Siglent SDG5082 4.3" TFT-LCD Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generator, 116Dbc/Hz 2Ppm High Frequency, 2 Channels

I am setting up a test bench after a multi-decade hiatus in the study of things electronic. One item that I needed was a function generator, and also wanted the ability to create arbitrary wave forms. This unit works as advertised, and I was making use of it in very short order. This is a feature-rich signal generator, especially for the price point. I'm not making money with these devices, so I had to keep my expenses "reasonable." (everyone has their own thresholds :-) )Pros ... this unit works within specification as advertised and is functional out of the box. The added software makes the generation of arbitrary wave forms a fairly simple task. It has a number of "built in" wave forms ready for your use, as well.Cons... as with many products from China, the manuals could use an edit by an English as First Language technical writer. In addition, the software did not come with the VISA dll files necessary for the software to function. A little research got me to a free download of these from the National Instruments website, and the software then would load and function. The other thing is that I run Win 7 64, and the included software needed to be set up in compatibility mode to work. (Interestingly, with the Siglent CML1102CML oscilloscope that I purchased after this generator, the VISA information was included on the CD.)Once set up, the software worked to quickly both capture and edit / create custom arbitrary wave forms that were easy to load back to the SDG5082.Overall, excellent value for the money, and the generator will be used for many years to come.

see dave's review [...]RUST for $700!

Dave Jones found rust on his until while tearing it down.. I didn't have this issue nor have many others. I don't know how he ended up with the rusted chassis? This unit is rock solid. It was pretty obvious how to use it out of the box. I was really worried I was going to regret buying this over the Rigol unit. I have no tried building my own arbitrary waveforms so I can't speak to that. General use is easy, the signal is clean on my new tek scope and the frequency seems to be spot on. The display looks dim in videos and while it's not the brightest thing ever I find it very readable in the fairly bright shop.

What a deal. This is more instrument than I need, but it is nice to have the headroom for R&D work. I quite often find that you need at least double the bandwidth of any type of test equipment to get a clean signal and measurement. This device has features that I would never use, but are nice to have. Features like FSK modulation have no use in my lab, but the day I do need it, this device will cover me. The build quality is excellent even at the sticker price. I have a Siglent SDS-1202X-E Oscilloscope that I tested this device with, and I capture 6ns rise times on the square waves all the way up to the max 30mhz for the square waves. I love the sweep function of this generator, I use it to produce bode plots of the frquency response of amplifiers and filters I build in my lab. This device in conjunction with a 200mhz oscilloscope will meet the needs af 90% of electrical engineers. I have not taken it apart thanks to Dave Jones doing that for me on the EEVBlog, so I do not know if there is rust, but hey, it is a very nice unit from what I can tell from the outside. The fan is super quiet, now that I think about it, I don't remember ever hearing it. It is useful to let the device warm up for 30 minutes for high precision work, but I usually see the rise times fall from 12ns at cold start, to 6ns 10 minutes later. There is very little jitter, but once the device warms up, it totally disappears. I also love the way I can capture a signal on my scope, export it to usb, and then import it into this function generator to replay the same exact waveform. That is the feature I use the most when reverse engineering a device for learning purposes. Anyways, I highly recommend that you buy this if you are in the function generator market.P.S. I think Transcat (a very reputable calibration shop, and distributor) provides this gear to Amazon.