FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY

UGEA2513 ANALOGUE COMMUNICATIONS

LABORATORY REPORT

Experiment AC1: AM Signal Generation

Prepared By:

Student Name Student ID

Ng

Lecturer in charge:

Date:
Introduction

The aims and objective of this experiment is to generate and observe a DSBFC AM signal using signal
generator and oscilloscope

Theory

By adjusting the amplitude of a high frequency sinusoid, referred to as the carrier, proportionally to the current
value of a low frequency information stream, this process is known as amplitude modulation. AM-DSBFC, or
double-sideband full-carrier, is the most basic variation of AM.

Figure 1 depicts an example of an AM-DSBFC waveform. As shown, the carrier sinusoid's envelope
corresponds to the modulating signal. Keep in mind that the modulating signal cannot be so strong that it shifts
the positive envelope into the negative area. The envelope of the carrier will no longer resemble the information
signal as a result of such over-modulation.

An envelope in the context of waves is the change in the wave's amplitude or intensity over time. It depicts the
wave's external form or contour, outlining the maximum and lowest points as they change. The wave's general
behaviour, including its beginning and ending points, duration, and any amplitude or frequency fluctuations, is
described by the envelope.

The envelope of a sound wave, for instance, in audio signals, describes how the sound's volume fluctuates over
time. Attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR) are the traditional four stages that make up this process. The
sound's assault phase is when the volume first rises when it begins, and the decay phase is when the volume falls
to a stable level throughout the sustain phase. Finally, as the sound comes to a finish during the release phase,
the volume drops once more.

In conclusion, the envelope in waves describes the variations in amplitude or intensity over time, providing
information about the wave's temporal behaviour and influencing the shape and duration of the wave overall.

Fig 1: Relationship of the modulating signal with the modulated carrier.

Procedures

1. Referring to the operational manual of SFG830, generate a DSBFC AM signal with the
specifications below:

Carrier signal: Sine wave, 10 kHz

Modulating signal: Sine wave, 100 Hz

Modulation Depth: 100%

2. Observe and record the AM waveform generated using an oscilloscope.

3. Observe and record the changes in the envelope of the AM waveform displayed when the
modulating signal is set to (a) 500 Hz and (b) 1 kHz.

4. Referring to the operational manual of SFG830, generate a DSBFC AM signal with the
specifications below:

Carrier signal: Sine wave, 10 kHz

Modulating signal: Sine wave, 100 Hz

Modulation Depth: 20%

5. Repeat Steps 2 and 3.

6. Referring to the operational manual of SFG830, generate a DSBFC AM signal with the
specifications below:

Carrier signal: Sine wave, 10 kHz

Modulating signal: Sine wave, 100 Hz

Modulation Depth: 50%

7. Repeat Steps 2 and 3.

8. Referring to the operational manual of SFG830, generate a DSBFC AM signal with the
specifications below:

Carrier signal: Sine wave, 1 MHz

Modulating signal: Square Wave, 100 Hz

Modulation Depth: 50%

9. Observe and record the AM waveform generated using an oscilloscope.

10. Discuss the results obtained.

Data and Result

Figure 2: Step 1

Figure 3: Step 2
Figure 4: Step 3

Figure 5: Step 4
Figure 6: Step 5

Figure 7: Step 6
Figure 8: Step 7

Figure 9: Step 8
Figure 10: Step 9

Figure 11: Step 10

Discussion

The envelope of the AM signal is directly related to the envelope of the modulating signal in amplitude
modulation (AM). Let's investigate this connection in greater detail. A lower-frequency modulating signal
modulates a high-frequency carrier signal in AM. Usually, an audio waveform, like a voice or music signal,
serves as the modulating signal. The modulating signal's amplitude changes are superimposed onto the carrier
signal's amplitude to produce the AM signal.

The modulating signal's envelope depicts the changes in amplitude that occur over time. The form and velocity
of the modulating signal are determined by this envelope. The envelope, for instance, records the rise and fall of
notes, the attack and decay of sounds, as well as the general form of the sound wave. The amplitude changes of
the modulating signal are directly mirrored in the envelope of the resulting AM signal when the modulating
signal is used to modulate the carrier signal in AM.

Depending on the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating signal at any given moment, the carrier signal's
amplitude is either raised or lowered. As a result, the fluctuations in the envelope of the modulating signal are
followed by the AM signal's envelope. The envelope of the AM signal will have similar characteristics if the
modulating signal has a slowly fluctuating envelope, such as a gradual amplitude increase and drop. On the
other hand, if the envelope of the modulating signal changes quickly, the envelope of the AM signal will also
change quickly.

