Preferred brands for Function Generators?

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Ethan

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I'm looking to buy a function generator for audio circuit tinkering. Can anyone recommend any particular brands/models that aren't too expensive? (please no ebay suggestions, I don't have an account, nor want one).
 
Hey, Ethan - why not build one? Have a look at this one, for instance or even this one - and I'm sure that there are several other alternatives as well. This would be a good educational project, I think - with some real uses at the end.
 
Wavetek - nice lab quality stuff - drives an 8 ohm speaker. Signal and chassis ground... its a nice nice toy. Best part is that I got it for free!

I also have a cheapo Tenma (?) one that is digital - I think they sell these at MCM or through any other electronics dist.

Couple more months until yard sale season is upon us again!
 
i just got a bk precision model 3001. a friend recommended it to me. it's small and does square or sine waves. no complaints so far, for about $80
 
I have a B&K precision one as well, I forget the model, I want to say 4003, but that might not be right. Does everything I wanted, square/triangle/saw/sine/pulse, lin/log sweeps, DC offset, external triggering, 0-4MHz, frequency counter.

Paid way too much for it though, like $250 from mouser I think, might have been more like $350
 
Believe it or not I use a Velleman MK105 kit, one of their 'minikits' ( http://www.velleman-kit.com/ ) as my signal generator. For $10 at my local electronics store this thing generates sine, triangle, square and integrator waves selectable through a jumpter, and a volume control (a 50k trimpot in the kit).

I simply changed the jumper to a 1 pole/4 position rotary switch, swapped the trimpot for a 50k audio taper (from my local surplus store) and added a power switch (the kit is always 'on' when the battery is plugged in) and stuck it in a double-wide lightswitch enclosure from Home Depot ($1.49 with cover).

It only does 1kHz waves, but that's all I really need for simple calibration stuff.

It's cheap and works. If your needs are more substantial, this might not be the way to go, however.

JC
 

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