A function generator is one of the most common test equipment units in an electronics lab. This testing solution enables engineers to replicate a wide variety of waveforms including triangular, sine, square, and sawtooth. Today’s function generators are powerful and they are designed to deliver the performance required by modern technology. Compared to their predecessors, they offer impressive speed and precision and have become a staple in modern metrology laboratories.

Function generators continue find applications in various industries. They are extensively used by engineers and technicians in research and design, development, manufacturing, and testing of electronic systems. They are also a popular testing solution for maintenance teams.

Variety of Models and Uses

Owing to this diversity of applications, function generators come in a variety of models. Some are suitable for general purpose applications while others are ideal for specific uses. By working with a function generator, a user can reproduce virtually all types of signals. Depending on an application, a user may apply this testing solution for generating analog, digital, custom, standard, or distorted waveforms. Engineers and technicians can easily vary different parameters of a waveform in order to reproduce an exact replication of a wave.

Some factors that influence choice of function generators include frequency, number of channels available, bandwidth, sample rate, and vertical resolution. Manufacturers have extensively exploited technological offerings to improve functionality over the years. Function generators have been advancing in both digital and analog fronts. More growth has been recorded in the digital front owing to the rapid growth in digital communications.