I need a signal generator. Up until now, I have been using a simple DIY circuit purchased from Amazon for about £4. This works, but I guess ultimately you get what you pay for. It is difficult to use, has a very limited frequency range and no effective user interface to tell me what it is actually doing. I reckoned I could do better by building my own signal generator.
I started this project by listing the main features that I wanted from a signal generator. I might be prepared to compromise on some of these features if they require complex or costly solutions, but a list of requirements is a good place to start.
I have built a proof of concept system that satisfies all these requirements but one, DC offset is not adjustable. I will probably address this at some future time, but at present I don't think a DC offset of less than 100mv is going to cause me significant problems - I can always AC couple the output and add a DC offset if I need to. This "proof of concept" is actually a rats nest of wires and breadboards. My next step is to transfer all this "stuff" onto PCBs and install it into a suitable enclosure.
There are a lot of details that I have not included here, but I have documented the project in a pdf file that is available for download below. This file includes circuit diagrams, code listings and a detailed description of the development process.
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