Development of a signal generator for study programs dedicated to electronic engineering

In courses dedicated to electronic engineering, theoretical knowledge and hands-on exercises are mandatory. The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Technikum Wien offers various bachelor degree programs focused on electronic engineering. These degree programs are available in the form of full-time and distance learning. Moreover, the university promotes these degree programs to be adaptable for handicapped students as well. Due to the fact, that distance-learning and handicapped students do not attend the university on a regular basis, it is necessary that they have the opportunity to complete their hands-on exercises and assignments at home. These tasks often require the measurement and analysis of analog- and digital circuits. In fact for this kind of tasks, it is necessary to have access to a signal generator. To be able to equip every student with this device, it is necessary to be affordable for the university. Another important aspect is that the application of the signal generator is operating-system independent and available to the open-source community to enable further development. This paper introduces the development of a low-cost, open-source soundcard based signal generator and its usage within courses. Furthermore, this paper will give an overview about the developed hardware component, the required software architecture and the arbitrary waveform generation.