Racal Instruments 3155 User manual

3155
100MS/s ARBITRARY
WAVEFORM GENERATOR
User Manual
PUBLICATION NO. 980866
RACAL INSTRUMENTS
Racal Instruments, Inc.
4 Goodyear St., Irvine, CA 92618-2002
Tel: (800) RACAL-ATE, [phone], [phone];
FAX: [phone]
Racal Instruments, Ltd.
480 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 6BE, United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
Racal Systems Electronique S.A.
18 Avenue Dutartre, 78150 LeChesnay, France
Tel: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
Racal Systems Elettronicas.r.l.
Strada 2-Palazzo C4, 20090 Milanofiori Assago, Milan, Italy
Tel: [phone]; FAX [phone]
Racal Elektronik System GmbH.
Technologiepark Bergisch Gladbach, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse,
D-51429 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
Tel.: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
Racal Instruments, Ltd.
Unit 5, 25F., Mega Trade Center, No 1, Mei Wan Road, Tsuen Wan,
Hong Kong, PRC Tel: [phone], FAX: [phone]
http://www.racalinstruments.com
PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2002
Copyright 2002 by Racal Instruments, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING THIS RACAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCT.
For this product, or any other Racal Instruments product that incorporates software drivers, you may access
our web site to verify and/or download the latest driver versions. The web address for driver downloads is:
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If you have any questions about software driver downloads or our privacy policy, please contact us at
[email protected].
WARRANTY STATEMENT
All Racal Instruments, Inc. products are designed and manufactured to exacting standards and in full
conformance to Racal’s ISO 9001 procedures.
For the specific terms of your standard warranty, or optional extended warranty or service agreement, contact
your Racal customer service advisor. Please have the following information available to facilitate service.
1. Product serial number
2. Product model number
3. Your company and contact information
You may contact your customer service advisor by:
E-Mail: [email protected]
Telephone: [phone] (USA)
[phone] (UK)
[phone] (Hong Kong)
Fax: [phone] (USA)
[phone] (UK)
[phone] (Hong Kong)
RETURN of PRODUCT
Authorization is required from Racal Instruments before you send us your product for service or calibration.
Call your nearest Racal Instruments support facility. A list is located on the last page of this manual. If you are
unsure where to call, contact Racal Instruments, Inc. Customer Support Department in Irvine, California, USA
at 1-800-722-3262 or 1-949-859-8999 or via fax at 1-949-859-7139. We can be reached at:
[email protected].
PROPRIETARY NOTICE
This document and the technical data herein disclosed, are proprietary to Racal Instruments, and shall not,
without express written permission of Racal Instruments, be used, in whole or in part to solicit quotations from
a competitive source or used for manufacture by anyone other than Racal Instruments. The information
herein has been developed at private expense, and may only be used for operation and maintenance
reference purposes or for purposes of engineering evaluation and incorporation into technical specifications
and other documents which specify procurement of products from Racal Instruments.

FOR YOUR SAFETY
Before undertaking any troubleshooting, maintenance or exploratory procedure, read carefully the
WARNINGS and CAUTION notices.
This equipment contains voltage hazardous to
human life and safety, and is capable of inflict-
ing personal injury.
If this instrument is to be powered from the AC line (mains) through an autotrans-
former, ensure the common connector is connected to the neutral (earth pole) of the
power supply.
Before operating the unit, ensure the conductor (green wire) is connected to the
ground (earth) conductor of the power outlet. Do not use a two-conductor extension
cord or a three-prong/two-prong adapter. This will defeat the protective feature of the
third conductor in the power cord.
Maintenance and calibration procedures sometimes call for operation of the unit with
power applied and protective covers removed. Read the procedures and heed
warnings to avoid “live” circuit points.
Before operating this instrument:
1. Ensure the proper fuse is in place for the power source to operate.
2. Ensure all other devices connected to or in proximity to this instrument are properly grounded or
connected to the protective third-wire earth ground.
If the instrument:
-fails to operate satisfactorily
-shows visible damage
-has been stored under unfavorable conditions
-has sustained stress
Do not operate until, performance is checked by qualified personnel.

This page was left intentionally blank.

