Electronics > Beginners
Dirt cheap and simple scope-based component tester - curve tracer
codeboy2k:
--- Quote from: w2aew on June 11, 2012, 06:20:39 pm ---
--- Quote from: tekfan on June 11, 2012, 05:10:35 pm ---
--- Quote from: mianchen on June 11, 2012, 04:07:53 pm ---I've tried your curve tracer with my Iwatsu ss-5705 today, it didn't work as expected. Sorry for my n00b question - is it because CH1 and CH2 are completely out of phase? I try to locate an 'invert' switch on the scope, but couldn't see anything. Does it mean that I have to build an inversion circuit to use my scope as a curve tracer?
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Make sure that you have both inputs DC coupled. That should take care of the problem. You can invert the Y axis by pulling the channel B position control out (it's labeled PULL INV).
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Excellent point about DC coupling - and nice catch on the pull-inv function - I missed that in the photos. Sounds like you've got him all sorted now.
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When I first started out using a scope (... maybe 1972)... I used to think oh, I'm probing a DC signal, I better choose DC coupling. and for any AC signals, I always chose AC coupling. I felt the scope would 'esplode if I ever got that messed up... then I learned what the AC/DC coupling button actually did :)
george graves:
--- Quote from: Aurora on June 11, 2012, 08:14:30 am ---If you take a look at the "ACTracer FG" webpage
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Thanks for the link - $100 is a bit more that I would care to drop.
I think I'll pick up a audio isolation transformer and see how it works with my FG - thanks for the tip on that.
So - will an electrolytic cap(before it it goes bang!...) will look like a big old "D" on the scope?
w2aew:
--- Quote from: codeboy2k on June 11, 2012, 10:27:42 pm ---When I first started out using a scope (... maybe 1972)... I used to think oh, I'm probing a DC signal, I better choose DC coupling. and for any AC signals, I always chose AC coupling. I felt the scope would 'esplode if I ever got that messed up... then I learned what the AC/DC coupling button actually did :)
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That's why I did a video on that a few months ago!
w2aew:
--- Quote from: george graves on June 11, 2012, 10:54:21 pm ---
So - will an electrolytic cap(before it it goes bang!...) will look like a big old "D" on the scope?
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If you limit your current to <<1mA, there will be no "bang"
icon:
Hi
Excellent video - you have a new fan! George Graves has already asked the first question that popped into my mind (about using a function generator) - looks like I need to do some shopping for transformers. The other question that occurred to me when I was this was - could you do something similar to produce a voltage/voltage curve such as Dave J is showing here (skip to 5min 40sec)[1]:
or is that produced in a completely different way?
Regards
John
[1] I can't seem to get the video to start at a specific time - I've tried &t=05m40s and &start=340
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