Waveform Generator

Moku:Lab User Manual

Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator is designed to generate common signals with high accuracy and
configurability across two independent output channels. The outputs are precisely adjustable for
frequency, phase and amplitude. Further, the outputs may be modulated with a variety of internally
generated or external signals and there are flexible, programmable triggers.

V21-0204

www.liquidinstruments.com  2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents
For the latest information & to ensure Moku is fully updated 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Quick start: User Interface ........................................................................................................................ 5
Main Menu ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Settings ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Output Configuration ................................................................................................................................. 8
Enable / Disable Outputs 8
Waveform types 8
Sine Wave 9
Square Wave 10
Ramp Wave 11
Pulse Wave 12
DC wave 12
Modulation types 13
Amplitude modulation 13
Frequency modulation 14
Phase modulation 15
Triggered modulation modes 16
Instrument Reference .............................................................................................................................. 18
Waveform Types 18
Sine Wave 18
Square Wave 18
Ramp Wave 18
Pulse Wave 18
DC 18
Waveform Parameters 18
Amplitude 18
Frequency 19
Offset 19
Phase 19
Symmetry 19
Pulse Width 19
Edge Time 19
DC Level 20
Modulation Types and Trigger Modes 20
Modulation Sources 20
Trigger Sources 20
Amplitude Modulation 21
Frequency Modulation 21
Phase Modulation 21
Burst Mode 21
Sweep Mode 21
For further information and latest updates visit 23

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 For the latest information & to ensure Moku is fully updated

www.liquidinstruments.com

3 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Introduction
The waveform generator is an essential item of equipment in almost all engineering laboratories.
The Moku:Lab implements a waveform generator as one of 12 high quality instruments.

The Moku waveform generator is a precision yet versatile instrument with a modern, touch based
and intuitive interface. The tablet based interface operates wirelessly and this enables the
engineer or technician to operate the Moku fully while free to move about the working
environment.

Extensive configurations are readily available from the touch interface while the Moku can provide
a precision timing reference or synchronize to an external time base.

Moku also has Python, LabView and MATLAB interfacing capabilities.

The Moku waveform generator can be reconfigured nearly instantaneously to be one of:

- Oscilloscope
- Spectrum Analyzer
- Phasemeter
- Laser Lock Box
- Bode Analyzer
- FIR Filter Builder
- Digital Filter Box
- Waveform Generator
- Arbitrary Waveform Generator
- PID Controller
- Data Logger
- Lock in Amplifier

4 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Quick start: User Interface

ID Description ID Description
1 Main menu 7 Configure modulation
2 Configure frequency / period 8 Configure displayed parameter (ch 1)
3 Configure waveform offset 9 Configure displayed parameter (ch 2)
4 Settings menu 10 Configure ramp symmetry
5 Enable / disable output 11 Switch between frequency and period
6 Waveform shape 12 Switch between frequency and period

5 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Main Menu
The main menu can be accessed by pressing the icon, allowing you to:

6 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Settings

The settings menu can be accessed by tapping the icon,

allowing detailed waveform configurations on a per channel
basis. Frequency, Amplitude, Phase and other waveform
specific parameters can be entered manually

The settings on channel 1 can be instantly applied to channel

two with Copy Settings and the two channels phase aligned
with Sync Phase.

7 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Output Configuration
Enable / Disable Outputs

shows the output channel is disabled, tap to enable

shows the output channel is enabled, tap to disable

Note on impedance
Moku’s outputs have an impedance of 50 Ω. As such, voltages supplied to a 50 Ω load will be
reduced by a factor of two due to the voltage divider formed by the closed circuit. A consequence
of this is that the voltage measured across a high-impedance load will be twice the value displayed
on the interface since the voltage division of the high-impedance circuit is comparably small.

Waveform types

Each channel can be set to generate one of five predefined waveforms.

Each of Sine, Square and Ramp can be configured for Frequency, Amplitude, Offset and Phase.
The Square wave is low jitter and symmetric (50% duty cycle)
The Ramp type has a variable symmetry setting, while the Pulse provides a highly configurable
square wave with variable duty and slew rate.
The DC setting provides an accurate and stable voltage reference.

8 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Sine Wave

ID Description ID Description
1 Amplitude (High Level) 3 Offset (Low Level)
2 Signal Frequency (Period) 4 Phase

Tap Parameter Settings pill or bar to change. Parameter bar can show different representations of
many parameters; these alternative representations are shown in brackets.

9 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Square Wave

ID Description ID Description
1 Amplitude (High Level) 3 Offset (Low Level)
2 Signal Frequency (Period) 4 Phase

Tap Parameter Settings pill or bar to change. Parameter bar can show different representations of
many parameters; these alternative representations are shown in brackets.

10 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Ramp Wave

ID Description ID Description
1 Amplitude (High Level) 4 Phase
2 Signal Frequency (Period) 5 Symmetry
3 Offset (Low Level)

HOT TIP: Tap ‘Frequency’ to change to ‘Period’ and vice versa

Tap Parameter Settings pill or bar to change. Parameter bar can show different representations of
many parameters; these alternative representations are shown in brackets.