User Manual 3155
i
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................................1-1
What’s In This Chapter...................................................................................................................1-1
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................1-1
3155 Series Feature Highlights....................................................................................................1-1
WaveCAD Feature Highlights......................................................................................................1-3
Functional Description...................................................................................................................1-5
Output Functions.....................................................................................................................1-5
Frequency...............................................................................................................................1-5
Amplitude.................................................................................................................................1-5
Trigger Modes.........................................................................................................................1-5
Arbitrary Waveforms...............................................................................................................1-5
Memory Segmentation............................................................................................................1-6
Remote Control.......................................................................................................................1-6
Frequency Agility.....................................................................................................................1-6
Multi-Instrument Synchronization...........................................................................................1-6
Options...........................................................................................................................................1-7
Safety Considerations...................................................................................................................1-7
Supplied Accessories....................................................................................................................1-7
Specifications.................................................................................................................................1-7
Functional Description...................................................................................................................1-7
Front Panel Connectors.............................................................................................................1-8
Output..................................................................................................................................1-8
SYNC Output.......................................................................................................................1-8
TRIG/FSK IN........................................................................................................................1-8
SINE OUT............................................................................................................................1-8
REF IN.................................................................................................................................1-9
Operating Modes ........................................................................................................................1-9
Continuous Mode................................................................................................................1-9
Triggered Mode...................................................................................................................1-9
Gated Mode.........................................................................................................................1-9
Burst Mode........................................................................................................................1-10
Frequency Agility......................................................................................................................1-10
Sweep................................................................................................................................1-10
FSK....................................................................................................................................1-10
Ramped FSK.....................................................................................................................1-10

User Manual 3155
ii
FM......................................................................................................................................1-11
Output Type..............................................................................................................................1-11
Standard (FIXED) Waveforms..........................................................................................1-11
Arbitrary (User) Waveforms..............................................................................................1-12
Sequenced Waveforms....................................................................................................1-12
Output State.................................................................................................................................1-14
Filters............................................................................................................................................1-14
Programming The 3155............................................................................................................1-14
Chapter 2
INSTALLATION.................................................................................................................................2-1
Installation Overview......................................................................................................................2-1
Unpacking and Initial Inspection.................................................................................................2-1
Safety Precautions......................................................................................................................2-1
Power Requirements..................................................................................................................2-2
Grounding Requirements ...........................................................................................................2-2
Long Term Storage or Repackaging For Shipment...................................................................2-3
Preparation For Use...................................................................................................................2-3
Removing the Instrument from the Bag.........................................................................................2-4
Installation.......................................................................................................................................2-4
Copying Instrument Drivers...........................................................................................................2-5
Minimum System Requirements ............................................................................................2-5
Windows Software Installation................................................................................................2-5
Windows 95/98/ME Device Driver Installation........................................................................2-5
Windows 2000/XP Device Driver Installation.......................................................................2-11
Windows NT Device Driver Installation................................................................................2-16
Installing ArbConnection and ArbDetector..................................................................................2-16
The ArbDetector...........................................................................................................................2-22
Using the ArbDetector..................................................................................................................2-23
Configuring Actual Slot Location..................................................................................................2-24
Testing Communications With your Instrument...........................................................................2-25
Chapter 3
WaveCAD.........................................................................................................................................3-1
What’s In This Chapter...................................................................................................................3-1
Introduction To WaveCAD..........................................................................................................3-1
Installing WaveCAD....................................................................................................................3-2
For the New and Advanced Users.....................................................................................3-2
Conventions Used in This Manual......................................................................................3-3

