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AWG — Function Generator

Auto-generated reference

For the definitive command list extracted directly from source code, see REPL Command Reference.

Controls arbitrary waveform generators and function generators.

  • Channels are numbered 1, 2, or use all to affect both simultaneously
  • Multiple AWGs are named awg1, awg2, etc.

Dual-channel function/arbitrary waveform generator. Full SCPI support for all waveform types.

DDS function generator with serial interface. Supports standard waveforms and arbitrary waveform loading.

Single-channel function generator with USB interface.

awg chan

Enable or disable an output channel.

awg chan <1|2|all> <on|off>
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to control. all affects both channels.
on\|off required on, off Enable or disable the output. 
awg chan 1 on       # enable channel 1
awg chan 2 off      # disable channel 2
awg chan all off    # disable both channels

awg wave

Configure waveform type and parameters in one command.

awg wave <1|2|all> <type> [freq=<Hz>] [amp=<Vpp>] [offset=<V>] [duty=<%>] [phase=<deg>]
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to configure.
type required see below Waveform shape.
freq= optional float (Hz) Output frequency in hertz.
amp= optional float (Vpp) Peak-to-peak amplitude in volts.
offset= optional float (V) DC offset voltage in volts.
duty= optional 0.0–100.0 Duty cycle percent — applies to square and pulse waveforms.
phase= optional 0.0–360.0 Phase offset in degrees.

Waveform types:

Type Description
sine Sinusoidal wave
square Square wave (use duty= to control duty cycle)
ramp Ramp / sawtooth wave
triangle Symmetric triangle wave
pulse Pulse wave
noise White noise
dc DC level (set with offset=)
arb Arbitrary waveform (device-dependent)
prbs Pseudo-random binary sequence — used for BER testing and channel characterization (Keysight EDU33212A only)

All keyword arguments are optional — omitted parameters keep their current values.

awg wave 1 sine freq=1000 amp=2.0 offset=0     # 1 kHz sine, 2 Vpp
awg wave 1 square freq=500 duty=25              # 500 Hz square, 25% duty
awg wave all sine freq=10000                    # set both channels to 10 kHz sine
awg wave 2 ramp freq=100 amp=5.0               # 100 Hz ramp on channel 2
awg wave 1 prbs freq=1000000 amp=3.3           # 1 Mbps PRBS for BER testing (EDU33212A only)

PRBS limitations

PRBS is supported on Keysight EDU33212A only. Typical bit rates range from 1 kbps to 50 Mbps. Standard parameters (freq=, amp=) apply; duty= and offset= are ignored for PRBS mode.

awg freq

Set output frequency without changing other parameters.

awg freq <1|2|all> <Hz>
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to configure.
Hz required float > 0 Frequency in hertz. 
awg freq 1 1000      # set channel 1 to 1 kHz
awg freq all 50000   # set both channels to 50 kHz

awg amp

Set peak-to-peak amplitude without changing other parameters.

awg amp <1|2|all> <Vpp>
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to configure.
Vpp required float (V) Peak-to-peak amplitude in volts. 
awg amp 1 3.3    # set channel 1 to 3.3 Vpp
awg amp 2 1.0    # set channel 2 to 1 Vpp

awg offset

Set DC offset without changing other parameters.

awg offset <1|2|all> <V>
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to configure.
V required float (V) DC offset in volts. Negative values shift the signal below ground. 
awg offset 1 1.65    # shift channel 1 waveform up by 1.65 V
awg offset 2 -0.5    # shift channel 2 down by 0.5 V

awg duty

Set square wave duty cycle without changing other parameters.

awg duty <1|2|all> <%>
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to configure.
% required 0.0–100.0 Duty cycle as a percentage. 
awg duty 1 25    # set channel 1 to 25% duty cycle
awg duty 1 50    # 50% duty cycle (symmetric square wave)

awg phase

Set phase offset without changing other parameters.

awg phase <1|2|all> <degrees>
Parameter Required Values Description
1\|2\|all required 1, 2, all Channel to configure.
degrees required 0.0–360.0 Phase offset in degrees. 
awg phase 2 180    # invert channel 2 (180° phase offset)
awg phase 2 90     # 90° phase offset between channels

awg sync

Enable or disable the sync/trigger output signal.

awg sync <on|off>
Parameter Required Values Description
on\|off required on, off Enable or disable the sync output. 
awg sync on     # enable sync output
awg sync off    # disable sync output

Note

Sync output is only available on AWGs that support it.

awg on / awg off

Enable or disable all output channels at once.

awg on     # enable all channels
awg off    # disable all channels

Shorthand for toggling both channels simultaneously. Equivalent to awg chan all on / awg chan all off.

awg state

awg state <on|off|safe|reset>
Value Effect
on Enable all outputs
off Disable all outputs
safe Outputs off, returns to known defaults
reset *RST — factory defaults