Velleman Instruments PCG10 User manual

PC Generator
PCG10 / K8016
CHECK THE Pc-Lab2000TM GETTING STARTED GUIDE
FOR SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
R
Re ef fe er re en nc ce e M Ma an nu ua al l

PCG10 / K8016
2
VELLEMAN Instruments is a division of
VELLEMAN Components NV
Legen Heirweg 33
9890 Gavere
Belgium
Support & updates : http://www.Velleman.be
Velleman Instruments
HPCG10_GB-2001–1

PCG10 / K8016
3
FCC information for the USA
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more
of the following measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to
which the receiver is connected.
•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Important
This equipment was tested for FCC compliance under conditions that include
the use of shielded test leads between it and the peripherals. It is important
that you use shielded cables and connectors to reduce the possibility of
causing Radio and Television interference.
Shielded probes, suitable for thePCG10 unit can be obtained fromthe
authorized Velleman dealer.
If the user modifies thePCG10 unit or its connections in any way, and these
modifications are not approved by Velleman, the FCC may withdraw the user’s
right to operate the equipment.
The following booklet prepared by the Federal Communications Commission
may be of help: “How to identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference problems”.
This booklet is available from the US Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC20402 Stock No. 044-000-00345-4.

PCG10 / K8016
4
Features:
þFrequency range from 0.01Hz to 1 MHz.
þCrystal-based stability.
þOptically isolated from the PC.
þLow sine wave distortion.
þTTL level synchronization output.
þStores up to 32K of waveform points.
þStandard waveforms: Sine, Square, and Triangle.
þPredefined library waveforms included: Noise, Sweep,...
þExtended bode plot option together with PC scope.
þYou can create your own waveforms with the integrated signal wave editor.
þCan be chained with Velleman PC oscilloscopes to the same PC printer
port (LPT1, 2 or 3).
Specifications:
•Power supply: Standard 12V DC adapter,800mA (PS1208).
•Direct Digital wave synthesis (DDS), 32K wave table.
•Frequency setting resolution: 0.01%.
•Amplitude range: 100mVpp to 10Vpp @ 600 Ohm load.
•Amplitude resolution: 0.4% of full scale.
•Offset: from 0 to-5V or +5V max. (resolution 0.4% of full scale).
•Vertical resolution: 8 bits (0.4% of full scale).
•Maximum sample rate: 32MHz.
•Typical sine wave distortion (THD): < 0.08% (with 0dB and <100 Khz, 1v
RMS)
•Output impedance: 50 Ohm.
•Dimensions (wxdxh): 235x165x47mm (9.3”x6.5”x1.9”).
system requirements
•IBM compatible PC
•Windows 95, 98, ME, (Win2000 or NT possible)
•SVGA display card (min. 800x600)
•mouse
•free printer port LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3
•CD Rom player
Options
•Soft carry case: GIP

PCG10 / K8016
5
SAFETY and WARNINGS
Symbols displayed on the unit
!
Important safety information, see user manual.
The PCG10 / K8016 is optically isolated from the PC, but even then
it is advisable to use only on safe devices.
⇒Measurements should be avoided in case of polluted or very humid air.
Before making measurements and for safety reasons, it is important to know
some information about the measured unit.
Safe devices are:
•Battery operated equipment
•Equipment supplied via a transformer or adapter.
Unsafe devices are:
•Equipment directly connected to mains (e.g. old TV sets)
•Equipment that contains components that are directly connected to mains
•It is advisable, when measuring on above equipment, to use a isolation
transformer.
Use of unsafe devices can result in damage to the
generator circuit!

PCG10 / K8016
6
CONNECTIONS
Survey of the connections and controls
1.BNC signal output connector (50ohm max 10Vpp)
2.BNC external trigger output (TTL level)
3.Output ready LED (indicates if output signal is present)
4.Power indication LED (software driven)
5.Adapter connection (observe the polarity!)
6.Parallel port connector to computer
7.Parallel pass through connector for optional PC scope (PCS500, PCS100 /
K8031)
The unit is connected to the printer port
(LPT) of the computer, using a standard 25P male/female parallel cable.

PCG10 / K8016
7
Connection
Connect the unit to the printer port LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3.
A Velleman PC scope can be connected to the “To PC Scope” connector.
To select the LPT port address click Hardware Setup on Options menu of the
oscilloscope window, or runPc-Lab2000 software.
Connect the mains voltage DC adapter to the unit : 12VDC / 800mA. (pin =
positive).
MATTENTION: Only use adapter with correct voltage otherwise the unit could
be damaged.
Using a wrong power supply could blow the internalfuse. The fuse is
soldered onto the PCB, please contact an experienced service center, to
replace the fuse. The best way is to cut the leads of the fuse , and to solder a
new (1A PICO) fuse onto the old leads.
After starting the software (see also getting started manual), the LED on the
front panel should lid.

