Teledyne LeCroy and Agilent offer brand new 12-bit oscilloscopes and promise clearer, crisper waveform displays than an 8-bit oscilloscope can deliver. But what does it really mean for a real world application to have 12 instead of 8-bit resolution? I have no idea if that was just my perception or if the year 2012 was […]
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Search Results for: is 12 bit better than 8 bit
Review: Teledyne LeCroy WaveStation 2052 – Arbitrary Waveform Generator
After having a look at a Teledyne LeCroy WaveAce series oscilloscope recently, it’s time to have a look at the entry-level WaveStation family of arbitrary waveform generators. The WaveStation generators and the WaveAce oscilloscopes are designed to be capable of working hand-in-hand. The Teledyne LeCroy WaveStation 2052 is a 50 MHz, 2-channel Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generator […]
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DIY Spark Gap Transmitter
This article plunges you into the mesmerrizing world of early radio technology through the assembly and analysis of a DIY spark gap transmitter. This project offers a practical insight into the fascinating dynamics of damped harmonic oscillators and explains charasteristics such the logarithmic decrement, decay rate, damping factor, q factor, and beyond. Prepare to spark […]
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DIY: Adjustable 30 kV High Voltage Power Supply
High voltage power supplies can open interesting doors to research topics such as laser, x-ray, spark gap transmitters. And many other specialized niches. Unfortunately, laboratory grade high voltage power supplies are rather costly. Luckily, there is a much less expensive way to put high voltage experiments into the hobbyists reach. This article shows how to […]
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Video Distribution Amplifier | 10 MHz Reference Distribution
Three Sigma VDA-100 Video Distribution Amplifiers (DA) have been sitting on my shelf for a while. The DAs have been waiting to be repurposed for something useful. When Jackson Labs sent me a custom variant of the FireFly-IIA GPS-Locked double ovenized 10 MHZ reference oscillator, I decided to repurpose one of the VDA-100 as a […]
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Look Inside: Teledyne LeCroy HDO4024
True beauty lies within, or so they say. For an exclusive look under the hood, I decided to break the warranty seal on my Teledyne LeCroy HDO4024. It took me a while to debate with myself whether or not I should void the warranty on this scope. Curiosity won and I couldn’t resist, I just […]
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Review: Abracon MEMSpeed Pro II Programmer / MEMS Oscillators
Most circuit design engineers know this problem. They seem to have an inexhaustible amount of oscillators with all kinds of frequencies available, but there’s always one frequency that seems to be unavailable: the one they need. Abracon offers a variety of low-cost MEMS oscillators that can be programmed for a wide range of frequencies. When […]
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Review: Abracon ABFT Frequency Translators
In March, 2012, Abracon announced the production of ultra-low jitter, VCXO based frequency translators / jitter attenuators. This is supposed to resolve some problems that accompany classic PLL-based designs at an affordable price. Now, the ABFT frequency translators / jitter attenuators are available on the market and it’s time to have a closer look. The […]
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Review: Jackson Labs GPSTCXO Eval Board
Jackson Labs offers several different precision timing solutions. Among them are various GPS-disciplined oscillators. They sent me an evaluation board for one of their ultra small, low-cost GPSDO. So let’s check it out! The GPS-disciplined Oscillator (GPSDO) reviewed in this article is a state-of-the-art eval board from Jackson labs equipped with a high-performance GPS receiver, […]
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Review: Teledyne LeCroy WaveAce 1002 – Digital Storage Oscilloscope
Low-cost oscilloscope are a booming market. With the low-cost, entry level WaveAce series Teledyne LeCroy wants to get their piece of the big cake. This review is going to have a closer look at the Teledyne LeCroy WaveAce 1002. The WaveAce series oscilloscopes from Teledyne LeCroy are LeCroy’s answer to low-cost entry level oscilloscopes. They […]
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