User Manual 3155
iii
The Opening Screen...................................................................................................................3-3
WaveCAD Features....................................................................................................................3-6
The Control Panels....................................................................................................................3-6
The Main Panel...................................................................................................................3-7
Waveforms..............................................................................................................................3-8
Operating Modes.....................................................................................................................3-9
SYNC Output...........................................................................................................................3-9
TTLTrig Output........................................................................................................................3-9
Output......................................................................................................................................3-9
The Standard Waveforms Panel......................................................................................3-10
Parameters...........................................................................................................................3-10
Frequency.............................................................................................................................3-10
10 MHz Ref...........................................................................................................................3-11
Waveforms............................................................................................................................3-12
The Arbitrary & Sequence Panel.....................................................................................3-12
Parameters...........................................................................................................................3-13
Sample Clock........................................................................................................................3-14
10 MHz Ref...........................................................................................................................3-14
Sequence Advance...............................................................................................................3-14
Using the Segment Table..................................................................................................3-15
Using the Sequence Table................................................................................................3-17
The Trigger Panel..............................................................................................................3-19
Trigger Parameters...............................................................................................................3-19
Slope.....................................................................................................................................3-20
Source...................................................................................................................................3-20
Arm........................................................................................................................................3-20
The Modulation Panel.......................................................................................................3-21
Frequency Modulation...........................................................................................................3-21
FSK.......................................................................................................................................3-23
Sweep...................................................................................................................................3-24
The Utility Panel................................................................................................................3-25
Multi-Instrument Synchronization Control.............................................................................3-25
Filter.......................................................................................................................................3-26
System Commands ..............................................................................................................3-26
The System and Command Editor...........................................................................................3-27
Communication.....................................................................................................................3-27
System Commands ..............................................................................................................3-28
Command Editor...................................................................................................................3-28
The Waveform Composer........................................................................................................3-29

User Manual 3155
iv
The Waveform Composer Menu Bar................................................................................3-29
File Menu...............................................................................................................................3-30
Edit Menu..............................................................................................................................3-31
View Menu.............................................................................................................................3-34
Wave Menu...........................................................................................................................3-35
System Menu........................................................................................................................3-37
The WaveCAD Toolbar.....................................................................................................3-37
The Waveform Graph........................................................................................................3-40
The FM Composer....................................................................................................................3-41
The FM Wave Composer Menu Bar.................................................................................3-42
File Menu...............................................................................................................................3-42
Edit Menu..............................................................................................................................3-44
Filter...............................................................................................................................3-44
Wave Menu...........................................................................................................................3-45
FM Settings...........................................................................................................................3-46
Wavelength....................................................................................................................3-46
Deviation........................................................................................................................3-46
Marker Position..............................................................................................................3-46
Generating Waveforms Using the Equation Editor..................................................................3-48
Writing Equations..............................................................................................................3-49
Equation Conventions......................................................................................................3-50
Typing Equations...............................................................................................................3-51
Equation Samples.............................................................................................................3-52
Combining Waveforms......................................................................................................3-56
Chapter 4
PROGRAMMING REFERENCE......................................................................................................4-1
What’s In This Chapter...................................................................................................................4-1
What’s Required.............................................................................................................................4-1
The RIComm.dll Functions .................................................................................................4-2
The 3155drv.dll Functions...................................................................................................4-9
Introduction To SCPI.................................................................................................................4-13
Command Format.............................................................................................................4-13
Command Separator.........................................................................................................4-14
The MIN and MAX Parameters......................................................................................... 4-14
Querying Parameter Setting..............................................................................................4-15
Query Response Format...................................................................................................4-15
SCPI Command Terminator..............................................................................................4-15
IEEE-STD-488.2 Common Commands............................................................................4-15

User Manual 3155
v
SCPI Parameter Type.......................................................................................................4-15
Numeric Parameters.........................................................................................................4-16
Discrete Parameters.........................................................................................................4-16
Boolean Parameters.........................................................................................................4-16
SCPI Syntax and Styles...............................................................................................................4-16
SOURce Subsystem ................................................................................................................4-23
OUTPut Subsystem..................................................................................................................4-45
INSTrument Subsystem...........................................................................................................4-48
Synchronizing Multiple Instruments.............................................................................................4-50
TRIGger Subsystem.................................................................................................................4-52
TRACe Subsystem...................................................................................................................4-57
Arbitrary Waveforms....................................................................................................................4-58
Arbitrary Memory Management...................................................................................................4-58
Downloading Arbitrary Waveforms..............................................................................................4-59
Sequenced Waveforms...............................................................................................................4-61
SYSTem Subsystem ................................................................................................................4-64
IEEE-STD-488.2 Common Commands and Queries..............................................................4-65
The SCPI Status Registers...............................................................................................4-66
The Status Byte Register (STB).......................................................................................4-67
Reading the Status Byte Register ....................................................................................4-69
Clearing the Status Byte Register ....................................................................................4-69
Service Request Enable Register (SRE) .........................................................................4-69
Standard Event Status Register (ESR)............................................................................4-70
Standard Event Status Enable Register (ESE)................................................................4-71
Error Messages.................................................................................................................4-71
Chapter 5
PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION...................................................................................................5-1
What’s in This Chapter...................................................................................................................5-1
Performance Checks .....................................................................................................................5-1
Environmental Conditions...........................................................................................................5-1
Warm-Up Period.........................................................................................................................5-2
Initial Instrument Setting.............................................................................................................5-2
Recommended Test Equipment.................................................................................................5-2
Performance Check Procedures ...................................................................................................5-2
Frequency Accuracy...................................................................................................................5-3
Amplitude Accuracy....................................................................................................................5-3
DC Offset Characteristics...........................................................................................................5-4
Squarewave Characteristics......................................................................................................5-5