PCG10 / K8016
8
SOFTWARE CONTROLS
•Remark: Due to software upgrades, the actual menus can differ from the
ones described in this manual, please also refer to the Help file (English
only)
Function Generator Mode
Four standard waveforms and DC are included:
Sine
Square
Triangle
Sine(x)/x
Each of these waveforms is generated using Direct Digital Synthesis to
insure very low noise, and low output distortion. Direct digital synthesis (DDS)
enables 5-digit frequency resolution. The output signal is smoothed by alow
pass filter.
Library Functions (LIB)
This mode can be found by clicking theMore Funct. button and then theLIB
button. A set of library waveform files are included on the disk.
Waveforms of 32000 data points:
File name Description
BURST1.LIB Sine burst (1 cycle)
BURST2.LIB Sine burst (2 cycles)
DAMP_WAV.LIB Damping wave
EXP_DEC.LIB Exponential decay
EXP_INC.LIBExponential rise
GAUSSIAN.LIB Gaussian pulse
RAMP_DN.LIB Ramp down
RAMP_UP.LIB Ramp up
Following files are easy to modify with Wave Editor:
BURST01.LIB Sine burst (Only 21 data points)
PULSES1.LIB Pulses of different amplitude
RECT1.LIB Rectangular pulse (Easy to change duty cycle with Wave
Editor)
SAW1.LIB Sawtooth wave
SINE1.LIB Sine wave (Only 21 data points)
STAIRS1.LIB Stairs Stairs wave
TRAP1.LIB Trapezoidal wave
TRI_SKW.LIB Triangle wave with skew
TRI1.LIB Triangle wave

PCG10 / K8016
9
There are also following sample files on the disk:
PIANO1.LIB Piano sound
SAMPLE_1.LIB Song sample (Listenon 1Hz range at 0.1Hz frequency)
The library file is a text file including 2 to 32000 points of waveform data. The
data is entered either in floating point format or integer format. The data range
for floating point format is-1.0 to +1.0 and for integer format 0 to 255. Entered
values are separated by line feed.
In this mode you can activate or deactivate the low pass filter of the generator
output.
Sweep Generator
You can enter the Start and Stop frequencies. The sweep ranges are
indicated on the buttons.
The sweep repetition rate is proportional to the sweep frequency range
selected.
Sync output supplies a high going pulse at the start of each sweep. This
pulse is useful for triggering scopes or other equipment at the start of each
sweep.
Repetition rate Sweep range
1ms 1kHz-1MHz
10ms 100Hz-5kHz
100ms 10Hz-500Hz
1s 1Hz-50Hz
10s 0.1Hz-5Hz
Noise Generator
In this mode the generator output is a noise sequence. The peak amplitude
is equal to the Amplitude Vpp value. The amplitude of the signal is Gaussian
distributed. The sequence repetition rate is proportional to the noise
frequency range selected.
Repetition rate Noise frequency range
1ms 2kHz-16MHz
10ms 200Hz-1.6MHz
100ms 20Hz-160kHz
1s 2Hz-16kHz
10s 0.2Hz-1.6kHz
100s 0.02Hz-160Hz

PCG10 / K8016
10
Setting the Frequency
There are two alternative ways to set the output frequency:
1. Move the track bar below the frequency display.
2. Click the frequency display frame, type the value and press the Enter key.
Setting the Output Voltage
There are two alternative ways to set the output voltage and the offset:
1. Move the track bar adjacent to the voltage display frame.
2. Click the voltage display frame, type the value and press the Enter key.
Output Filter
The output of thegenerator is equipped with a low pass filter. This filter is
used to eliminate any imperfections and noise caused by the D/A converter.
When generating user defined waveforms in LIB mode you can activate or
deactivate the filter. When generating the standard waveforms, the filter is
automatically set by default.
Editing and creating the waveform library file
Library files
Waveform library files are normal text files. Files can be created and edited
with standard text editors (such as Notepad or Wordpad) or with a
spreadsheet (such as Microsoft Excel). Spreadsheet is useful when
extracting the data from PC oscilloscope files. Most of the files can be created
and edited using this Wave Editor.
There are two methods to construct the waveform file:
1. All data values, point by point, are written to the file.
This method is usable for complicated waveforms and for the
waveforms extracted from the oscilloscope data files.
2. Only the corner values of the waveform data are written to the file.
The software generates automatically the values between the
corners.
This method is fast and easy way to generate waveform consisting
of horizontal, vertical or diagonal straight lines. Below there are
some example files and the corresponding waveform images.
In both cases the values are written on separate lines in the text file.

