Signal Generator (my 1st)

[hmlittle59]

Hello All,

First, the Rigol DS2102 is on it's way to me. I have not used a Sig. Gen. for over 20yrs. and want one now for learning and working with the new Scope.  I've narrowed it down to the GW-Instek AFG-2225 (3' screen) or  Rigol DG4062 (7' screen).  I really want the Rigol but the price hurts. Has any one used or test either one of these units?  The Rigol may be over kill for now but if its more then work the price for now and the new future, I'll go with that one.  But if the "Quality" is bad then, "NO".

Thanks for any help.

Howard

[Selectech]

I have a DG4162 for my personal bench and a couple of DG4062 that I got for work. Like them both { along with the DS2102 , DP832 and DM3068 }. They all worked just great out of the box.

I have an SDG1010 and that worked fine, but Rigol has better features / spec although more expensive. It was worth it for what I'm doing { analog / digital  sensors & signals } so I did the upgrade.

[hmlittle59]

Hello Selectech,
Thanks for the reply.   As this is strictly training for now, I will go with the DG4062.  I do want the larger screen also.  Looking at the unit, it will be like the O'scope were I can upgrade at a later date, correct? (with software).  Will there be any thing else(small connector/cables) that I should get now that will help with the setup?

Thanks for any advice.

Howard

[kevinpt]

If money is tight you would get more bang for the buck by tracking down a used analog signal generator or arb rather than a new one. If all you plan on needing is basic signal generation you'll get much more bang for the buck than the case of scrounging for a used oscilloscope versus new. There are a ton of unwanted Waveteks and other brands floating around on the auction sites. Unless you know for certain you need some advanced feature or tighter specs from a new arb an older unit will be much more cost effective.

[Sigmoid]

Just yesterday I scored a Goldstar 0.2Hz-2Mhz sweep generator for $50. It seems someone dumped a crapload of the things nowadays, they are all over eBay for this price.
I'm sure it's not the finest signal generator ever, but it's a sweep, has the most important waveforms, and it's cheap.