Escort EGC-3236A User manual

Escort EGC-3236A
Sweep Function Generator
User Manual

Contents
Western Australia
Unit 2/17 Casino Street,
Welshpool, WA 6016
P: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]
Victoria
Mark Kennedy
M: 0430 299 164
P: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]
South Australia
257 Grange Road
Findon, SA 5023
P: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]
Safety 3
Introduction 4
Specication 5
General Specications 5
Electrical Specications 6
Main Output 6
Waveform Characteristics 6
Output Characteristics 7
Other Inputs and Outputs 7
Modulation IN-OUT 8
Counter Characteristics 9
Getting Started 10
Front Panel 10
Rear Panel 11
Preparing For Use 11
Reference Operation 12
Maintenance 13
Cleaning 13
Adjustment Procedures 14
Required Test Equipment 14
Adjustments 14

3
Safety
Review the following safety precautions to avoid injury and prevent
damage to this instrument or any instruments connected to it.
• Read this manual carefully to ensure your personal safety and
to prevent damage either to the instruments or to equipment
connected to them.
• Before applying power, ensure that the line selector is in the
proper position for power source being used.
• Make sure that the power cord and the fuse type / rating is
specied for this product before use.
• This product is grounding through the grounding conductor of the
power cord. To avoid electric shock, the grounding conductor must
be connected to earth ground.
• Before making any connections to the input terminals of the
products, ensure that the properly grounded.
• To avoid personal injury, never operate the instrument without
covers or panels removed.
• To prevent product overheating, provide proper ventilation.
• Do not operate this product in wet, damp or explosive atmosphere.
• Marking on the instruments:
Caution, Refer to manual for
detailed instructions Protective Conductor Terminated
!

4
Introduction
The instrument is a versatile, high performance function generator. It provides sine,
square and triangle wave outputs over the frequency range from 0.01 Hz to 10 MHz
in eight overlapping ranges. It is a rugged, easy to operate, with high stability and
excellent heat dissipation. An auxiliary TTL output at the generator frequency is
available to synchronize external devices. The output voltage can be varied from
0V to 10V peak-to-peak into 50 ohms or to 20V into open circuit. The DC level of the
output can be adjusted using the offset control. Two front panel pushbuttons can
attenuate the output by 20 dB or 40 dB (60 dB in cascade operation). You can also
directly control amplitude and DC offset.
The instrument frequency is set with a front panel knob, measured with a built-in
counter and displayed using ve LED digits. Additionally, the internal counter can
be used to measure an external signal, up to 50 MHz, with up to 6-digit resolution. It
provides high input impedance and good sensitivity. The symmetry function allows
the user to vary the duty of frequency. When you push the switch of symmetry
ON, the output waveform symmetry is adjustable. The sweep-IN function provides
external voltage source to control the output frequency. The output frequency can
be swept above or below the selected frequency to a maximum of 100:1, depending
on the amplitude of input and the selected output frequency. The output waveform
can be internally linear or logarithmic swept over three decades. The start and stop
frequencies can be separately adjusted and displayed. The output waveform can
be internally or externally modulated in amplitude or in frequency. The internal
modulation signal is a 1 KHz sine wave. The AM level can be adjusted from 0 to 100%.
The exceptional accuracy, its portability and stackable design makes this valuable
instrument for using by the electronic engineer, the communication’s technician,
schools and laboratories.

5
General Specications
Display Mode 6 Digits of Seven Segment LED
Output Sine, Triangle, Square, Ramp, Pulse, TTL
Input Sweep, External counter and Modulation
Warm-up Time At least two hours
Operating Temperature 0°C~40°C (32°F to 104°F)
Storage Temperature -10°C to 60°C
Altitude Up to 2000 M
Relative Humidity Up to 80% for 0°C to 28°C
Up to 70% for 28°C to 40°C
Dimensions 261 x 71 x 211mm
Weight 1.8kg
Line Voltage AC 100V/120V (±10%) 50/60Hz, FUSE:0.4A/250V
AC 220V/240 (±10%) 50/60Hz, FUSE: 0.2A/250V
Power Consumption 40VA maximum
Ventilation Always keep the back of instrument far away the wall for
better ventilation, and nothing at among.
Standard Accessories User Manual in CD-ROM/ Power cord
Safety Designed in compliance with EN61010-1 (IEC1010-1)
Installation Category II, Pollution Degree 2 Environment
EMC Designed in compliance with EN61326
Specication