User Manual 3155
vi
Sine Characteristics....................................................................................................................5-5
Sine Flatness (Using Sine Output).............................................................................................5-6
Trig, Gate and Burst Characteristics..........................................................................................5-7
Chapter 6
PRODUCT SUPPORT.....................................................................................................................6-1
Product Support.............................................................................................................................6-1
Reshipment Instructions ................................................................................................................6-1
Support Offices ..............................................................................................................................6-2

User Manual 3155
vii
List of Figures
Figure 1-1, 3155 Series .....................................................................................................................1-2
Figure 1-2, WaveCAD - Control Panels.............................................................................................1-3
Figure 1-3, WaveCAD - Wave Composer.........................................................................................1-4
Figure 1-4, WaveCAD - FM Wave Composer...................................................................................1-4
Figure 1-5a, Segment 1 – Sin (x)/x Waveform................................................................................1-12
Figure 1-5b. Segment 2 – Sine Waveform......................................................................................1-13
Figure 1-5c Segment 3 – Pulse Waveform.....................................................................................1-13
Figure 1- 6d. Sequenced Waveforms.............................................................................................1-13
Figure 2-1 – Add New Hardware Wizard..........................................................................................2-6
Figure 2-2 – Search for 3155 Driver..................................................................................................2-7
Figure 2-3– Specify 3155 Driver Location.........................................................................................2-7
Figure 2-4 – Specify Subfolder for Your instrument..........................................................................2-8
Figure 2-5 – Device Driver Detected.................................................................................................2-8
Figure 2-6. Copying Device Driver.....................................................................................................2-9
Figure 2-7 – Finish Copying Device Driver........................................................................................2-9
Figure 2-8. Checking Driver Installation..........................................................................................2-10
Figure 2-9 – The Welcome to the Found New Hardware Wizard...................................................2-11
Figure 2-10 – Install Hardware Device Drivers...............................................................................2-12
Figure 2-11 – Locate Driver Files ....................................................................................................2-12
Figure 2-12 – Copying Device Drivers............................................................................................2-13
Figure 2-13 – Driver Files Search Results.....................................................................................2-13
Figure 2-14 – Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard.........................................................2-14
Figure 2-15 – Device Manager.......................................................................................................2-15
Figure 2-16 – CD’s GUI....................................................................................................................2-16
Figure 2-17 – Install preparation......................................................................................................2-17
Figure 2-18 – First Installation Step.................................................................................................2-17
Figure 2-19 – Customer Information Step.......................................................................................2-18
Figure 2-20 – Selecting Setup Type................................................................................................2-19
Figure 2-21 – Selecting Destination.................................................................................................2-20
Figure 2-22 – Selecting Features ....................................................................................................2-20
Figure 2-23 – Selecting Features ....................................................................................................2-21
Figure 2-24. The ArbDetector Icon at the Startup Tray...................................................................2-22
Figure 2-25. ArbDetector Icon Options............................................................................................2-22
Figure 2-26. The ArbDetector Dialog Box.......................................................................................2-23
Figure 2-27. The Settings Tab.........................................................................................................2-24

