Agilent 33XXX Series Driver detailed understanding for gain, offset, and freq.

[vandej]

Hello all -

I'm new to the discussion forum and pretty new to LabVIEW. I recently downloaded an Agilent 33XXX series driver to control my function generator (Agilent 33220A). I'm using the "Agilent 33XXX Series Generate Arbitrary Waveform.vi" under the examples folder within the download. Everything is working great, but I'm having trouble understanding what exactly the gain, offset, and frequency are doing in the system. I'm using a simple loop where I generate signals using the simulate signals VI, output the signal to the function generator, and then acquire it through my DAQ system (PCI-6133 card with a BNC-2110 DAQ). I can generate the signal I'm looking for by playing with both the agilent parameters as well as the simulate signals parameters (right now I input a 100 Hz into my sawtooth signal simulation and 1 kHz into the agilent frequency and I end up with a 1 kHz wave (my desired frequency) but if I use, for example, 10 Hz sawtooth and 1 kHz agilent frequency I get a 100 Hz ramp). I also should add that I impose a high frequency (>50 kHz) sine wave on top of the ramp in case this might have any imoprtance. So to reiterate, is there either a help file I could look at that explains this or could someone explain what the different agilent VIs and their inputs do? (I attached a picture of the labview code)

I am also wondering if there is another command to end the output of the function generator once I've finished with my trace. I would like to be able to stop the output either once I receive a trigger voltage or once the system is stopped, this isn't crucial but it would be convenient for me.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice,

Jeremy

[Dennis_Knutson]

Well, besides learning about LabVIEW and the forums, you probably need to spend some time studying the instrument manual and learning how the arb works. What you are sending to the arb is nothing more than an array of numbers. There is absolutely no timing information in that 1D array. When you specify a frequency, that tells the arb how often to generate the complete signal that you have provided. For example, if there are 100 points in the waveform and you use a frequency of 1kHz, every 1 msec you will output those 100 points. Your 100 points may be a single cycle or multiple cycles of a waveform. If it's multiple cycles, then the actual frequency that is at the output is the frequency you specify times the number of cycles in the waveform. This is actually explained in the help for the function that you use for the frequency input.

The help for the functions is seen when you turn Context Help on. This should be the default setting for you as you learn LabVIEW, anyway. However, there is an assumption made that the user of any instrument driver has used the instrument manual to become familiar with the capabilities and various options.