6
Electrical Specications
The accuracy is given as ± (% of span + No. of least signicant counts) at 23°C ± 5°C with relative humidity
less than 80% R.H.
Main Output
Range (Sine/Triangle/Square Waves)
Output Range Display Resolution Accuracy
Minimum Maximum
10mHz 1Hz 1mHz Not Specied
100mHz 10Hz 10mHz ±(3%+2)
1Hz 100Hz 100mHz
10Hz 1kHz 1Hz ±(0.3%+1)
100Hz 10kHz 1Hz or 0.001kHz
±(0.03%+1)
1kHz 100kHz 0.001kHz or 0.01kHz
10kHz 1MHz 0.01kHz or 0.1kHz
100kHz 10MHz 0.1kHz or 0.001MHz
Notes:
1. The specication is specied within 10% to 100% of maximum output range, and the waveform characteristics are limited to the
specied range also.
2. The display resolution and accuracy is relative to the span of internal counter.
3. Symmetry is specied within 2% at 1Hz~100kHz.
Waveform Characteristics
Triangle Wave Linearity
Frequency Linearity
1Hz ~100KHz > 98%
>100 KHz Not Specied
Sine Wave Distoration
Distortion Harmonic Ratio
10Hz ~ 100kHz 100kHz ~1MHz 1MHz ~10MHz
<2% <-30dB <-20dB
Notes:
1. The distortion isn’t specied for less than 10 Hz.
Square Wave
Transition time Aberration
< 30ns < 5% of P-P amplitude +/- 50 mV

7
Output Characteristics
Amplitude
Distortion Minimum (CCW) Maximum (CCW) Flatness
< 1MHz 1MHz - 10MHz
No Load ≥ 2Vp-p ≥ 20Vp-p ±1dB ±3dB
50 Ω ≥ Vp-p ≥ 10Vp-p
Notes:
1. Output impedance is 50Ω±10% @ 100kHz.
2. The amplitude should consider additional tolerance of atness.
3. FCCW: Full counterclockwise, FCW: Full clockwise.
4. Output protection: The generator main output is non-destructively protected against short circuit to ground or to any voltage
practically available in electronic laboratories. specication is specied within 10% to 100% of maximum output range, and the
waveform characteristics are limited to the specied range also.
Attenuator
Attenuator Switch Attenuator @ 1kHz
-20dB -40dB
ON OFF -20dB
±2%OFF ON -40dB
ON ON -60dB
DC Offset
Load DC Offset Knob - see Note 1 Ripple- see Note 2
FCCW FCW
No Load < -10V > +10V ≥ 10mVp-p
50 Ω < -5V > +5V
Notes:
1. Set the switch of DC OFFSET to ON position, and set the function switches of Sine, Triangle and Square to OFF position. Then test the
DC offset.
2. Before testing ripple, set the frequency range to lowest range and turn frequency knob to MIN position and be sure to set Amplitude
Knob at FCCW. Otherwise, it will induce noise around 50mVp-p based on different frequency.
Other Inputs and Outputs
Synchronous Output
Output Impedance Output level Transition time Fan out *2
50 Ω typical *1 TTL level, > 3V @ open circuit < 20 ns Typical 20 TTL loads
Notes:
1. The output Impedance is measured at 1kΩ load or above.
2. The capability of fan out depends on different TTL logics and the level is greater than 2V
Symmetry
Range Symmetry Knob
FCCW FCW
Up to 1MHz ≤ 10% ≥ 90%
Notes:
1. Symmetry from 10% to 90% at full output amplitude terminated into 50Ω
External Sweep-IN
Impedance Sweep Range Sweep Ratio- see Note 1
14K Ω typical 0.2Hz~100Hz 1:100
Notes:
1. The frequency output will be proportional to the level of SWEEP-IN connector. 0–5V input for up to 100:1 frequency change
approximately. To avoid damage to this instrument, ensure that the maximum voltage into this BNC is no more than ± 10 Vp.
2. Turn off the Sweep ON switch.

