| Signal generator |
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From the Settings menu, select Signal Generator....
This dialog box allows you to adjust the frequency, waveform, and sweep settings of the signal generator. The settings available vary depending on which oscilloscope you are using.
To turn on the signal generator, click the Enabled tick box.
To operate the signal generator in its simplest mode, type in a frequency in the text box labelled Frequency:. If the frequency entered is not available, PicoScope will automatically choose the nearest frequency, either higher or lower. Note: When you use PicoScope in conjunction with an oscilloscope from the ADC-200 series, the signal generator works up to 250 kHz; with the 3204/3205/3206 oscilloscopes, the signal generator works up to 1 MHz.
To use sweep mode, click the Active tick box in the Sweep Mode section of the dialog box, and enter a frequency in the Stop Frequency (Hz) text box. The value you enter must be higher than the initial frequency you entered in the Frequency: text box.
Next, if required, click the Dual Slope and Repeat Signal in combination or singly. In dual slope mode, when the signal reaches the stop frequency, it starts moving back towards the start frequency. If dual slope mode is not selected, once the stop frequency is reached, the signal immediately jumps back to the initial frequency.
Finally, enter your increment size and time in the text boxes labelled Increment and ms respectively, then click the OK button.
Notes
On oscilloscopes from the ADC-200 and 3204/3205/3206 series, the signal generator shares a connector with the external trigger input. It is not possible, therefore, to use the signal generator and the external trigger at the same time (although there is the option of triggering from the signal generator.) Oscilloscopes from the ADC-200 series provide only fixed-frequency square wave signals. The PicoScope 3204 provides variable-frequency square wave signals. The PicoScope 3205 and PicoScope 3206 models provide square, sine, and triangle wave signals, with optional frequency sweep.