Multi-channel waveform generator

Under the control of an Altera Stratix 3 FPGA are 4 high speed digital to analogue converters.

The card supports 2 channels running with a DAC update rate of up to 1400MSPS concurrently with 2 additional channels running at up to 700MSPS.  An additional 160MSPS 'slow' DAC channel is available for additional control.

All channels have programmable gain and offset stages via I2C DACs and high speed variable gain amplifiers controlled from a host PIC32 micro-controller. The PIC communicates with a host PC to allow waveforms and firmware to be downloaded along with remote configuration of trigger setup, repetition rates and channel alignment registers.

USB and ethernet serial serial connections are available allowing for flexible connectivity to any Windows or Linux platform. An external I2C bus is made available from the PIC along with an SPI port and GPIO lines from the FPGA to allow control of external devices via the PIC.

Clocking for the DACs is generated by an on card programmable low jitter clock generator from Analog Devices, using either an on board or external reference clock. Triggers also can be generated internally or externally to allow synchronisation with other devices.

The entire card operates from a single 12V supply.

Typical applications include generating multiple frequency sine waves for optical or electrical amplification / modulation.

 

circuit board

AWG card
AWG card