[Elecraft] XG3 Waveform Shape

[Don Wilhelm]

That waveshape is likely normal (although I question the 'rounding' of 
the top/bottoms - check your scope probe compensation).

Looking at my XG3, I see a square wave with considerable overshoot - 
steep vertical sides to the waveform - consistent with 'harmonic rich'.

The XG3 is intended to drive a receiver which will have a Low Pass 
Filter (or other filter) at its input.  That filter will clean up the 
waveform and in most cases produce a nice sine wave at the output of 
that filter.

The XG3 is not a general purpose signal generator.

You should find it a very handy instrument for receiver testing or even 
driving a transmitter low level stage.  If you want a signal generator 
with a clean square or sine wave output, you will have to spend many 
more dollars for an instrument grade signal generator or function generator.

I have an HP-8640B signal generator and an HP-3312A function generator 
for those times I need a clean waveform, but most of the time, the XG3 
is more handy and works well.  The level is controlled and the DDS 
controlled frequency is "on the money".  It can sweep, send morse code 
or RTTY and many other functions can be had when coupled with XG3 Utility.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 8/29/2016 3:14 PM, JWAHAR BAMMI wrote:
> I just purchased an XG3 adding it to my small collection of test instruments. Of course, the first thing I did was direct hooked the output to my Scope. What i see is not pretty. At various frequencies and levels, nothing looks like a great looking clean square wave that i was expecting. I get the right frequencies and levels, but the shapes are not great (over/under shoot, rounded tops/bottoms etc).
>
> Am i looking at this incorrectly, or are my expectations unreasonable? For the record, on the same equipment, the output of a cheap Chinese function generator (eevblogs Dave Jone’s one hung low specials!) looks great, almost perfectly square, with excellent risk/fall times, sharp corners, not much over/under shoot etc.
>