This pulse generator, which can be programmed using Visual Basic 5.0, employs the simplest imaginable hardware but offers capabilities that are usually found only in microprocessor controlled equipment.The circuit presented here is a programmable pulse generator (PPG) that can be programmed via a serial interface. It has a frequency range of 0.1 Hz to around 100 kHz. The pulse frequency and pulse length of the PPG are set using the combination of switch S2 (SPF) and potentiometer P2 (PF) along with switch S1 (SPL) and potentiometer P1 (PTL), as shown in Figure 1. It is possible to program arbitrary pulse sequences, ranging in length from 1 to 48 pulses, and the only involvement of the PC CPU is to load new pulse patterns. The circuit is otherwise fully independent.The following signals are present on the three outputs (AN, AG and AP): the programmed pulse sequence, a DC voltage smoothed by a low-pass filter (dimming function) and a pulse whose width can be set using a monostable multivibrator (MMV).