8
Internal Sweep/Sweep-OUT
Impedance Sweep Rate Output Level - see Note 1
Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum
600 Ω typical >5s <10 ms >0.3V <4.5V
Notes:
1. The output level of SWEEP-OUT BNC is proportional to the knob of STOP FREQ.
2. The frequency knob is set to full CCW for start frequency, and set the knob of stop frequency to full CW. The STOP switch is used to
indicate stop sweep frequency. The sweep width is variable up to 100:1 frequency change approximately.
Sweep-OUT (Linear/Logarithmic Selection)
Impedance Sweep Rate Output Level - see Note 1
Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum
600 Ω typical >5s <10 ms >0.3V <4.5V
Notes:
1. The output level of SWEEP-OUT BNC is proportional to the knob of LEVEL STOP.
2. The frequency knob is set to full CCW for start frequency, and Set the knob of LEVEL STOP to full CW. The STOP switch is used to
indicate stop sweep frequency. The sweep width is variable up to 100:1 frequency change approximately.
3. Turn SWEEP switch ON and Modulation Switch to off.
Modulation IN-OUT
AM Modulation
INT/EXT Impedance (Typical) Depth Modulation Kob Mod. BNC
EXT 0.6~10kΩ- see Note 3 0~100% FCCW~FCW DC~20kHz- see Note 2
INT 600Ω 0% FCCW 1.06kHz±10%
100% FCW 1.06kHz±10%
Notes:
1. The SWEEP Switch is set to OFF state and Modulation switch ON. The internal modulation frequency is 1.06kHz±10%.
2. To avoid damaging this instrument, ensure that the maximum voltage into this BNC is no more than ± 10 Vp. A 4 Vp-p minimum signal
is required for maximum modulation (FCW). Otherwise the input level is proportional to modulation knob. For greater than 20 kHz
signal, can be used but not specied.
3. The input impedance is 10 kΩ approximate at FCCW of modulation knob, and 600Ω approximate at FCW of modulation knob.
4. The Internal AM mode generates an amplitude modulated signal of xed carrier frequency. An internally-generated sinusoid is used
as a modulating signal to vary the amplitude of a carrier sinusoid. The modulation waveform is not suppressed carrier; i.e. a xed
amount of carrier power is always present in the modulated signal. The External AM mode generates an amplitude modulated signal
of xed carrier frequency. An externally-supplied signal on the MOD-IN BNC is used as a modulating signal to vary the amplitude of
a carrier sinusoid. The modulation waveform is not suppressed carrier; i.e. a xed amount of carrier power is always present in the
modulated signal
FM Modulation
INT/EXT Impedance (Typical) Deviation - see Note 2 Modulation Kob Mod. BNC
EXT 6~10kΩ- see Note 4 0~±10% FCCW~FCW DC~20kHz- see Note 3
INT 600Ω 0~±10% FCCW~FCW 1.06kHz±10%
Notes:
1. The SWEEP Switch is set to OFF state and Modulation switch ON. The internal modulation frequency is 1.06kHz±10%.
2. Deviation is proportional at carrier frequency of 1 KHz and the frequency Knob is xed.
3. To avoid damaging this instrument, ensure that the maximum voltage into this BNC is no more than ± 10 Vp. A 4 Vp-p minimum signal
is required for maximum modulation (FCW). Additional deviation is proportional to the signal level, but the level shall be less than the
limitation. For greater than 20 kHz signal, can be used but not specied.
4. The input impedance is 10kΩ approximate at FCCW of modulation knob, and 6kΩ approximate at FCW of modulation knob.
5. The Internal FM mode generates a frequency-modulated signal of xed amplitude. An internally generated sinusoid is used as a
modulating signal to vary the frequency of a carrier sinusoid. The External FM mode generates a frequency-modulated signal of xed
amplitude. An externally supplied signal on the MOD-IN BNC is used to vary the frequency of a carrier sinusoid.