11 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Pulse Wave

ID Description ID Description
1 Amplitude (High Level) 4 Phase
2 Signal Frequency (Period) 5 Pulse Width
3 Offset (Low Level) 6 Edge time
Tap Parameter Settings pill or bar to change. Parameter bar can show different representations of
many parameters; these alternative representations are shown in brackets.

DC wave

ID Description
1 DC level

Tap Parameter Settings pill or bar to change. Parameter bar can show different representations of
many parameters; these alternative representations are shown in brackets.

12 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Modulation types
Moku’s Waveform Generator supports a variety of modulations. Modulation is available on all
waveforms except DC. Ramp waveforms can only be amplitude modulated; but all other
waveforms can be Amplitude, Frequency or Phase modulated and can be continuous or triggered
in burst or sweep modes.

Amplitude modulation

ID Parameter Description
1 Frequency Only for “Internal” modulation; the frequency of the sine wave being
used for modulation.
2 AM Depth Fractional depth of modulation. 100% depth will reduce the signal
amplitude to zero for a full-range negative modulation signal
3 Modulation Source The modulation source can be a Moku input; the other Moku output
or a “internal”, an internally-generated sinewave.

13 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Frequency modulation

ID Parameter Description
1 Frequency Only for “Internal” modulation; the frequency of the sine wave being
used for modulation.
2 FM Deviation Full-range frequency deviation. A full-range input signal will vary the
output frequency by this amount.
3 Modulation Source The modulation source can be a Moku input; the other Moku output
or a “internal”, an internally-generated sinewave.

14 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Phase modulation

ID Parameter Description
1 Frequency Only for “Internal” modulation; the frequency of the sine wave being
used for modulation.
2 Depth Full-range phase deviation. A full-range input signal will vary the
output phase by this amount.
3 Modulation Source The modulation source can be a Moku input; the other Moku output or
a “internal”, an internally-generated sinewave.

15 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Triggered modulation modes
Sine, Square and Pulse waves can be triggered from an external source. The behaviour upon
receipt of the trigger signal varies according to mode.

Burst

ID Parameter Description

1 Cycle count N - Cycle mode only. The number of cycles to generate

before re-arming.
2 Trigger source One of:
Internal: Trigger automatically at the defined rate
External: Trigger event on from rear-panel external trigger input
Input: Trigger from associated input channel, at given voltage
Output: Trigger from opposite output channel, at given voltage
3 Mode One of:
Gated: Continue to generate the output signal while ever the trigger
event is asserted (level-triggered)
Start: Begin generation of the waveform on trigger, continue
indefinitely.
N Cycle: Upon receipt of trigger signal, generate this many cycles of
the waveform then re-arm.

16 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Sweep

Sweep modulation acts like frequency modulation with a sawtooth, where the sawtooth starts on
the trigger event.

ID Parameter Description
1 Start Frequency Waveform frequency at the trigger event (sweep start)
2 End Frequency Waveform frequency at the sweep end
3 Trigger Source One of:
Internal: Trigger automatically at the defined rate
External: Trigger event on from rear-panel external trigger input
Input: Trigger from associated input channel, at given voltage
Output: Trigger from opposite output channel, at given voltage
4 Sweep Time Time between sweep start and end

17 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Instrument Reference
Waveform Types
The Moku:Lab’s waveform generator is programmed to generate one of five different signals, each
with optional modulation.

Sine Wave
The Sine wave is the simplest dynamic signal in the Moku. It features extremely low harmonic
distortion; it’s very close to a pure single frequency.
The Sine wave can be modulated by all available modulation types. Moreover, it forms the basis of
the “Internal” selectable modulation source, providing a modulating waveform regardless of
whether either channel of the Moku is currently outputting a Sine wave.

Square Wave
The Square wave is a low-jitter waveform with fixed 50% duty cycle and high slew rates. The high
analogue bandwidth of the Moku gives very sharp rise and fall times, highly desirable in many
applications. If you require slew-rate limits or variable duty cycle in your application, see Pulse
Wave below.

Ramp Wave
The Ramp wave consists of linear ramps from low level to high and back again. The ratio between
the time spent rising and the overall period is referred to as the symmetry. If you require
configurable dwell times at the high or low levels but common rise and fall times, you may use the
Pulse Wave with large edge times.

Pulse Wave
The Pulse wave is like the Square wave but has configurable duty cycle and edge times (rise and
fall time). The trade-off is that at high frequency, Pulse has slightly worse edge jitter behaviour
compared to the Square wave.

DC
Provides a high precision, fixed reference voltage at the output. Note that the outputs are always
50Ω terminated.

Waveform Parameters
Amplitude
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse
Amplitude is specified as a Peak-to-Peak value; that is, the high level minus the low level. If you
wish to specify the high and low levels explicitly, tap the Amplitude pill then the Toggle Arrows in
the parameter bar; or just tap the Amplitude label in the Settings Drawer to toggle between the two
representations.

18 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Frequency
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse
Specified in Hertz. Can also be represented as period in seconds by tapping the Frequency label
in the Settings Drawer, or the Toggle Arrows in the parameter bar.

