NOTE: This program is now obsolete, and won't work on many recent systems. It has been replaced by a much better program — click here to visit the new program page.

SignalGen is a free (GPL) Linux (Xwindows GUI-based) utility that generates relatively low frequency signals with the use of a PC sound card. It is an entirely suitable replacement for a hardware signal generator if one doesn't require signals of a frequency higher than about 50 KHz. This is not a Windows program.

SignalGen creates any frequency between a fraction of one Hertz and an upper limit determined by your sound card's capabilities, typically about 50 KHz (accomplished by choosing the highest sampling frequency your sound card will provide, typically about 100 KHz). And, just like a hardware audio generator, it will create sine, triangle, square and sawtooth waves.

SignalGen has a built-in scope to allow you to monitor the generated waveform in real time. SignalGen's frequency accuracy is the same as your sound card, that is to say, a small fraction of one Hertz.

• Source tar archive signalgen.tar.bz2 (449 KB)
• Binary signalgen (109.6 KB)

• If you have downloaded the binary, just put it in /usr/local/bin, give it executable permissions and run it like this:

  $ signalgen
                      

  You can make a desktop shortcut with this as its executable target.

• If you have downloaded the source package:
  • Put it in any convenient location.
  • $ tar -xjf signalgen.tar.bz2
  • $ cd signalgen
  • $ ./auto_install.sh
  If you don't want the automatic installation or you want to fine-tune the process, instead of running "auto_install.sh", after the unpacking step above, do this:
  • $ ./configure
  • $ make
  • $ sudo make install
  Obviously you may want to modify some of these steps to suit your platform.

• 09/19/2008 Version 1.3. Updated source to conform to current build requirements.
• 09/14/2006 Version 1.2. Updated source to conform to gcc 4.1 requirements.
• 12/13/2004 Version 1.1. Fixed an error that locked the application if an unresponsive destination device was selected.
• 12/09/2004 Version 1.0. Initial public release.