9
Counter Characteristics IN-OUT
Internal Counter
Range Display Resolution- see Note 1 Accuracy
10mHz~1000mHz 1mHz Not Specied
1.00Hz~10.00Hz 0.01Hz ± (3%+2)
10.0Hz~100.0 Hz 0.1Hz
1~ 999 Hz 1 Hz ± (0.3% +1)
1.000~9.999 kHz 0.001 kHz
± (0.03% +1)
10.00~99.99 kHz 0.01kHz
100.0~999.9 kHz 0.1 kHz
1.000~10.000 MHz 0.001MHz
Notes:
1. The display resolution of internal counter is according to the ranges of main output setting.
External Counter
Load DC Offset Knob - see Note 1 Ripple- see Note 2
5 ~ 999 Hz 1 Hz ±(Time base error +3 counts) 20mV RMS1 ~ 999.999 kHz 0.001 kHz
1 ~20.0000 MHz 0.0001 MHz ±(Time base error +1 count)
>20 ~ 50 MHz 0.0001 MHz 60 mV RMS
Notes:
1. Time base: 10 MHz
2. Time base error: 10 PPM at (23 ± 5 °C)
3. Input impedance: 1MΩ typical
4. The counter display will be 0 Hz with 50Ω load on no signal input.
5. The maximum input voltage: < 42Vpk

10
Getting Started
Electrical Specications
Front Panel
Figure 1 shows the front panel controls, connectors and indicators.
1. POWER SWITCH: To toggle instrument power ON and
OFF.
2. Counter READOUT: A six-digit display that shows
frequency generator or external counter. The LED
indicates the frequency units of MHz, KHz, Hz or mHz
for the counter readout. The decimal point and unit is
automatically placed in the appropriate position.
3. RANGE BUTTONS: Push buttons of UP/DOWN to set the
frequency range of the output signal. The frequency
range will be 10 times difference on each step.
4. SYMMETRY KNOB/SWITCH: The knob is used to vary
either positive pulse/ramp or negative pulse/ramp.
Push the symmetry switch to “ON” before rotating this
knob.
5. DC OFFSET KNOB/SWITCH: The switch is set at OFF
position for normal operation.The knob sets the DC
level and therefore the polarity of the OUTPUT signal
after the switch ON.
6. SWEEP RATE: Rotate the Knob to adjust the sweep rate.
Adjusts how often the frequency sweep reiterates.
7. SWEEP SWITCHES: The ON switch is used to enable
sweep function. The STOP switch is used to see the stop
frequency. The LIN/LOG switch is used to select linear
or logarithmic sweep, SW OFF is LIN and ON is LOG.
8. MODULATION SWITCHES: The ON switch is used to
enable the modulation function. The EXT/INT switch is
used select modulation signal, switch ON for internal
and OFF for external. The AM/FM switch is used select
modulation type, switch ON for AM and OFF for FM.
Ensure the ON switch of sweep is set to OFF state for
the AM/FM modulation function.
9. MODULATION / LEVEL STOP KNOB: For sweep function,
this knob is used to adjust the sweep width.
10. EXT-COUNTER INPUT: BNC connector is used for the
external signal frequency measurement. The input
frequency is from 5Hz to 50MHz.
11. EXT-COUNTER SWITCH: Push the switch to ON for
external counter.
12. FREQUENCY KNOB: Rotate this knob to set the desired
frequency output from the generator.
13. SYNC OUT BNC: This connector sends out a synchronous
signal TTL level, the output frequency is same as MAIN
output.
14. SWEEP IN-OUT BNC: Sweep signal output and input
connector. The SWEEP IN-OUT BNC will be an output
connector when you push the switch of SWEEP ON;
otherwise it is an input connector.
15. MODULATION IN-OUT: Modulation signal output and
input connector. In the internal modulation mode, a
1-KHz sine wave is available on this BNC connector for
external synchronization. In the external modulation
mode, an input signal applied here will modulate the
output. A 4V peak-to-peak signal is required for 100%
AM modulation.
16. WAVE SELECTOR: Push the switch to select the output
waveforms.
17. AMPLITUDE KNOB: Adjust the voltage within the
presently selected range. Rotate this knob to adjust the
voltage level of main output signal (OUTPUT BNC).
18. OUTPUT BNC: Main output of function generator.
19. ATTENUATORS: Push the switch to turn attenuator
ON. Attenuates the amplitude of the selected output
waveform in 20-dB steps to a maximum of 60 dB when
both pressed.