Any suggestions? - Function generator

[DragonPetter]

Does anyone have a lab bench function generator that they really like? I'm going to be buying one, and was curious if anyone had any opinions on which one is nice or if they bought one and thought it was a piece of junk.

I don't really care about specs, more just which ones you prefer to use.

 

[f95toli]

Pricerange?

I like the newish Agilent 2-channel generator that I am currently using (33522A). It is nothing fancy but it works well; the main problem with it that the phase of the two channels is not synced which is EXTREMELY annoying.

I also have a few other generators (Yokogawa, Stanford Research etc), some of them have better specs than the Agilent but unless you are doing something very demanding that should not be an issue; they are all "good enough".

 

[DragonPetter]

Thanks for the suggestion. I wish I could have that one haha. That is a bit out of my price range. I was looking for something around $1000 +/- $300. I like the Agilent ones, but they are all fairly expensive. I can't help but feel like I could use the arbitrary waveform feature, and that seems to push prices up a lot. I also want good connectivity to PC and software.

I think this one is what I am going to go for:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/4045/BK4045-ND/1682091

It has limited AWG capabilities, but can go 10MHz higher in basic function generator signals than the cheapest Agilent one that I found, and bandwidth is one of the most important deciding factors for me.

 

[yungman]

It's all about the cost and what you use it for. I bought a cheap function generator for music electronics, cost me only $110 or so. It is good to 2MHz only. If you are buying one for home use, go to surplus store and buy one.

 

[alphysicist]

I would suggest looking into reviews and ratings from other researchers or professionals in the field. It is important to consider the specific needs and requirements for your experiments before making a purchase. Additionally, consulting with colleagues or mentors who have experience with different function generators can provide valuable insights. It may also be helpful to test out different models before making a final decision. Ultimately, finding a reliable and user-friendly function generator is crucial for accurate and efficient experimentation.