PCG10 / K8016
11
Data formats
In both cases the voltage values can be written in decimal or integer format. In
the decimal format -1.0 represents the negative peak voltage and +1.0
represents the positive peak voltage. In integer format 0 represents the
negative peak voltage and 255 represents the positive peak output voltage.
The software detects the data format as 'decimal' if there is at least one
decimal separator in the data file. Both comma ',' and dot '.' are interpreted as
decimal separators.
Writing the waveform file
The data points in the waveform file make up one function generator output
cycle.
There must be at least two data points in the wave data file: Start and stop of
the wave.
Two cycles of the wave are displayed.
The contents of the file:
-1.0
1.0
Adding the data points
With additional points between the start and the stop points you can create
corners to the wave. All data values are equally spaced in time. Any number of
data points (up to 32000) can be added to the file to get the desired shape of
the wave.
The contents of the file:
-1.0
0.0
0.5
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0

PCG10 / K8016
12
Repeating the same data value
If you like to repeat same data value for consecutive data points you can type
the value only once and type in parenthesis, on the same line, the count how
many times the value is repeated.
The contents of the file:
0.0
-1.0
-0.0 (10)
1.0
0.0
Increasing the space between the data points
In normal case the data points are connected with diagonal or horizontal lines
together. All the data points are equally distributed over the wave period.
If you like to increase the distance between two data points you can type the
distance in parenthesis on separate line between the data values.
The contents of the file:
-1.0 (3)
(10)
1.0 (3)
Removing diagonal line between the data points
To get fast edges to the wave you can prevent the software from connecting
the consecutive data points with a diagonal line. To do this, write (0) on
separate line between the data values. The data points are connected with
rectangular line going immediately to the level of the next data value.
The contents of the file:
-1,0
-1.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
1.0

PCG10 / K8016
13
Sample files included on the disk
Ramp down
File name: ramp_dn.lib
The contents of the file:
1.0
-1.0
Triangle wave with skew
File name: tri_skw.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0
(30)
1.0
(10)
-1.0
Triangle wave
File name: tri1.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0
1.0
-1.0
Trapezoidal wave
File name: trap1.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0 (1000)
(0)
0.5
(1000)
1.0

PCG10 / K8016
14
Sawtooth wave
File name: saw1.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0 (10)
(10)
1.0
Stairs
File name: stairs1.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0
-1.0
(0)
-0.5
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.5
(0)
1.0
Pulses of different amplitude
File name: pulses1.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0
-1.0
(0)
-0.5
(0)
-1.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
-1.0
(0)
0.5
(0)
-1.0
(0)
1.0

PCG10 / K8016
15
Sine wave
File name: sine1.lib
The contents of the file:
0,00
0,31
0,59
0,81
0,95
1,00
0,95
0,81
0,59
0,31
0,00
-0,31
-0,59
-0,81
-0,95
-1,00
-0,95
-0,81
-0,59
-0,31
0,00
Sine burst
File name: burst01.lib
The contents of the file:
0,00 (21)
0,31
0,59
0,81
0,95
1,00
0,95
0,81
0,59
0,31
0,00
-0,31
-0,59
-0,81
-0,95
-1,00
-0,95
-0,81
-0,59
-0,31
0,00
Rectangular pulse
File name: rect1.lib
The contents of the file:
-1.0 (1000)
(0)
1.0 (100)

PCG10 / K8016
16
Menu Options
File menu
Exit -Terminates the program.
Options menu
Hide Oscilloscope -Hides oscilloscope's control panel
Fine Tune -Allows to set a +/-5% level adjustment to the output voltage
and +/-120mV adjustment to the offset voltage when the square wave
output mode is selected.
Tools menu
Wave Editor -Opens the waveform data editor.
Bode Plotter -Starts the Circuit Analyzer for frequency response
measurements.
Help menu
Contents -Displays this help file
About -Displays information of the program version.

