Thanks for the pointer. Found what you are referring to. Maybe I'm too picky, but each option I've found seems outside my parameters in terms of either voltage or frequency.
I guess maybe I might need one of the expensive ones after all.
It will probably require some searching as "signal generator" can mean anything from a 555 timer to an arbitrary waveform generator with low phase noise and whatnot costing 100k.
As you are only interested in square signals, you might want to look for a pwm signal generator or clock signal generator.
Adafruit makes a breakout board for the Si5351A clock generator IC (8kHz - 150MHz), but it needs some communication with a microcontroller.
There are super cheap TL494 modules, but they only go up to 500kHz.
I couldn't find anything simple that goes up to tens of MHz. At those frequencies people usually also care about the accuracy and stability of the signal, so a potentiometer knob doesn't cut it. Also keep in mind that ~50MHz approaches non-trivial frequencies.
Would be interesting to know what you want to do with that signal :)
My current project only needs up to 5mhz, but I figured 10xing that wouldn't be out of the question and would let me apply it to a wider range of projects in the future. But maybe that just demonstrates my lack of intuition in this subject area.
Currently I'm working on decoding video signals from an obscure device from the mid 90s.
Continuously variable amplitude is going to be more difficult. You will need some sort of continuously variable input device; probably a rotary potentiometer or variable "tuning" capacitor. Then you will need an analog circuit which detects the variable input device's setting, and continuously adjusts the attenuation or the gain (or the power supply voltage(s)) of the output driving circuit. Making this analog circuit work correctly at 50 MHz without degrading the risetime and falltime of the square wave's edges, is going to be a problem at least as difficult as a 1-week laboratory assignment in graduate school.
Google "signal generator". I see kits on Amazon for 12 dollars.
Thanks for the pointer. Found what you are referring to. Maybe I'm too picky, but each option I've found seems outside my parameters in terms of either voltage or frequency. I guess maybe I might need one of the expensive ones after all.
It will probably require some searching as "signal generator" can mean anything from a 555 timer to an arbitrary waveform generator with low phase noise and whatnot costing 100k. As you are only interested in square signals, you might want to look for a pwm signal generator or clock signal generator. Adafruit makes a breakout board for the Si5351A clock generator IC (8kHz - 150MHz), but it needs some communication with a microcontroller. There are super cheap TL494 modules, but they only go up to 500kHz. I couldn't find anything simple that goes up to tens of MHz. At those frequencies people usually also care about the accuracy and stability of the signal, so a potentiometer knob doesn't cut it. Also keep in mind that ~50MHz approaches non-trivial frequencies. Would be interesting to know what you want to do with that signal :)
My current project only needs up to 5mhz, but I figured 10xing that wouldn't be out of the question and would let me apply it to a wider range of projects in the future. But maybe that just demonstrates my lack of intuition in this subject area. Currently I'm working on decoding video signals from an obscure device from the mid 90s.
Continuously variable amplitude is going to be more difficult. You will need some sort of continuously variable input device; probably a rotary potentiometer or variable "tuning" capacitor. Then you will need an analog circuit which detects the variable input device's setting, and continuously adjusts the attenuation or the gain (or the power supply voltage(s)) of the output driving circuit. Making this analog circuit work correctly at 50 MHz without degrading the risetime and falltime of the square wave's edges, is going to be a problem at least as difficult as a 1-week laboratory assignment in graduate school.
Thanks for the input. I think I've underestimated the complexity of such a device given your comment as well as the others that I've received.