Using the Waveform Generator

If your device has an arbitrary waveform generator, you can access it via the property analog_output. Individual channels can be accessed via a zero-based index, or a label, such as ‘ch1’.

There are various high-level functions that you can use to control the waveform generator:

Channel Setup

analog_output[ch].setup() - Sets up a new carrier waveform.
analog_output[ch].setup_am() - Applies an AM modulation to a waveform.
analog_output[ch].setup_fm() - Applies an FM modulation to a waveform (sweep).

Setting up a new Waveform

You can use the setup() function to create a new waveform. You can specify the generator function, frequency, amplitude, offset, symmetry, and phase. By default, the carrier node is enabled via the parameter enabled=True. To start the channel immediately, pass the parameter start=True.

import dwfpy as dwf

with dwf.Device() as device:
    wavegen = device.analog_output
    wavegen[0].setup(function='sine', frequency=1e3, amplitude=1.0, start=True)

For a complete example, see examples/analog_out_sine.py.

Setting up an Amplitude Modulation

You can use the setup_am() function to modulate the amplitude. You can specify the generator function, frequency, amplitude, offset, symmetry, and phase, similar to the setup() function. By default, the AM node is enabled via the parameter enabled=True. To start the channel immediately, pass the parameter start=True.

import dwfpy as dwf

with dwf.Device() as device:
    wavegen = device.analog_output
    wavegen[0].setup(function='sine', frequency=1e3, amplitude=1.0)
    wavegen[0].setup_am(function='triangle', frequency=10, amplitude=50, start=True)

Setting up a Frequency Modulation

You can use the setup_fm() function to modulate the frequency. You can specify the generator function, frequency, amplitude, offset, symmetry, and phase, similar to the setup() function. By default, the FM node is enabled via the parameter enabled=True. To start the channel immediately, pass the parameter start=True.

import dwfpy as dwf

with dwf.Device() as device:
    wavegen = device.analog_output
    wavegen[0].setup(function='sine', frequency=1e3, amplitude=1.0)
    wavegen[0].setup_fm(function='sine', frequency=10, amplitude=10, start=True)