XR2206 DIY Function Generator Kit Build & Review

If you're looking for a DIY function generator kit and wondering how those low cost, three dial ones with the popular XR2206 chip go together and work; here I'm building & reviewing one of the most popular little signal function generator kits on the market.
For around $10 USD or less, the value is good considering if you were to source the components yourself, get the PCB made along with the case, it would easily cost double that amount. The instructions are good & easy to follow with a low component count making it a great first PCB soldering project for beginner hobbyists.
These DIY function generator kits do exactly what they claim, producing a square waveform in combination with a sine or triangle wave, ranging from just under 1Hz to over 1 MHz. The waveforms degrade significantly at the extreme low and high ends of that frequency range, but are decent otherwise. Operation is easy with a simple amplitude/voltage knob, with fine & coarse frequency knobs used in conjunction with a pin jumper to select the 5 frequency ranges.
A great little low cost signal generator to build & play with if you just got your first oscilloscope or want to create some simple sound generation signals.
Product links below:
1. Geekcreit XR2206 Function generator kit @ Banggood:
www.banggood.c...
2. KKmoon XR2206 Function generator kit @ Amazon:
amzn.to/3hR7hUF
3. Digital oscilloscope used in video - Hantek DSO5102P:
www.banggood.c...
4: Hantek DSO5102P Oscilloscope Review Video:
• Good Digital Oscillosc...
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting RCHelicopterFun.com & my channel which helps me keep creating content.
Please consider giving a thumbs up & subscribe if you enjoy my content - thank you.

[@tjsogmc]

I bought one of these for working on guitar amplifiers. It's a very handy tool for injecting a signal in to the curcuit to see if the audio chips and transistors are actually amplifiying the signals and for detcting dead components. I'm not terribly concerned with the waveform it produces, I'm only interesting in detecting that it exists. Truthfully, it was the best $10 I've spent.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for sharing your specific amp testing application; "sounds" good (pun intended) 🙂

[@tjsogmc]

@@Rchelicopterfun I also used it twice to align antique vacuum tube radios for a friend of mine. Again, the precision of the waveform wasn't important. However, I was able to tune the output to inject the 455 and 1620 Hz signal that I needed to adjust the IF transformers. Overall it's a handy bench tool, although I wouldn't use it for any precision calibrations.

[@kosesangon4296]

​@@RchelicopterfunExcuse me sir,is this device can do a wave like 7.83hz? Thanks 👍

[@JACK-wh6jl]

VERY COOL PRESENTATION: COMMON-SENSE: THANKS🤜🏻🤛🏻🎯

[@bernym4047]

I just built this, fun project and showed me I need go get a new scope 😂 Thanks for the video.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yep, fun little kits to mess around with. Have fun o-scope shopping 👍

[@TheDigitalAura]

I have a Rigol Function gen but just can't resist building kits, gonna have to get me one of these.

[@ivand8393]

Probably if you switch your channels from AC coupling to DC coupling you will see the proper waveform ...

[@jp040759]

I agree.

[@JeremyDWilliamsOfficial]

Great video. Thanks for sharing it. :)

[@jimnewman5596]

I put one together and got the same results as you did, I see that on other videos people have did some modifications on this board the make it function better.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for the confirmation.

[@bobsbits5357]

hi i will say what they are good for is audio levels and to track down bad audio i can let my mate use this a nd not worry about him losing it and size is a thing as well the sig gen's are very heavy to carry around to gigs fpr the money they are great

[@binsworth]

Thank you so much for making this

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks back for watching it 🙂

[@zilog1]

Would be a great base for a Sound Chip/card

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Good idea. 🙂

[@aurthorthing7403]

You should check the DC offset.

[@midrone4349]

btw: Instead of using alcohol, grab Wifey's hairdryer and warm up the acrylic covering, then it peels off easy. One can do this with alot of stickers too anywhere, like pricetags on tubberware etc. etc.

[@JohnCookNet]

Also consider soaking cover in hot water for a few mins.

