1. Follow these simple steps

  • Turn on the computer and run the Waveform Generator program.
  • Draw a few pulses. Click in the design window A or B. Note the pulse selection marker below the waveformsuperposition display at the top of the screen, and the active waveform mark (A and B buttons, to the left).
  • Place an oscilloscope-trigger for easy synchronization with an oscilloscope. Select a pulse and press space key or use menu TIMING -> SET TRIGGER POINT.
  • Turn on the waveform Generator. Connect the WFG600 to the mains and turn it on. The LED diodes will light on while the generator performs the self-check procedure and then they will all be turned off.
  • The serial communication.
    • PC: COMx (9-pin female D-SUB contact) and the waveform generator (9-pin male D-SUB contact).
    • Important: Go to menu FILE->PREFERENCES and choose the communication port, the model of your waveform generator (WFG600) and communication speed (57600 baud). There you may also turn off the initial splash screen and define the file-saving behavior.
    • Mac: Connect the serial communication cable between the “Printer” port and the WFG600 using the round mini-DIN plug; (for the software with letters “MP” use “modem” port)
  • Connect an oscilloscope to the waveform generator. High-voltage outputs (OUT) require a 10:1 probe. Connect the synchronization output (TRG OUT) to the “external trigger” input in the oscilloscope. Set the scope trigger source to External, TTL level, Normal. It is recommended to use a probe also for the trigger signal.
  • Initialize the communication. Establish a contact between the computer and the WFG600 (use menu OUT -> CONFIGURE CHANNELS… or press PC: control-T / Mac: T). The dialog with the list of installed output modules will be displayed. Click on pop-up menus to assign waveforms to the channels (a waveform may be assigned to more than one channel). Click on the RUN button. All waveforms will be downloaded and the generation will start.
  • Play with the output signal
    • Change pulse amplitude or width by clicking on it and dragging with the mouse. Observe how the generator follows the changes.
    • Change a pulse width by dragging a marker on the time axis or (on PC) use the right-click to drag the pulse width.
    • Change the amplitude of the whole waveform using Amax and Bmax controls at the righthand side of the screen.
    • Change the waveform frequency using the timing control at the bottom-right. The display shows the width of the selected pulse. The remaining pulses are scaled proportionally.
    • Click on the icon next to the timing control. Its picture changes from “waveform” to a single “pulse”. The width control applies now the selected pulse only.
  • End the signal generation. Use menu OUT -> STOP or click on STOP button in order to stop the generator. When the data is loaded to the generator, it can be started simply by clicking on RUN button or using menu OUT -> RUN.
  • More advanced functions or described in the Tutorial Chapter.