November 2023
New in Town: Digilent's Analog Discovery 3
By: David Horn, Marketing Manager, Digilent
One of Academia’s saving graces during the pandemic and the subsequent shift to remote/hybrid learning was Digilent’s Analog Discovery 2. In 2023, this popular ECE multitool received a facelift with the latest version, the Analog Discovery 3. This version, aside from WaveForms software updates, is the first major change in the product since 2016. One of the burning questions you all might have is, “How does the Analog Discovery 3 compare to the Analog Discovery 2?”
MSRP
To start, the AD3’s MSRP is actually an improvement over its predecessor. The Analog Discovery 3 retails for $379 USD, which is $20 less than the retail price of the Analog Discovery 2 of $399. The academic price of the Analog Discovery 3 is $249 USD if you qualify as an academic through our verification system.
Buffer Size
The biggest hardware improvement that the Analog Discovery 3 benefits from is thanks to the Spartan 7 FPGA present inside the device instead of the Spartan 6. All of the sample buffers for collecting data (or sending customized data out for things like the Waveform and Pattern Generators) have doubled in size. Instead of only being able to collect up to 16,384 samples of analog and digital data per channel (the amount of buffer allocated to each instrument type is dependent on what Device Configuration you select of course) that the Analog Discovery 2 was limited to, each system can now acquire (or send out) up to 32,768 samples at the full sample rate per channel. In addition to larger buffer sizes, all of the minimum sample buffers have been increased as well.
Digital Loopback
One occasionally asked feature with the Analog Discovery 2 and the other Digilent Test and Measurement devices was the ability to directly view what the Arbitrary Waveform Generator was generating without having to sacrifice one of the Oscilloscope channels to do it. Or conversely, directly take the data captured by the one of the Oscilloscope channels and send it right back out the Waveform Generator without having to first save the capture and then play it back as a custom waveform. With the Analog Discovery 3, we say, “Why not both?”
New to the Analog Discovery 3, users can now digitally capture and view analog data between the Oscilloscope and Arbitrary Waveform Generator. Need to echo an analog signal being received on the Scope but with a different amplitude and offset? No problem.
Hardware Filters
A FIR filter implemented and directly configurable on the Analog Discovery 3 itself helps to smooth out your rippling incoming signals; even with signals you might generate while playing around in the Waveform Generator instrument.
Sample Rate
Originally only limited to the Analog Discovery Pro line (or by overclocking the Digital Discovery), the Analog Discovery 3 can adjust its System Clock Frequency away from the default value of 100 MHz to as low as 50 MHz and as high as 125 MHz, allowing samples to be taken at faster rates (while using the higher frequency clock of course), whereas the Analog Discovery 2 was forever stuck at 100 MHz.
DIO Pin Settings
The AD3 can now change the internal pull resistor type for all of its digital I/O pins.
In the interest of clarity, we would be remiss to not mention that the AD3 has backwards compatibility with 99% of AD2 projects. Simply click “Yes” on the prompt when asked if you’d like to open your existing workspace on the Analog Discovery 3 instead. Similarly, it almost goes without saying that the new Analog Discovery 3 is still proudly supported by our popular (and free!) WaveForms software, along with the SDK, MATLAB, and LabVIEW.
To find out more about the Analog Discovery 3 – or any of our other wonderful education products – visit our web site.
For a limited time, receive a free TI myParts Kit or a Large Solderless Breadboard with every AD3 purchase (even when using academic pricing!)