sine and square wave generator

[howardnair]

i would like to purchase one -these are some options-requesting advice
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-HeathKit-EUW-27-Sine-Square-Generator-/280733099302?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D120765767002%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2614850819653666332
http://www.ebay.com/itm/350470919290?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330588838893?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

[Doc B.]

I think those prices are nuts. I would be inclined to look for vintage HP stuff, or Krohn-Hite, or General Radio, etc. or just buy a new generator from someone like MCM.

Up until a couple weeks ago I would have recommended just using a netbook and some generator software. But we tried to look at square waves from that rig on the Smack kit to determine the best size for the parafeed coupling cap and the square waves were so distorted that at first I thought the amp was broken. When we plugged the netbook output directly into the oscope and the waveform looked equally bad.

[howardnair]

more like this??--http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/72-455A&t=1

or this http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/72-505&t=1

the used ones come with no cables/test probes etc -these do- one is battery operated and the other is 120/240 and probably a more sustainable unit

[JC]

Wow, I would have thought that the square wave would have been the easy one for a computer.

I agree with your suggestion to just get something out of MCM or another catalog.  I got mine that way; I think it was from Korea. It generates sine, triangle, and square waves, and has a coarse attenuator delineated in dB's.  Something like $100.

Don't get me wrong, I love vintage gear.  But, it's hard to justify sometimes, unless it is a garage sale bargain, and those days are largely in the dim mists of the pre-Ebay era of our culture in my experience.

[2wo]

I have a modern <$100 unit I got from ether Parts express or MCM, I forget. works fine for the hobbyist...John