So in step 1, the bandwidth of the envelope while the modulating signal is 100Hz is shown in figure 2. While
step 2 and 3, the modulating signal has been changed from 100Hz to 500Hz and 1k Hz in figure 3 and 4. As we
can see, the envelope's bandwidth widens. The frequency content of the modulating signal is closely correlated
with the envelope bandwidth. The envelope bandwidth widens to accommodate the higher-frequency changes in
the modulating signal as it moves to a higher frequency. The sidebands produced by the modulation process are
to blame for this expansion of the envelope bandwidth. The envelope's form could alter. The envelope tends to
closely track the variations of the modulating signal at lower modulating frequencies, giving rise to an envelope
shape that is smoother and more prominent. Due to the interaction between the carrier and modulating signals,
the envelope shape may become increasingly complex and distorted as the modulating frequency rises. The
envelope's dynamics could accelerate. The modulating signal's progressive amplitude variations are captured by
relatively modest envelope shifts at lower modulating frequencies. However, as the carrier wave amplitude
responds to the higher-frequency modulating signal more quickly at higher modulating frequencies, the
envelope dynamics speed up. The envelope's visibility can get worse. The carrier frequency may begin to
approach or even surpass the upper limits of human hearing as the modulating frequency rises. In this situation,
the envelope of the AM signal may start to lose its audible quality or become undetectable, and it may start to
resemble frequency modulation (FM) more than conventional AM.

In step 1, the modulation depth is 100% which is figure 2, while in step 4 and 5 we will change the modulation
depth to 20% and observe the waveform produced by repeating step 2 and 3 when modulation depth is 20%. In
figure 5, 6 and 7 will be the figure for modulation depth 20% while modulating signal is 100Hz, 500Hz and
1000Hz. The ratio of the modulating signal's peak amplitude to the carrier signal's peak amplitude is known as
the modulation depth. It puts a number on how much variance the carrier signal is subjected to. The carrier
signal's amplitude changes become less noticeable as the modulation depth is reduced. The carrier signal's
amplitude achieves its greatest and minimum values based on the modulating signal at 100% modulation depth.
The carrier signal's amplitude changes will be constrained to 20% of its maximum value as the modulation depth
drops to 20%. The quantity and distribution of sidebands around the carrier frequency are influenced by the
modulation depth. When the modulation depth is 100%, many sidebands carrying the modulating signal's
frequency content are produced and distributed widely around the carrier frequency. However, as the modulation
depth is reduced, fewer sidebands are present and are less noticeable. The AM waveform's envelope displays the
changes in amplitude over time. The envelope gets smoother and less dramatic when the modulation depth is
reduced. Less noticeable amplitude variations will occur and follow the modulating signal's slower shifts.
Compared to an envelope with 100% modulation depth, the envelope shape will be less pronounced. Both the
modulation depth and the frequency content of the modulating signal have an impact on the bandwidth of the
AM waveform. The overall bandwidth of the AM signal will decrease as the modulation depth lowers. The
formula for AM bandwidth, which accounts for the modulation index and the highest frequency component of
the modulating signal, must be taken into account when calculating the precise bandwidth, though.

In low Frequency Modulation: The resulting AM waveform will have a gradual and dramatic envelope variation
when the modulation signal has a low frequency, such as a few Hz or tens of Hz. The modulating signal's
amplitude variations will be followed by relatively slow changes in the envelope. High Frequency Modulation:
The resulting AM waveform will have a fast and rapidly shifting envelope when the modulation signal has a
high frequency, such as several hundred Hz or more. The high-frequency modulating signal's rapid amplitude
changes will be carefully tracked by the envelope. Low Amplitude Modulation: An AM waveform with a
limited envelope variation results from a low amplitude modulation signal. The carrier signal's amplitude will
only be mildly modulated, which will cause the envelope to vary less. High Amplitude Modulation: An AM
waveform with a wide envelope variation results from a modulation signal with a high amplitude. The carrier
signal's amplitude will undergo extensive modulation, increasing the envelope's range of change.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the modulation signal's frequency and amplitude have an impact on the AM waveform's
envelope. While high-frequency modulation results in fast and rapidly shifting envelopes, low-frequency
modulation typically results in slow and prominent envelope fluctuations. The envelope fluctuations are also
narrower with low-amplitude modulation and larger with high-amplitude modulation.