The 5401, 5411, and 5431 are high-speed, single-channel devices for generating analog waveforms. The most basic of these devices is the 5401. It mimics the functions of a desktop Arbitrary Function Generator (AFG). The board has a single channel of analog output with an update rate of 40 MS/s (megasamples per second). The 5401 includes an on-board FIFO memory which contains 16384 samples. These samples may represent a "standard" waveform like a sine, square or sawtooth wave. The board may also be loaded with an "arbitrary" waveform defined by the user. The 5401 can perform a clean, phase-continuous frequency sweep on any waveform. It may also hop from one frequency to another. If you would like to change the shape of the output, it is necessary to stop the g
eneration and load in new data.
The 5411 is an Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG). It can perform all the operations of the 5401 described above. In addition, it contains a large arbitrary waveform memory with space for 2 MS or 8 MS of data. This memory can contain one or more complex waveforms. The board can seamlessly jump from one waveform to another in response a hardware or software trigger event.
The operation of the 5431 is very similar to the 5411, but the board is optimized for producing analog video signals. Its timebase is easily divided down to produce update rates required by common video standards. The 5431 also ships with software for converting digital bitmap images to analog video waveforms.