User Manual 3155
viii
Figure 2-28. Editing Chassis Number and Slot location..................................................................2-25
Figure 2-29. Communicating with your Instrument........................................................................2-26
Figure 3-1, The opening Screen........................................................................................................3-3
Figure 3-2, WaveCAD’s Toolbars......................................................................................................3-5
Figure 3-3, The Main Panel...............................................................................................................3-8
Figure 3-4, The Standard Waveforms Panel...................................................................................3-12
Figure 3-5, The Arbitrary & Sequence Panel...................................................................................3-13
Figure 3-6. The Segment Table.......................................................................................................3-16
Figure 3-7. The Sequence Table.....................................................................................................3-17
Figure 3-8, The Trigger Panel..........................................................................................................3-20
Figure 3-9, The Modulation Panel...................................................................................................3-23
Figure 3-10, The Utility Panel..........................................................................................................3-26
Figure 3-11, System Control and the Command Editor..................................................................3-27
Figure 3-12, The Wave Composer Opening Screen.......................................................................3-30
Figure 3-13, The Save Wave AS… Dialog Box...............................................................................3-31
Figure 3-14, Zooming In on Waveforms..........................................................................................3-35
Figure 3-15, An Example of Generating Sine Waveforms From the Built-in Library......................3-36
Figure 3-16, The Toolbar Icons .......................................................................................................3-37
Figure 3-17, The Waveform Screen................................................................................................3-40
Figure 3-18, The FM Composer Opening Screen...........................................................................3-42
Figure 3-19, The FM Composer Save AS… Dialog Box.................................................................3-43
Figure 3-20, An Example of Generating Modulating Sine From the Built-in Library.......................3-47
Figure 3-21, The Equation Editor Dialog Box..................................................................................3-48
Figure 3-22, Using the Equation Sample to Combine Two Waveforms.........................................3-52
Figure 3-23, Using the Equation Editor to Modulate Sine Waveforms...........................................3-53
Figure 3-24, Using the Equation Editor to Add Second Harmonic Distortion.................................3-54
Figure 3-25, Using the Equation Editor to Generate Exponentially Decaying Sinewave...............3-55
Figure 3-26, Using the Equation Editor to Build Amplitude
Modulated Signal With Upper and Lower Sidebands...............................................3-56
Figure 3-27, Combining Waveforms Into Equations .......................................................................3-57
Table 4-1. Model 3155 SCPI Commands List Summary................................................................4-18
Table 4-1. Model 3155 SCPI Commands List Summary (continued).............................................4-19
Table 4-1. Model 3155 SCPI Commands List Summary (continued).............................................4-20
Table 4-1. Model 3155 SCPI Commands List Summary (continued).............................................4-21
Table 4-1. Model 3155 SCPI Commands List Summary (continued).............................................4-22
Figure 4-1. SCPI Status Registers..................................................................................................4-68

User Manual 3155
Overview 1-1
Chapter 1
OVERVIEW
What’s In This
Chapter This chapter contains general and functional descriptions of the
Model 3155 Arbitrary Waveform Generator. It lists and describes
any options available for this model. It also describes the front panel
connectors and operational modes.
The Model 3155 has a maximum sample clock rate of 100 MS/s and
maximum frequency output 50 MHz.
Introduction Model 3155 is a single-channel PXI-based Arbitrary Waveform Gen-
erator. It is a high performance waveform generator that combines
three powerful instruments in one small package: function generator,
Waveform generator and modulation generator. Supplied with the
instrument is WaveCAD software, which is used for controlling the
3155 and for generating, editing and downloading waveforms from a
remote computer. Also included are drivers for LabVIEW, LabWin-
dows/CVI, Visual C++, and Visual Basic. The following highlight
3155 and WaveCAD features.
3155 Series
Feature
Highlights
•100 MS/s sample clock frequency
•Built-in standard waveforms. 50 MHz sinewave output
•10 digits frequency setting, limited by 1 µS/s
•14-bit vertical resolution
•1 Meg memory depth
•Ultra fast waveform downloads
•1 ppm clock stability (optional)
•Extremely low phase noise
•Frequency agility: FSK, ramped FSK, sweep, FM
•Trigger start phase control and breakpoints
•Built-in sequence generator
•Multiple instrument synchronization with tight phase control

User Manual 3155
1-2 Overview
Figure 1-1, 3155 Series

User Manual 3155
Overview 1-3
WaveCAD
Feature
Highlights
•
Three powerful tools in one software package: Instrument control
panel, Waveform composer and FM signal composer
•Detailed virtual front panels control all 3155 functions and modes
•Ability to generate, edit and download complex waveforms
•FM wave composer generates and downloads complex modulat-
ing signals
•Automatic detection of active instruments
•Equation editor to allow generation of waveforms from equations
•SCPI command and response editor to simulate ATE operation
•Translates waveform coordinates from ASCII and other formats
•Simplifies generation of complex sequences
Figure 1-2, WaveCAD - Control Panels

