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I found those examples - great! What is in the beta version of Waveforms that I need? I will download it, of course - just curious...

Thank you for these details! I did not know about the tab vs comma issue. Since I am not able to see the waveforms in the demo mode, I did order a unit last Friday to play with. The patterns I will end up sending will be much more random than the one example I sent you, so I can't use any of the pattern generator tools. I need to download and run them. For the system I am setting up this will be done for hundreds of files as part of a test fixture. To that end, this all must be automated. So I want to use the SDK instead of the GUI interface. I looked through the SDK for an API to import a file and then play it, but I did not find anything. I searched the entire SDK manual for the word import and found nothing. Does the SDK support this? If so can you point me to the proper docs for this? Any example code of this? If not, then this path is not an option. I would need an API to import the file, and to know when it is done processing/decoding it before I try to play it via an API call. The decoding process is also kinda slow. If this is done via an API will it be faster? I did see in the SDK API calls for doing streaming output via the AWG. This seems to support this nicely. But I would need one of the analog devices to use this. If I only one channel, perhaps this is a better option - perhaps I should order and AD3 as well to test...

A lot of questions, and I just get 2 pictures?? I would have thought that playback would be part of the Digital Pattern Generator tool. The manual states "The Digital Pattern Generator (Patterns) lets you define the output on the digital lines, using standard types or user-defined types. The manual states for the Logic Analyzer tool "The Logic Analyzer allows acquisition and visualization of digital inputs." In any case, my objective is to play back my own custom file I created. So if it is done via the Logic Analyzer, no matter... In the demo tool, I imported my file (junk.txt) into the Logic Analyzer via the screen shown in picture "import". It consists of 2 columns of data - time and value. Based on the screenshot, it appears to recognize these properly. After importing it, I open up the data window to look at the data. Refer to "import3". Isn't the data window supposed to show what was imported? It does not look like what I imported. Why is there a red box with the word "busy"? I am running this in demo mode. Perhaps it is getting confused. Maybe this would work better if I had an actual device? If I click play, I would then expect that the data I imported would play back on DIO24, correct? Can you point me to a tutorial or video of playing back an imported file? junk.zip

I just downloaded and installed the WaveForms program, including the SDK. The 'WaveFormsSDK/samples/c/readme.txt' file has instructions for creating a Visual Studio project using the SDK. But these instructions are confusing. I need some clarification. * It only references Visual Studio 2013. I assume that newer versions of VS are OK to use? I am using VS 2022. * It says to create a new project via "File/New Project/Win32 Console Application...". Do I have to use 32 bit, or can I use 64 bit? * The statement in the file " - Copy C:\Program Files (x86)\Digilent\WaveFormsSDK\lib\x86\dwf.lib (or from x64 for 64bit application) to your project folder." certainly seems to imply that a 32 or 64 application is acceptable, as long as you copy the appropriate "dwf.lib" to the project. * I created it as a new 64 bit console project, but it crapped out compiling it because the 'sample.h' file did not have an 'ifdef' case for _WIN64. So I added a case for this and then one of the sample programs would compile and run. * The statement "- Add Existing Items/ device_enumeration.cpp, samples.h, dwf.h" should read "- Add Existing Items/ device_enumeration.cpp, sample.h, dwf.h". * The statement " - Add Existing Items/ device_enumeration.cpp, samples.h, dwf.h" refers to a file "dwf.h" that you never mentioned needed to be copied to the project directory. You should have mentioned this needed to be copied, and where to get it from. I figured it out. * There is also an 'if defined(WIN32)' statement in "dwf.h" file. It seemed to work even without changing this. So bottom line - is a 64 application supported, or should I just stick with 32 bit? I prefer the speed of the 64 bit version, but I guess either is OK.

I just downloaded and installed the WaveForms program, including the SDK. The 'WaveFormsSDK/samples/c/readme.txt' file has instructions for creating a Visual Studio project using the SDK. But these instructions are confusing. I need some clarification. * It only references Visual Studio 2013. I assume that newer versions of VS are OK to use? I am using VS 2022. * It says to create a new project via "File/New Project/Win32 Console Application...". Do I have to use 32 bit, or can I use 64 bit? * The statement in the file " - Copy C:\Program Files (x86)\Digilent\WaveFormsSDK\lib\x86\dwf.lib (or from x64 for 64bit application) to your project folder." certainly seems to imply that a 32 or 64 application is acceptable, as long as you copy the appropriate "dwf.lib" to the project. * I created it as a new 64 bit console project, but it crapped out compiling it because the 'sample.h' file did not have an 'ifdef' case for _WIN64. So I added a case for this and then one of the sample programs would compile and run. * The statement "- Add Existing Items/ device_enumeration.cpp, samples.h, dwf.h" should read "- Add Existing Items/ device_enumeration.cpp, sample.h, dwf.h". * The statement " - Add Existing Items/ device_enumeration.cpp, samples.h, dwf.h" refers to a file "dwf.h" that you never mentioned needed to be copied to the project directory. You should have mentioned this needed to be copied, and where to get it from. I figured it out. * There is also an 'if defined(WIN32)' statement in "dwf.h" file. It seemed to work even without changing this. So bottom line - is a 64 application supported, or should I just stick with 32 bit? I prefer the speed of the 64 bit version, but I guess either is OK.