PCG10 / K8016
17
Circuit Analyzer as a Bode Plotter
Bode Plotter enables you to evaluate the frequency response of devices such
as amplifiers and filters.
The frequency response is a representation of the device's output response
to sinusoidal input voltage at varying frequencies. The device under test is
connected between the signal output of the function generator (PCG10 or
K8016) and the CH1 input of the oscilloscope (PCS500, PCS100 or K8031).
The function generator automatically steps a sine wave over a specified
frequency range and the oscilloscope measures the output voltage of the
device under test at each step. These readings are plotted to the frequency
response curve on the screen.
Operation of the Bode Plotter
Assume that you want to measure the frequency response of an amplifier.
•Connect the function generator signal output to the input of the amplifier.
•Set proper output voltage to the generator (e.g. 1Vpp).
•Connect the output of the amplifier to CH1 input of the oscilloscope.
•Click oscilloscope'sRun button and adjust the Y position until the trace is
in the middle of the screen.
Make following selections on the Bode Plotter interface:
•Select proper Frequency Range
•Select proper Frequency Start
•Click theStart button
The frequency response graph will be plotted on the screen.
You can take a look to the oscilloscope display to see the amplifier output
waveform.
If the graph is too low position or partly out of the display area change theV
Range (or oscilloscope's Volts/div setting), so that the graph is at the desired
vertical position on the screen and click theStart button again.
You can afterwards change the display mode, frequency scale and the
voltage scale (V Range) to survey the details of the graph.
Note:Pay careful attention to the input and output signal levels of the amplifier
to get correct test results. PCG10 and K8016 generators can output 0.1V to
10V peak-to-peak signal. If high sensitivity phono inputs are being tested, an
extra voltage divider (potentiometer) should be used to connect the signal to
the amplifier input.
The maximum signal amplitude that can be plotted to the graph is 10Vrms.
Use the probe's attenuator position x10 or some other means to bring the
maximum expected level below 10Vrms.

PCG10 / K8016
18
Display mode
The magnitude can be expressed either in volts or in decibels.
There are four vertical scale display modes:Volts (RMS), 10dB/div, 5dB/div
and 1dB/div.
Horizontal scale can be either logarithmic or linear. In linear mode it is
possible start the measurement from DC (0Hz).
Frequency stepping
There are two alternative stepping modes: logarithmic and linear. If the
checkbox Log. Freq. Steps is checked the frequency step is at the first decade
equal to the start frequency and on the next decades equal to the first
frequency of the decade.
If the checkbox is not checked the frequency step is equal to the start
frequency.
It is possible change the frequency step "on-the-fly" by selecting theOptions
menu itemFrequency Step Size.

PCG10 / K8016
19
Menu options
File Menu
Save /Open modes
The graph can be saved and opened either as a bitmap image or as a data.
The saved data can be afterwards retrieved for further examination. Select
Multiple Trace Mode from Options menu if the saved data contains more
than one trace. In this mode it is possible to continue the measurements. The
new trace data will be appended to the retrieved data.
The bitmap image can only be viewed "as is".
Edit Menu
Copy
Copies the image to the Windows' clipboard.
Paste
Pastes the image residing in Windows' clipboard to the screen.
Options Menu
Automatic Voltage Scale
When this option is selected the oscilloscope automatically changes the
voltage scale if the input signal is too low or too high. To avoid oscilloscope's
voltage scale overdrive by DC it is good to do the following operations before
the start of the measurements:
•Turn the oscilloscope's input switch to AC position.
•Adjust the scope's trace to the middle of the screen.
Note:When oscilloscope's input switch is in AC position there is attenuation
at frequencies below 5Hz. For the tests at low frequencies use DC coupling
and be aware of the possible oscilloscope display overdrive at the most
sensitive Volt/DIV ranges.
Show Multiple Traces
This option allows you to display many traces on the same graph. You can
even change the frequency scale between the measurements.
Frequency Step Size
This option allows the change of the frequency step size. The size can be set
in % of the default step size. The default step is equal to theStart frequency
if the checkbox Log. Freq. Stepis not checked and equal to the first frequency
of each decade if the checkbox is checked.
Wait Time
Use this option to add a delay of 1s to 10s before the RMS value is measured
at each frequency. Delay may be needed for circuit stabilization.

PCG10 / K8016
20
Colors
Select the color for various items on the waveform display.
To change the color of an item, click the corresponding button. This will open
a dialog in which you can select the new color.
Colors of Multiple Traces
Use this option to change the trace colors when Multiple Trace Mode is
selected .
View Menu
Markers
Marker function for absolute and relative voltage measurement is provided.
The absolute voltage level in dBV or the voltage difference in decibels (dB)
can be measured.
One vertical marker is provided for the frequency measurement.
Moving the markers
Place the mouse pointer over a dashed marker line.
Press and hold the left mouse button. The marker line turns solid.
Drag the marker to the appropriate position