| Term |
Definition |
| AM |
Amplitude Modulation, often used to broadcast audio signals to consumer radios. |
| ARB |
Abbreviation for Arbitrary Waveform Generator |
| Arbitrary Waveform Generator |
A waveform generator that can generate signals with a arbitrarily defined shape instead of the standard Sine, Square or Ramp found on function generators. |
| AWG |
Initialism for Arbitrary Waveform Generator |
| DC Offset |
Settable DC voltage superimposed on the output signal. Used to match the DC voltage at the point of signal injection or for other special applications.. |
| DDS |
Stands for Direct Digital Synthesis, an implementation technique in newer arbitrary function generators that produces stable and more accurate output, displaying clean sine waves with minimal distortion. Additionally, this technology can minimize the rise and fall times when generating square waves. |
| Duty Cycle |
Duty cycle is a unit of measure that takes into account the ratio between the width of a pulse signal before a transition and the total time period of one pulse cycle. Pulse width period divided by pulse repetition period. |
| FM |
Frequency Modulation, often used for broadcasting audio signals to consumer radios. |
| FSK |
Also known as frequency shift keying, is a type of frequency modulation scheme, primarily used for transmitting information by converting signals into specific frequency and transmitting them over wires. |
| Gated Tone Burst |
Function generator provides output only for the duration of an external pulse. |
| Haversine |
Half sine wave. |
| PM |
Also known as phase modulation, is a type of modulation in which the instantaneous phase changes are proportional to the signal to be transmitted. |
| Pulse Width |
Period of time (usually in micro seconds) that the pulse is high. |
| PWM |
Pulse width modulation, a type of modulation that takes into account the duty cycle of a signal and modulating it to transmit information. They are often used for controlling analog circuits based on information in digital form. One of the most popular application is a CPU fan inside a computer that changes in speed based on temperature conditions. |
| Repetition Rate |
Number of times that a pulse recurs in one second. |
| RS-232 |
Recommended Standard 232 serial interface. |
| Sine Wave |
Sinusoid wave that is a function with its most basic form is: y = A x sin(wt + p) where A = amplitude, w = radians per second, t = time, p = phase or phase shift. |
| Square Wave Symmetry |
A measurement of the equity of both halves of a square wave cycle. |
| Stability |
Amount of amplitude change (Amplitude Stability) or frequency change (Frequency Stability) over a specified period of time after the unit is thoroughly warmed up. |
| Sweep Generator |
The generator output repeatedly sweeps through a band of frequencies usually selectable between linear or logarithmic rate of frequency change. |
| Sweep Rate |
Rate at which a sweep generator repeats a sweep cycle. |
| Sweep Width |
The frequency band that the sweep generator covers. Some sweep generators have settable start and stop frequencies. |
| THD |
Abbreviated as total harmonic distortion, is a measurement of a signal in which indicates the ratio of the total sum of the powers of all harmonic frequencies above its fundamental frequency over the power of the fundamental frequency of the signal. |
| Triangle Wave Linearity |
A measurement of the slope "straightness" of the triangle waveform. Measured as a percentage where 100% is perfect. |
| Triggered Mode |
When a function generator provides one cycle of the output each time it is externally triggered. It is often used to synchronize the output to an external source. |
| V/f |
DC output voltage proportional to frequency. |
| VCG |
Voltage Controlled Generator is a generator that changes the output frequency by varying an external DC control voltage. |
