Keysight

33600 A Waveform

Q: What waveform types can the 33600A generate?

The 33600A generates sine, square, ramp, pulse, noise, and arbitrary waveforms.

Q: What are the bandwidth and channel options for the 33600A Series?

The 33600A Series includes four models with 80 MHz and 120 MHz bandwidths, with one or two channels.

Q: What sampling rate and memory does the 33600A have?

The 33600A has a 1 GSa/s sampling rate and up to 64 MSa per channel arb memory.

Q: How does Trueform technology improve jitter and distortion compared to DDS?

Trueform technology provides edge jitter of less than 1 ps and total harmonic distortion of 0.03%, which is 200x better jitter and 5x lower distortion than typical DDS generators.

Q: Can the 33600A be controlled programmatically?

The 33600A is controlled over USB, LAN, and GPIB using SCPI commands.

Keysight 33600 A Waveform family

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33600 A Waveform — Inventory photo — Fig. 0133600 A WaveformInventory photo^[1]

Power

Up to 120 MHz^[2]

Optics

14-bit^[3]

What it is

The 33600A Series includes single-channel and dual-channel models.^[3]

The 33600A Series offers bandwidth options of 80 MHz and 120 MHz.^[2]^[3]

How it works

The 33600A Series uses Keysight Trueform technology, a digital sampling technique that provides lower jitter and lower distortion than traditional Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) generators.^[2]

The Trueform technology achieves less than 1 ps of jitter, which is 200 times better than DDS generators.^[2]

The 33600A Series has total harmonic distortion of 0.03%, which is five times lower than DDS generators.^[2]

The 33600A Series offers a sampling rate of 1 GSa/s and a 14-bit amplitude resolution.^[2]^[3]

Where it fits in the process flow

The instrument can be controlled over USB, LAN, or optional GPIB interfaces, and it supports SCPI commands for automation.^[4]

Applications

The 33600A Series can produce frequency sweeps, bursts, modulated signals, and pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) patterns.^[2]

Optional baseband IQ player capability is available for two-channel models.^[3]

The 33600A Series supports arbitrary waveform sequencing with up to 512 segments and memory up to 64 MSa per channel.^[2]^[3]

What do the numbers mean?

Power & electrical6

Bandwidth (sine wave): Up to 120 MHz^[2]
Pulse bandwidth: Up to 100 MHz^[2]
Minimum output voltage: 1 mVpp^[2]
Maximum sine frequency: 120 MHz (33621A/22A); 80 MHz (33611A/12A)^[2]
Total harmonic distortion (THD): 0.03% (typical at 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 1 Vpp)^[2]
Maximum pulse frequency: 100 MHz (VOUT ≤4 Vpp)^[2]

Optics & imaging2

Amplitude resolution: 14-bit^[3]
Amplitude resolution: 14 bits^[2]

Control & software1

Interfaces: LAN (LXI Class C), USB, optional GPIB^[2]

Configuration & options19

Sampling rate: 1 GSa/s^[2]
Memory (standard): 4 MSamples^[2]
Memory (optional maximum): 64 MSamples per channel^[2]
Jitter: <1 ps^[2]
Total harmonic distortion (THD): 0.03%^[2]
Rise/fall time: 2.9 ns^[2]
PRBS bit rate: Up to 200 Mbit/sec^[2]
PRBS sequence lengths: PN3 through PN32^[2]
Waveform sequencing segments: Up to 512^[2]
Optional high-stability timebase stability: 0.1 ppm^[2]
Number of channels: 1 or 2 (depending on model)^[2]
Modulation frequency: Up to the frequency of the modulated waveform (internal)^[2]
Sample rate (arbitrary): 1 GSa/s (33621A/22A); 660 MSa/s (33611A/12A)^[2]
Standard arb memory per channel: 4 MSa^[2]
Maximum arb memory per channel (Option MEM): 64 MSa^[2]
Jitter (rms): <1 ps (standard); 0.5 ps (Option OCX)^[2]
Amplitude range (into 50 Ω): 1 mVpp to 10 Vpp^[2]
PRBS bit rate: Up to 200 Mbps (VOUT ≤4 Vpp)^[2]
Rise/fall time (square, pulse): 2.9 ns (VOUT ≤4 Vpp)^[2]

Vintage & configurations

Documented models & variants

Designation	Generation	Vintage	Changes	Source
33611A	—	—	80 MHz, 1-channel	keysight.com^[2]
33612A	—	—	80 MHz, 2-channel	keysight.com^[2]
33621A	—	—	120 MHz, 1-channel	keysight.com^[2]
33622A	—	—	120 MHz, 2-channel	keysight.com^[2]

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What does it need to run?

Site utility requirements, footprint, and infrastructure needed to install and operate this tool. Sourced from public records.

Bandwidth (sine wave)Up to 120 MHz^[2]
Pulse bandwidthUp to 100 MHz^[2]
Minimum output voltage1 mVpp^[2]
Maximum sine frequency120 MHz (33621A/22A); 80 MHz (33611A/12A)^[2]
Total harmonic distortion (THD)0.03% (typical at 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 1 Vpp)^[2]
Maximum pulse frequency100 MHz (VOUT ≤4 Vpp)^[2]

Where are the manuals?

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Not publicly documented

Field notes

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Frequently asked questions

What waveform types can the 33600A generate?

The 33600A generates sine, square, ramp, pulse, noise, and arbitrary waveforms.^[4]

What are the bandwidth and channel options for the 33600A Series?

The 33600A Series includes four models with 80 MHz and 120 MHz bandwidths, with one or two channels.^[3]

What sampling rate and memory does the 33600A have?

The 33600A has a 1 GSa/s sampling rate and up to 64 MSa per channel arb memory.^[3]

How does Trueform technology improve jitter and distortion compared to DDS?

Trueform technology provides edge jitter of less than 1 ps and total harmonic distortion of 0.03%, which is 200x better jitter and 5x lower distortion than typical DDS generators.^[2]

Can the 33600A be controlled programmatically?

The 33600A is controlled over USB, LAN, and GPIB using SCPI commands.^[4]

Not publicly documented

The following facts about the 33600 A Waveform are absent from this record as of this revision. First-hand knowledge or a citation closes a gap; every submission is reviewed before publication.

No publicly documented production dates or lifecycle milestones (introduction, end of production, EOL) for the 33600 A Waveform are on record.
Answerable by: OEM historical records or a trade-press announcement
The control-system platform and OS era of the 33600 A Waveform are not on record.
Answerable by: an engineer who operated it or OEM installation records
No publicly documented failure modes or field errata for the 33600 A Waveform are on record.
Answerable by: a field service engineer, process engineer, or maintenance technician
The process node or technology generation of the 33600 A Waveform is not on record.
Answerable by: an OEM datasheet or a fab qualification report
No publicly documented compatible parts, consumables, or accessories for the 33600 A Waveform are on record.
Answerable by: an OEM parts catalog or a service engineer

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Sources & citations

Sources (4)Every fact above is drawn from these public sources

[1]Inventory photo
[2]keysight.com — keysight.comkeysight.com
[3]res.cloudinary.com — res.cloudinary.comres.cloudinary.com
[4]Keysight 33600A Programming Manual: Generating Waveforms Programmatically | TestFlow — testflowinc.comtestflowinc.com