output BNC connector

11 -20 db, - 20 db A push button control for -20 db attenuation. When both buttons are

pushed then a total of 40 db attenuation is got.

Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO)

CRO is an instrument which is used to measure voltages that change with time and to display

the waveforms in real time mode. There is a graphical scale present on the screen which is used

to calculate the voltage or frequency value. A very important specification of a CRO is its

bandwidth which gives the maximum frequency of a signal which a CRO can measure. A

simple oscilloscope consists of a cathode ray tube, a vertical amplifier, a time base, a horizontal

amplifier and a power supply. Fig 12 shows the block diagram of a CRO. Cathode-ray tube is

a vacuum tube in which a beam of electrons is produced and focused onto a fluorescent screen.

The electrons kinetic energy is converted into light energy as they collide with the screen. It

is an essential component of television receivers, computer visual display units, and CRO.

Between the electron gun and the screen are two pairs of metal plates : (i) Horizontal Deflection
Plates and (ii) Vertical deflection plates. These are driven by Horizontal Deflection system

and Vertical deflection system respectively.

In the vertical deflection system, the vertical amplifier is driven by an external voltage (the

vertical input) that is to be measured. The amplifier has very high input impedance, typically

one megohm, so that it draws only a tiny current from the signal source. The amplifier drives

the vertical deflection plates with a voltage that is proportional to the vertical input. The gain

of the vertical amplifier can be adjusted to suit the amplitude of the input voltage. A positive

input voltage bends the electron beam upwards, and a negative voltage bends it downwards, so

that the vertical deflection of the dot shows the value of the input. The horizontal deflection

system consists of a time base circuit which is an electronic circuit that generates a ramp

voltage (saw tooth waveform) . Refer fig. 13.


This is a voltage that changes continuously and

linearly with time. When it reaches a predefined value the ramp is reset. When a trigger event

is recognized the reset is released, allowing the ramp to increase again. The time base voltage

usually drives the horizontal amplifier. Its effect is to sweep the electron beam at a constant

speed from left to right across the screen, then quickly return the beam to the left in time to

begin the next sweep.

CRO controls from the front panel

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