Operating Tips

SDG1000 Series

Why does my function generator amplitude not match the set point?

March 3, 2020

The most likely cause is that the generator output is not configured with the correct value that matches the actual load. Function generators like the SIGLENT SDG series are designed to have an output impedance of 50 ohms. This output impedance is assumed to be in series with a known load impedance R2, as shown … Continued

Currently supported instruments for use with the SIGLENT USB-GPIB adapter

July 26, 2019

The SIGLENT USB-GPIB adaptor currently works with the following SIGLENT instruments: Multimeters – SDM3065X/SDM3065X-SC SDM3055/SDM3055-SC SDM3045X   Function/Arbitrary waveform generators – SDG6000X Series SDG5000 Series SDG2000X Series SDG1000X Series SDG1000 Series   RF Generators – SSG3000X/-IQE Series SSG5000X/-V Series   Spectrum & vector network analyzers – SSA3000X Series SVA1000X Series   Oscilloscopes – SDS1000CFL 

USB Connectivity Checklist

February 28, 2019

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is very popular and has added a tremendous level of convenience and flexibility to computer and peripheral controls, including test and measurement instrumentation. As with all technology, it isn’t always sunshine and blue skies. Here are some common troubleshooting steps for USB connection issues: – Is the instrument plugged in … Continued

SIGLENT SPA1010 Amplifier output control

February 15, 2019

The SIGLENT SPA1010 Amplifier can be a useful accessory for applications requiring higher voltage and/or current from a signal source like a SIGLENT SDG arbitrary waveform generator. The SPA features a power-on indicator LED, Short LED, a X10 indicator LED, and a set of switches on the front panel. To use: Connect the output of … Continued

Programmatically selecting a built-in arbitrary waveform with an SDG

February 15, 2019

The SDG series of arbitrary waveform generators have a number of built-in arbitrary waveforms including health-related waveforms like cardiac and math waveforms like sinc. To read the available waveforms, you can send the following string: STL? This will return a list similar to the following (the exact return data depends on the instrument model and firmware … Continued

SDG selection table

December 29, 2018

Here is a table showing the output protection on the SIGLENT SDGThere is the ‘short circuit’ protection in all our generators.(he output of the generator can be connected together, please see the attached pic) Series Channels Max Sine Frequency (MHz) Arbitrary Waveform Data Depth Resolution (Bits) Output Protection SDG800 1 30 16 kpts 14 SC (all), OVP … Continued

Format for programmatically building an Arbitrary Waveform for SDGs

February 26, 2018

The SDGs require UTF8 formatting for the words used to build an arbitrary waveform. The code may report “UnicodeDecodeError: ‘ascii’ codec can’t decode byte 0x80 in position 77: ordinal not in range(128)” This indicates that the arbitrary waveform data is coded as “ascii” which is not the expected data format “utf8”. Here is the proper … Continued

How to change the language with the SDG1000 series of generators

February 19, 2018

The SDG1000 Series provides 2 languages (English and Chinese) for the user interface. Do the following steps to change the language on the user interface if it powers up in Chinese. 1. Press the Utility button on the front panel to enter the UTILITY function menu. 2. Press the 1/2 button to go to the … Continued