User Manual 3155
1-4 Overview
Figure 1-3, WaveCAD - Wave Composer
Figure 1-4, WaveCAD - FM Wave Composer

User Manual 3155
Overview 1-5
Functional
Description A detailed functional description is given following the general de-
scription of the features, functions, and options available with the
3155.
Output Functions Model 3155 is completely digital. There are no analog functions resi-
dent in its hardware circuits. Data has to be downloaded to the in-
strument to start generating waveforms. The instrument can gener-
ate standard functions such as sine wave, triangular wave and
square wave. Each time that a standard function is required, the in-
strument calculates its values and places them in waveform memory.
Therefore, every time a standard function is selected, time is re-
quired for the controller to compute the function and load its data into
waveform memory.
Frequency Waveform frequency and sample clock are programmed with 10 dig-
its of resolution, limited only by 1
µ
S/s. Frequency accuracy of the
output waveform is determined by the clock reference. The PXIbus
backplane clock provides 100ppm accuracy and stability over time
and temperature. If higher accuracy and/or stability are required, you
may order the 3155 with a 1ppm reference, or connect an external
frequency reference to the front-panel reference input connector.
Amplitude The output level may be programmed from 160mV to 16Vp-p into
open circuit, or 80mV to 8V into 50
Ω
. An offset may be applied to the
output to shift the signal either positive or negative. Offset and am-
plitude are inter-related, so make sure you understand the offset-
amplitude ranges before you apply an offset to your signal.
Trigger Modes Besides its normal continuous mode, the 3155 responds to a variety
of trigger sources. The output waveform may be gated or triggered to
generate a counted burst of waveforms. A built-in trigger generator
with a programmable period can be used to replace an external trig-
ger source. The internal trigger generator can be programmed with a
resolution of 7 digits. The 3155 can be programmed to output trig-
gers on one or more of 7 trigger lines that are connected to P2, and,
be programmed to respond to these same trigger lines.
Arbitrary Waveforms The Model 3155 generates arbitrary waveforms with 14 bits of verti-
cal resolution. Any waveform it generates is first loaded into its
waveform memory. The arbitrary waveform memory is a bank of 14-
bit words. Each word represents a point on the horizontal waveform
scale. Each word has a horizontal address that can range from 0 to
1,048,576 and a vertical address that can range from -8192 to +8191
(14 bits). Using a high speed clocking circuit, the digital contents of
the arbitrary waveform memory is extracted and routed to the Digital
to Analog Converter (DAC). The DAC converts the digital data to an
analog signal, and the output amplifier completes the task by ampli-
fying or attenuating the signal at the output connector.

User Manual 3155
1-6 Overview
Memory Segmentation There is no need to use the entire memory every time an arbitrary
waveform is generated. The waveform memory can be divided into
smaller segments and different waveforms can be loaded into indi-
vidual segment. The various segments may then be loaded into a
sequence table to generate long and complex waveforms. The se-
quence table can link up to 4096 segments, while each segment can
loop up to 1 million times.
Remote Control The instrument must be used in conjunction with a host computer. All
of its functions, modes and parameters are fully programmable using
SCPI commands and syntax. There are three ways to program the
Model 3155, the first being low-level programming of each individual
parameter using SCPI commands. The second alternative is to use
WaveCAD for high-level programming. WaveCAD is a software
package supplied with the 3155 that simulates a mechanical front
panel. It has all the necessary push buttons, displays and dials to
operate the instrument as if you were using it on the bench. The third
alternative is using application specific drivers, such as LabVIEW,
CVI, Visual C++, or Visual Basic.
The 3155 must be programmed to generate waveforms. Therefore, it
is recommended that the user becomes familiar with its basic fea-
tures, functions and programming concepts as described in this and
subsequent chapters.
Frequency Agility The instrument generates its sample clock from a DDS circuit (direct
digital synthesis). The DDS circuit enables frequency agility through
the complete frequency range of the 3155. Having such an enor-
mous range opens the door for a wide range of applications such as
wide band sweep, FSK and frequency modulation. The 3155 can
generate FSK, ramped FSK and linear or logarithmic sweep. The in-
strument can also frequency modulate its carrier using one of its
built-in waveforms, or generate any user-defined modulating signal,
which can be downloaded using the FM wave composer in Wave-
CAD.
Multi-Instrument Syn-
chronization There are applications requiring 2 or more synchronized channels.
Synchronization between completely independent, free-running in-
struments is not an easy task. Besides distribution of the sample
clock to all instruments, each instrument has to be told when to start
generating waveforms so that all waveforms start from the same
point and with the same phase. Also, triggering multiple instruments
to achieve synchronization is not enough because it will generate a
jitter of ±1 count.
The 3155 uses backplane, daisy-chained connections to synchronize
between modules and the only limitation on the number of synchro-
nized instruments is the size of the card cage.