Offset
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse
Average value of the Sine wave over time. The alternative representation of this parameter is Low
Level, which combined with High Level also specifies Amplitude.

Phase
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse
Defines the phase of the waveform with respect to the Moku’s internal reference. By tapping the
“Sync Phase” button in the Settings Drawer, this phase also becomes relative to the other output
channel.

Symmetry
Applicable To: Ramp
Ratio, in percent, between the time spent on the rising edge and the overall period. In the limit of
0% and 100% symmetry, the ramp wave becomes a sawtooth (zero 1 rise and fall times respectively).

Pulse Width
Applicable To: Pulse
Positive width of the pulse. Any specified Edge Time is split equally between the Pulse Width and
the rest of the cycle; that is, duty cycle is preserved when altering Edge Time.

Edge Time
Applicable To: Pulse
Time taken to transition from low level to high and vice-versa. This limits the slew rate of the signal
which can be advantageous in some applications. Edge Time is split between high and low time
equally, preserving duty cycle.

1
The minimum rise and fall time of the Moku:Lab is actually 2ns not zero, which means in practice that the output
can never achieve exactly 0% or 100% symmetry, even if specified.

19 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
DC Level
Applicable To: DC
Fixed voltage to output.

Modulation Types and Trigger Modes

Modulation Sources
Each modulation type can be driven by one of three sources.

Internal
Modulation is driven by an internally-generated sine wave of configurable frequency. The
amplitude of this wave is “full range”, in that it will modulate to the depth specified when
configuring the modulation type.

Input
Modulation for a given channel is driven by the corresponding analogue input (i.e. Output 1 can
only be modulated from Input 1, Output 2 from Input 2). The depth is specified per volt on the input.

Output
Modulation for a given channel is driven by the opposite analogue output (i.e. Output 1 is
modulated by the waveform on Output 2 and vice-versa). This allows the user to doubly-modulate a
signal by modulating a signal on one channel, then using that signal to modulate the opposite
channel. This can be useful for example when you wish to generate an “ideal” modulated signal on
one channel, but then perturb the phase, frequency or amplitude in order to test a system’s
response.

Trigger Sources
Burst and Sweep modes depend on the detection of a trigger event. There are three possible
sources for this event.

Internal
The trigger event is generated automatically at a given rate (specified period).

External
A rising edge on the back-panel External Trigger Input is used as the trigger source. For trigger
level and precision characteristics, refer to the Moku:Lab Technical Specifications available at
www.liquidinstruments.com.

Input
The corresponding Analogue input is monitored for a rising edge past the specified voltage.
Output 1 can only be triggered from Input 1; Output 2 from Input 2.

20 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Output
The opposite Analogue output is monitored for a rising edge past the specified voltage. Combined
with the fact that that opposite output can in turn be modulated from a variety of sources, this
provides extremely flexible control of the trigger period (included for example changing period
based on an external voltage).

Amplitude Modulation
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Ramp, Pulse
Amplitude modulation will change the amplitude of the generated signal proportionally to the
modulation input. The actual proportion changed is called the modulation depth, the units of which
depend on the modulation source (see discussion of sources above).

Frequency Modulation
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Pulse
Frequency modulation will change the frequency of the generated signal proportionally to the
modulation input. The change in frequency caused by a given input is called the modulation depth
and has units of Hertz or Hertz per Volt depending on the modulation source used.

Phase Modulation
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Pulse
Phase modulation will change the phase of the generated signal proportionally to the modulation
input. The change in frequency caused by a given input is called the modulation depth and has
units of Degrees or Degrees per Volt depending on the modulation source used.

Burst Mode
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Pulse
In burst mode, a trigger event causes the given output to begin generating its configured
waveform. Burst requires you to specify a sub-mode that defines if or when the generation ends.
N-Cycle: The waveform will stop being generated after the specified number of cycles, at which
time is will re-arm and become ready to receive a new trigger.
Gated: The waveform will continue to be generated while-ever the trigger signal is high (level-
triggered).
Start: The waveform generation begins on a trigger signal but will continue indefinitely.

Sweep Mode
Applicable To: Sine, Square, Pulse
Sweep mode provides a frequency modulation of the input waveform, where the modulation
waveform is a ramp wave that begins generation on the detection of a trigger signal. That is, when
a trigger is detected, waveform generation will begin at the Start frequency and sweep (or “chirp”)
to the End frequency over a given duration.
Sweep mode has three configurable parameters:

21 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
Start Frequency: Initial frequency of the output waveform, immediately on detection of a trigger.
Note that in sweep mode, the waveform itself cannot have a frequency set independently; its
frequency parameters are completely defined by the sweep.
End Frequency: Final frequency of the output waveform, duration sections after the trigger has
been detected.
Duration: The time taken to sweep from Start to End frequency. Upon completion of the sweep, the
sweep circuit will re-arm and be ready to receive a new trigger input.

22 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.
 For further information and latest updates visit

www.liquidinstruments.com

23 | Moku:Lab’s Waveform Generator User Manual © 2021 Liquid Instruments. All rights reserved.