GW Instek New free IQ baseband waveform output function for AFG3032/22

Great news!!

AFG-3032/22 firmware can be downloaded and upgraded from the GW Instek official website to firmware V2.00.
After the upgrading, without additional options and costs as well as PC editing, CH1 and CH2 provide the IQ baseband
waveform outputs, which include ASK, MSK, FSK (2FSK, 4FSK, 8FSK), PSK (8PSK, QPSK, DQPSK, QQPSK, pi/4 QPSK,
pi/4DQPSK, 8PSK), APSK (16APSK, 32APSK), QAM (16QAM), 32QAM, 64QAM), etc. New IQ waveform commands are
also available in the user manual.
 “Digital modulation” has been utilized very frequently in the modern communications systems, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee,
CDMA and HDTV. Compared with the conventional analog modulation, digital modulation provides the communications systems
with more reliable transmission and higher transmission rate. For digital modulation systems, IQ baseband signals are very crucial
and frequently used. IQ modulation can convert analog signals to digital signals with most efficient way to transmit information.
Generally speaking, using a vector signal generator (VSG) to produce RF IQ modulation signals is the most convenient method.
However, it is the most expensive way. A dual-channel arbitrary waveform generator collocating with an RF signal generator is
a substitute for the economic vector signal generator (as shown in the following diagram). “Baseband waveform document” is very
difficult to process when using general signal generators to produce IQ baseband signals due to a complex calculation is
required to obtain a series of data. Hence, users must utilize some computation tools (computer spreadsheet) to accomplish the
process.Once there are changes of the data, the computation process must be done all over again to produce document.
 

AFG-3032/22 have built in the most frequently used IQ signals required by various digital modulation. Collocating with the flexible
setting interface, users do not have to reconstruct document and can change parameters at any time to greatly increase the convenience
of the tests. The following diagram uses an actual ZigBee application as an example. AFG-3032/22 produce BPSK and OQPSK
baseband signals required by ZigBee and transmit them to RF signal generator to produce 2.4 GHz ZigBee O-QPSK receiver test signal.
 

The following displays show IQ baseband waveforms produced by AFG-3032/22 and various digital modulation signals produced by
Vector Signal Analyzer (VSA) with IQ inputs.
                                         

 1.ASK
   

2.MSK
  
 

3.FSK(2FSK ,4FSK ,8FSK)
  
 

4.PSK(BPSK ,QPSK ,DQPSK ,OQPSK ,pi/4-QPSK ,pi/4-DQPSK ,8PSK)
  
 

5.APSK(16APSK ,32APSK)
  
 

6.QAM(16QAM ,32QAM ,64QAM)
  
 

Additional options and software editing are not required. After downloading the firmware of AFG-3032/22 from the GW Instek
official website and updating it to V2.0, the function of generating IQ fundamental frequency signal will be available.
Symbol rate/frequency, AMPL and ratio can be flexibly adjusted according to user’s requirements that is an economic way to
generate the fundamental frequency waveform for the communications system.
 
Please contact us for further information of AFG-3000 series.