[@jameskeough4620]

Thank you for the well-done vid. I especially needed the case assembly directions. One thing, "Dial that up here" or "Let's dial that down a bit" doesn't mean anything to many of us and we (at least I) can't see what you're doing with the scope.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I'm simply "dialing" up or down the time base/scale to display the higher & lower frequencies as they are changed on the function generator. Basic O-scope operation in other words.

[@hanialkiwi5075]

Is this good enough for identifying bad smd capacitors?

[@ahmadalqudsi]

Hello, how do I use the xr2206 circuit to manufacture a metal detector or gold radar?

[@kevinhoublon8630]

Hello, great video 😄 I'm a beginner and I have a question : I would like to make a diode bridge rectifier and I need an alternative voltage at the input. Can this device be used as an alternative power supply to generate the alternative voltage I need in input ? Thank you in advance for your precious support. Cordially.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

No, this is an oscilloscope (a measurement tool), it's not a waveform generator.

[@kevinhoublon8630]

@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you very much for your feedback 😁

[@Bfranks4life]

Hi John, I bought one of these used online and didn't ask about the polarity of the power jack, and I ended up running in the wrong polarity at 9v. I'm not getting any signal from the function generator at this point. Do you think I should scrap the whole unit or just replace the op amp inside it? Thanks for any feedback.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Your call.

[@SkipEvansx]

Hello John, I have watched this video a few times. Still not having any luck. I built the generator, hooked it to the oscilloscope .. Can't get a wave for nothing. So, I hooked up my Uno. Same result..Hooked up my power supply. Same result...When probes are hooked to the test points, all works fine. Are there any oscilloscope forums that might help?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

eev blog forum

[@dannylevalseur6138]

Hi John , actual R4 resistance I just got with the kit is 330Kohms and not 330 ohms. Did you have same ? Tx

[@dieSpinnt]

Me too. This is wrong. The data sheet shows 200-500 Ohms between Pin 13 and 14. So 330 is most likely the kit value and used in the kit. 330 ohms are also listed on the equipment list and in the circuit diagram. I put in one from my parts. This is tested and it works (1h ago). See www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Kits/XR2206_104_020808.pdf page 9 and 11.

[@jumbo999614]

Can I use this generator with android phone with oscilloscope app? I'm just beginner. I don't want to spend too much.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

It will generate those 3 waveforms for any application.

[@jumbo999614]

@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you for replying. I connect this generator kit to my smartphone and oscilloscope app doesn't show anything. I measure voltage with multimeter on generator's terminal and it show voltage goes up and down every few seconds. please help.

[@benjaminreji4134]

Hello, i was doing a project on this, and im not able to change amplitude for square wave, any idea on how to do that pls.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Square wave amplitude is fixed - not adjustable.

[@Ojref1]

The Ebay kit I ordered had a fake or cloned Exar 2206 IC supplied with it, failed on me in a few hours after putting it into operation. There's a vendor on Ebay selling new-old IC stock that I bought an authentic XR2206 from, works perfectly. The cloned IC's can't withstand the voltage range of the original specs, but to be fair these kit makers indicate 12V is the upper limit. I believe the original IC is no longer manufactured. For the price it works well enough!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yep.

[@midrone4349]

So... at 7.55 You say "jumper on 1-10 Hz" and little later at 8.50 You say "Frequency shows below 1 Hz (at scope)". Very confusing without any explanation other than I guess its due to the trim pot (or a faulty scope)...

[@Rchelicopterfun]

It's lower than 1HZ because the jumper position is a coarse range selection only. Dependent on potentiometer position, in almost every jumper scale, it runs beyond the jumper selection frequency (on both ends of the range). The video demos this in every range with exception of the 100Hz to 3kHz range where the lowest I could get was about 141 Hz. Nothing wrong with the scope.

[@MariusGarage]

Chinese clone Chip...I have changed with an original one and goes right

[@AsBi1]

what is use of these kits?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

To create waveforms.

[@AsBi1]

@@Rchelicopterfun what can we do with those waveforms? (if u dont mind me asking)

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Look it up. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrary_waveform_generator

[@ltcm5052]

@@Rchelicopterfun does it make sound tho?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

You mean if you hook it up to a speaker or amp? If so, yes it will generate tones in the audible range, provided of course the frequency selection is also in the audible range.