ECE303L Signals and Systems Lab 1

Objectives

  1. Review the functionality of the function generator and oscilloscope.
  2. Review the use of the Agilent IO Control and Intuilink Data Capture applications.
  3. Learn to use the MATLAB Instrument Control Toolbox.
  4. Learn to load and display images using MATLAB.
  5. Experimentally verify properties of standard signal waveforms.

Background

You will need to download and install the ECE lab software and MATLAB. Read the description of using the laboratory software. Run the MATLAB instrument control example.

Download

lab1 materials

Requirements

  1. Demonstrate your ability to use the function generator by doing the following:
    1. Set function generator to High-Z (see page 40 of user guide)
    2. Output a modulated waveform (see p 41-43 of user guide) and capture an oscilloscope trace like the figure on p 41.
    3. Output a FSK waveform (see p 44-46 of user guide) and capture an oscilloscope trace like the figure on p 44.
    4. Output a burst waveform (see p 47-48 of user guide) and capture an oscilloscope trace like the figure on p 47.
    5. Output a frequency sweep (see p 49-50 of user guide) and capture an oscilloscope trace like the figure on p 49.

  2. Generate and characterize a sine wave by using the function generator to produce a sinusoid with a non-zero offset. Use the oscilloscope to measure the frequency, average voltage, peak-to-peak voltage, and rms voltage. Capture a trace with those measurements visible at the bottom of the display. Compare the results with theoretical values and the settings of the function generator.

  3. After doing the previous exercise manually, write a MATLAB script using the instrument control toolbox to configure the signal generator, and setup and capture the specified measurements.

  4. Generate and characterize a square wave with variable duty cycle. Use the oscilloscope to measure the duty cycle, average voltage, peak-to-peak voltage, and rms voltage. Capture a trace with those measurements visible at the bottom of the display. Determine experimentally how the rms voltage depends on duty cycle. Find a formula for calculating the rms voltage as a function of amplitude and duty cycle.

  5. Generate and characterize a triangle waveform and a ramp waveform. Determine how the oscilloscope rms voltage measurement is related to the waveform amplitude. Find formulas for calculating the rms voltage of each waveform.

  6. Generate and characterize a sinc waveform (see p 175 for pictures of the standard ARB waveforms). Download a scope dataset and load the data into Excel or MATLAB. Determine the sample spacing and generate a plot of the mathematical sinc function (continuous curve) superimposed with the oscilloscope data (symbol markers). Also generate a plot showing the difference between the mathematical sinc function and the ARB waveform.

  7. Generate and capture scope images of each of the five standard waveforms (sine, square, triangle, ramp, and noise) and the five default ARB waveforms. Write a MATLAB script that loads and displays each of the captured images. Publish the MATLAB script output as an HTML file.

  8. Write a MATLAB script to cause the function generator to cycle through examples of the ten waveforms above. Use the MATLAB pause function to allow sufficient time for the observer to view the changing waveforms on the oscilloscope. Demonstrate the operation of this script.


Maintained by John Loomis, last updated 25 August 2010