Saturday, October 5, 2024

Raspberry-Pi Based Wave form Generator

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A waveform generator is a commonly used test and measurement instrument in electronics laboratories. Waveforms of different functions, frequencies, and amplitude levels are often required to test the functionality of electronic circuits. Although the circuit presented is not a complete substitute for a laboratory-grade signal generator, it serves as a waveform/signal generator with widely used standard waveforms, such as sinusoidal, square, triangular, and linear forward and reverse ramps under software control.

Fig. 1: Block diagram of the Raspberry Pi-based waveform generator

Moreover, since it is completely software-driven, it provides the added advantage of an ‘arbitrary waveform generator’ allowing users to design and generate custom signal waveforms with adjustable rates (frequencies) or wave shapes. The device uses the popular Raspberry Pi SBC as the main host controller, along with a few easily available, low-cost components that both hobbyists and professionals can assemble quickly. The software is written in Python for the Raspberry Pi. Fig. 1 shows the block diagram of the Raspberry Pi-based waveform generator. The components needed for this device are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 Bill of Materials (Component List)
Name (Label)ValueComments
Raspberry-PiBoardFor connecting GPIO pins
74HC595IC8-bit serial shift resistor
C1100nFCeramic disc capacitor
D1LED5mm red/green
J12-pin header, maleBerg strip output connector
J23-pin header, maleBerg strip (optional); see text
J38-pin header, maleR-Pi interface connector
R11-kilo-ohm0.25W, 5% CFR resistor
R3, R5, R7, R9, R11, R13, R1510-kilo-ohm0.25W, 1% MFR resistor
R2, R4, R6, R8, R10, R12, R14, R16, R1720-kilo-ohm0.25W, 1% MFR resistor
R184.7-kilo-ohmPull-up resistor (optional); see text
SW1Tactile key 6mmKey input (optional); see text
Jumper cables10Female-to-female jumper wires to connect the two boards and output

Circuit and working

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