Arbitrary waveform generator - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Yannik
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 10, 2017, 09:27:06 pm
content: We do have the very helpful DSO comparison chart on the forum - however, I'm missing such a thing for signal generators.Which arbitrary waveform generator would you recommend for <$100?I've read both good and bad things about the FY6600 and JDS6600. Which one of the two would you recommend as a beginners first signal generator? I'm especially interested in programming arbitrary waveforms from linux.

author: sycho123321
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 02:06:48 am
content: The FY6600 has more features such as modulation, but there are issues with its built in power supply. There can be a relatively large earth referenced ac voltage on the bnc, this thread talks about it:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/feeltech-fy6600-60mhz-2-ch-vco-function-arbitrary-waveform-signal-generator/. Ideally you would add a grounded ac input. The JDS6600 on the other hand has an external powersupply that does not have this issue. Another thing to consider is that the fy6600 has a 14bit dac while the jds6600 has a 12bit dac. As for the programming waveforms from linux, afaik I don't think that either has this ability unfortunately although it seems to work just fine from a windows vm for me.edit: Here's the thread for the jds6600https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/anybody-know-anything-about-this-signal-generator/

author: don.r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 02:37:29 am
content: I believe the JDS unit suffers from the same problem as the FY unit wrt ac leakage present on the BNC ground.

author: sycho123321
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 02:41:14 am
content: Quote from: don.r on November 11, 2017, 02:37:29 amah, I may be mistaken.edit: But the issue just seems to be with the supplied plug pack

author: don.r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 02:52:47 am
content: Yes. Both the JDS supplied pack and the FY internal supply suffer from the same "issue". Power leakage through the Y cap. You may be able to find a better plug pack for the JDS unit that has an earth-referenced ground. Some FY owners are modifying their units to be mains earth referenced. At any rate, the current is modest, in the order of a few dozen uA so its not a HUGE issue for most.

author: beanflying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 05:40:33 am
content: Now confident with my Feeltech to plug it into a PC now to play with some software or other gear after a few simple mods as per the above thread. It is rock steady in frequency against my Agilent and crappy Hantek scope. The DC offset issue I have is next on my list of things to look at apart from that its easy to drive from a newbies point of view.The reason to go Feeltech over the JDS came down to the choice of DAC resolution and who I believe is the ideas originator over the knockoff.

author: Yannik
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 10:32:42 am
content: So feature wise I should rather go with the FY6600?

author: sycho123321
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2017, 07:32:08 pm
content: Quote from: Yannik on November 11, 2017, 10:32:42 amI would say yes

author: Insatman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2018, 06:47:28 am
content: Interesting thing to note. I own both the FY6600 and the JDS6600. I bought the JDS unit when it first came out and the FY6600 recently. The FY6600 clearly has more features and I like the screen a bit better. Just one problem. The frequency jitter at 10MHz for the JDS6600 measured today at around 0.5Hz while the FY6600 was about 10x at around 5 Hz. Perhaps some age on the FY6600 will stabilize it. I noticed it has a keep alive led when you use the soft-power button. But looking inside I don't think the crystal is ovenized as it is very small. Has anyone modified the FY6600 for improved frequency stability?