Since I haven't heard back, I kept digging. I am using Waveforms in demo mode. As you stated, I have 2 options - 1) Use waveforms with one of the analog devices, 2) Use Digital Discovery and play from the internal buffer. Option #1: First I tried the AD3 demo device, using the 'wavegen' tab. By exporting a file and looking at it, reading the forums, I was able to figure out the proper data format of the file. I was able to create my own file and import it for playback successfully. So I am OK for creating a file for importing into the AD3 buffer and playing it out of the buffer. The file I created is a text file. But since the buffer is quite small, I want to be able to get the streaming output option working for the AD3. I am only running the sample rate at 1Mhz, so I am hoping that the 32kB buffer can keep up. How do I initiate the streaming option? What format is it expecting? Is it just streaming the same text file as I would use for importing? Is there an option for streaming binary data, since this will reduce the traffic? How do I handle over running the buffer? What is the flow control mechanism? Is all of this handled in Waveforms? Option #2: I changed the demo device to Digital Discovery and went to the 'Patterns' tab. But for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get to the custom waveform or import screens as shown in the 'Digital Pattern Generator' section of https://digilent.com/reference/software/waveforms/waveforms-3/reference-manual. Can you tell me how to do this? I want to verify I can load a big file into memory and play it back with DD3.

The Digital Discovery is the much more cost effective solution, so I would prefer to use it. Attila - you state that the Digital Discovery has the ability to playback imported data from a PC, but JColvin stated that it can only playback data it recorded. Which is it? From your support page, it states "...the contents of the custom signalcan be loaded from a file...", so it seems it can be done. What is the format of this file? Where is it defined? Where is the button/menu to import it in "Waveforms"? I could get by with downloading the data and playing it back out of the Dig Disc's buffer, as long as I can store a long enough sample. I need 20 secs. Seems like 256MB should be plenty at a playback of 1Mhz. If its a bit per channel, 16 chanels=2 bytes/sample. So 256MB/2B=128M samples. At 1Mhz output this would be 128secs? * How may bytes of this 256MB does each sample occupy? Is it actually 1 bit/sample? *Does the amount of memory required in the buffer for each sample increase based on the number of channels being played, or is it a fixed memory format set up for 16 channels, no matter how many you are playing back? I downloaded "Waveforms" and I am running it in demo mode. I went to the "Patterns" window. Where is there an option to import a file in this window?

You showed two screen captures. The first one is for Digital Discovery, and the second is for which device - any of the analog device (Analog Discovery, ADP3x50, ADP2230)? I think it refers to the the ADP2230 - correct? Play mode states it can play back data "imported from file on DIO lines". I do not want to play back recorded data. I want to create an arbitrary file on a PC and transfer it to the buffer of the device for playback. Can I do that? If so, what is the format of the data in a file for doing this? How does the memory map to each byte of the buffer? If there are 16 playback channels, each sample would use 2 bytes? So a buffer of 128MB would be 64M samples? For my application I want to output at a rate of 1M. So 64M samples would be 64 seconds of playback? You stated "Continuous digital play is not available with any device", but then seemed to contradict yourself with the statement "Other device support 'unlimited' AWG Play which could also be used as 1bit digital line." Can you explain? Analog Discovery with 32k device buffer up to about 4MS/s. ADP3X50 has 32Mi AWG sample device buffer, ADP2230 has 128Mi buffer and USB3.

I am looking for a device that will allow me to output my own continuous arbitrary digital bit patterns. I would want to stream this information from a PC to an external device that would then output the digital data. Basically the reverse of doing digital capture. I have seen arbitrary generators that have an internal buffer it will play back. But this only for a fixed time period. I want to continually feed it with arbitrary data. The external device would need to buffer this and feed it out with the appropriate timing. I would prefer to just feed it transition data, rather than at the sample rate it is outputting, though I suppose I could live with either. If you can’t accept streaming data, how many points can the internal memory hold? Is the internal data stored as sample values, or transition points? If the latter, then the time period could be much longer. Are any of your devices capable of something like this? If not, can you suggest a vendor/software etc?