{"id":31979,"date":"2025-09-16T08:22:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/?p=31979"},"modified":"2025-09-18T12:27:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:27:10","slug":"getting-started-with-analog-discovery-3-and-waveforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-analog-discovery-3-and-waveforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started with Analog Discovery 3 and WaveForms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you&#8217;re a student, hobbyist, or professional engineer, the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Analog Discovery 3<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>paired with<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>WaveForms<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>software offers a powerful and easy-to-use solution for test and measurement. In this guide, we\u2019ll walk you through the setup process and highlight some key features to help you get started quickly.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Step 1: Register Your Device and Download WaveForms<\/h3>\n<p>To begin, head over to the Digilent website and navigate to the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Products<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>page. After registering your Analog Discovery 3, download the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>WaveForms<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>software. It\u2019s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux \u2014 just choose the version that matches your operating system.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1-600x355.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"355\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-31990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1-600x355.png 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1-1024x605.png 1024w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1.png 1137w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once downloaded, run the installer and follow the prompts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Accept the license agreement<\/li>\n<li>Install all recommended components<\/li>\n<li>Choose installation for \u201cJust Me\u201d or \u201cAll Users\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Click<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Finish<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>to complete the setup<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>WaveForms will launch automatically once installation is complete.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Step 2: Connect Your Device<\/h3>\n<p>With WaveForms open, plug in your Analog Discovery 3. The software will automatically detect the device, allowing you to begin using its tools right away.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2-600x479.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-31991\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2-600x479.png 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2-1024x818.png 1024w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2-1536x1227.png 1536w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2-2048x1636.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Step 3: Explore the Oscilloscope Tool<\/h3>\n<p>WaveForms includes a full-featured oscilloscope. Here\u2019s how to get started:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Add Measurements<\/strong>: Use the vertical and horizontal tabs to add measurements like<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Peak-to-Peak Voltage<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>and<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Frequency<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pause and Analyze<\/strong>: You can stop the waveform to freeze the display and analyze values more easily.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Configure Triggers<\/strong>: In the control toolbar, set up trigger conditions such as source channel, edge type (e.g., rising), and voltage level. For example, set the trigger level to<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>1V<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>and keep hysteresis on auto.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-600x320.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"320\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-31992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-600x320.png 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-1536x819.png 1536w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-2048x1092.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Step 4: Customize Channels<\/h3>\n<p>Click the gear icon next to each channel to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Change color and line thickness<\/li>\n<li>Export data<\/li>\n<li>Add filters (e.g., low-pass, high-pass, band-pass)<\/li>\n<li>Set up internal loopback using<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Wavegen<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-439x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"439\" height=\"600\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31993 size-medium\" \/><\/p>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p>You can also add:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Math Channels<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>for calculated signals<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reference Channels<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>from previous measurements<\/li>\n<li><strong>Digital Channels<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>for logic analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Step 5: Go Beyond the Basics<\/h3>\n<p>WaveForms is more than just an oscilloscope. It includes tools for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>FFT analysis<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Spectrograms<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Histograms<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Data logging<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Cursors and annotations<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5-317x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"317\" height=\"600\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-31994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5-317x600.png 317w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5-541x1024.png 541w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5-812x1536.png 812w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5.png 993w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p>These features make it a versatile tool for labs, classrooms, and personal projects.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>It is that easy!<\/h3>\n<p>The Analog Discovery 3 and WaveForms software make it easy to dive into electronics testing and measurement. Whether you&#8217;re debugging a circuit or exploring signal behavior, this setup gives you the flexibility and precision you need.<\/p>\n<p>We encourage you to explore all the tools WaveForms has to offer and make the Analog Discovery 3 a key part of your engineering toolkit.<\/p>\n<div class='watch-action'><div class='watch-position align-left'><div class='action-like'><a class='lbg-style6 like-31979 jlk' data-task='like' data-post_id='31979' data-nonce='1c819b3974' rel='nofollow'><img src='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wti-like-post-pro\/images\/pixel.gif' title='Like' \/><span class='lc-31979 lc'>+1<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='action-unlike'><a class='unlbg-style6 unlike-31979 jlk' data-task='unlike' data-post_id='31979' data-nonce='1c819b3974' rel='nofollow'><img src='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wti-like-post-pro\/images\/pixel.gif' title='Unlike' \/><span class='unlc-31979 unlc'>0<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div> <div class='status-31979 status align-left'><\/div><\/div><div class='wti-clear'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you&#8217;re a student, hobbyist, or professional engineer, the\u00a0Analog Discovery 3\u00a0paired with\u00a0WaveForms\u00a0software offers a powerful and easy-to-use solution for test and measurement. In this guide, we\u2019ll walk you through the &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":31995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4325,4323,1563],"tags":[4432,4433,5199,4355,1452,499,5200,144,452],"ppma_author":[4587],"class_list":["post-31979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-debug-validation-test","category-software","category-guide","tag-ad3","tag-analog-discovery-3","tag-digilent-tools","tag-getting-started","tag-guide","tag-oscilloscope","tag-setup-guide","tag-tutorial-2","tag-waveforms"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025-Sep-Newsletter-GetStartedAD3WF-735x400-1.png","authors":[{"term_id":4587,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"digilent","display_name":"Digilent","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":"","9":"","10":""}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31979"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31998,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31979\/revisions\/31998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31979"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=31979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}