User Manual 3155
Overview 1-7
Options There is one option available for the 3155.
Option TCXO – This options adds 1ppm TCXO reference
Ordering Information
Model Description Part Number
3155 14 bit, 100MS/s PXIbus AWG 407810-001
3155, 1ppm 14 bit, 100MS/s PXIbus AWG, 1ppm 407810-011
Safety
Considerations The instrument has been manufactured according to international
safety standards. The instrument meets EN61010, VDE 0411/03.81
and UL 1244 standards for safety of commercial electronic measur-
ing and test equipment for instruments with an exposed metal chas-
sis that is directly connected to earth via the chassis power supply
cable.
WARNING
Do not remove instrument covers when operating or
when the power cord is connected to the mains.
Any adjustment, maintenance and repair of an opened, powered-on
instrument should be avoided as much as possible, but when neces-
sary, should be carried out only by a skilled person who is aware of
the hazard involved.
Supplied
Accessories The instrument is supplied with a CD that includes an Instruction
Manual, WaveCAD for Windows 95/98/2000/NT/XP, plug & play
drivers.
Specifications Instrument specifications are listed in Appendix A. These specifica-
tions are the performance standards or limits against which the in-
strument is tested. Specifications apply under the following condi-
tions: output terminated into 50
Ω
after 30 minutes of warm up time,
and within a temperature range of 20oC to 30oC. Specifications out-
side this range are degraded by 0.1% per °C.
Functional
Description A detailed functional description is given in the following paragraphs.
The description is divided into logical groups: front panel connectors,
operating modes, output type, output state, filters and synchroniza-
tion.

User Manual 3155
1-8 Overview
Front Panel
Connectors
The 3155 has 3 BNC connectors on its front panel: main and SYNC
outputs and trigger input. There are also 2 SMB connectors: sine
output and 10MHz reference input. These connectors are described
below.
Output The output connector outputs fixed (pre-defined) waveforms up to
50MHz, user (arbitrary) and sequenced waveforms with sampling
clock to 100MS/s. Output impedance is 50
Ω
; the cable connected to
this output should be terminated with 50
Ω
load. Amplitude accuracy
is calibrated when connected to a 50Ωload. The amplitude is dou-
bled when the output impedance is above 1MΩ.
SYNC Output The SYNC output generates a single TTL pulse for synchronizing
other instruments (i.e., an oscilloscope) to the output waveform. The
SYNC signal always appears at a fixed point relative to the wave-
form. The location of the SYNC signal along the waveform is pro-
grammable. The SYNC output is also used as a marker output when
the sweep or FM functions are turned on.
TRIG/FSK IN In general, this input accepts signals that stimulate generation of
output waveforms. The trigger input is inactive when the generator
operates in continuous mode. When placed in trigger, gated or burst
modes, the trigger input is made active and waits for the right condi-
tion to trigger the instrument. In trigger and burst modes, the trigger
input is edge sensitive, i.e., it senses transitions from high to low or
from low to high to trigger the 3155. The direction of the transition is
programmable. In gated mode, the trigger input is level sensitive,
i.e., the generator is gated on when the logic level is high and idle
when the level is logic low. Trigger level for this input is TTL.
The same input is used in FSK mode, where the output hops be-
tween two frequencies – carrier and shifted frequencies. The output
generates carrier frequency when the FSK input is false and shifted
frequency when the FSK input is true.
The trigger input is also used as stop and start input when the 3155
is placed in Arm mode.
SINE OUT This SMB connector outputs DC coupled, fixed level (1V
pk-pk
into
50
Ω
) sine waveforms. This output is derived directly from the sample
clock generator and is active at all times, regardless of present oper-
ating mode of the 3155. The frequency of the sine output is pro-
grammed using the sample clock parameter. Frequency agility and