118  
 
Chapter 3  Features and Functions
Optional Arbitrary Waveforms (Option 002)
3
Additional Information on Arbitrary Waveforms 
• As a shortcut to determine which arbitrary waveform is selected, 
press . A temporary message is displayed on the front panel.
•
Y
ou cannot edit any of the five built-in arbitrary waveforms.
•Press the Edit Wform softkey to edit any of the arbitrary waveforms 
stored in non-volatile memory or the waveform currently stored in 
volatile memory. While editing an existing waveform, note the 
following interactions.
•If you increase the cycle period, some points could potentially 
match existing points. The waveform editor will preserve the 
earliest points and remove all duplicates. 
•If you decrease the cycle period, the waveform editor will remove 
all points that were previously defined beyond the new period. 
•If you increase the voltage limits, there will be no change in the 
voltage levels of any existing points but there may be some loss of 
vertical resolution. 
•If you decrease the voltage limits, some of the existing points could 
potentially exceed the new limits. The waveform editor will reduce 
the voltage levels of such points to equal the new limits. 
• If you select an arbitrary waveform as the modulating waveshape for 
AM, FM, or PWM, the waveform is automatically limited to 4K 
points. Extra waveform points are removed using decimation.
33210A users guide.book  Page 118  Wednesday, July 16, 2008  11:16 AM