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Shopping for used scope to use as curve tracer
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Wallace Gasiewicz:
Your scope needs something to trigger on. A dig scope does not have a true x/y setting it is very difficult to set it up for an appropriate trigger on either input when in xy mode.
I do not know if you have a line trigger.
I am using an old BK 501A curve tracer, It feeds directly to the BNC scope inputs without probes.


I just looked at my notes pertaining to my Agilent 54810 scope;
For curve tracing it works on "LINE" Trigger just fine.

Settings on BK Curve Tracer:
Sweep Volts 20             Vert Sensitivity    2mA Div             Step 10uA step

Scope settings :

1 vs 2 with vertical being Ch 1 This is in my "Math" menu

Horizontal setting 200 uSec/ div, even though you might think you are using only x and y, you need to set this.
Trigger:   LINE       or pick your poison, view the signals and adjust the trigger level. I think your tracer has a 60 HZ output, perhaps use this.

CH 1 DC 20 mV / div
CH 2 DC 500 mV / Div

Acquisition: 
Depth 2048 pts
Sample Rate   250 KS/ Sec

Digital filter 9 bit BW  Limit ON, this helps a lot.

Do NOT USE AVERAGING

After all this the curve part is almost unusable, the trace goes up too fast.
If I use my old analog scopes, the curve is much easier to use.

Just an observation from the BK manual...HF scope not required but scope should be 10  KHz   HA!!!
Electron123:
Some progress, though somewhat sideways.  Part of the problem was with the hook tips on my probes, so I replaced them with alligator clips and got a better signal.  But it's still not right (see attached).  Here are the settings I'm using.  They're not quite what you recommended but seem to get the best result:

1. both probes on 1x (reset scope to 1x too)
2. both probes with BW on 20MHz (only option)
3. Ch1 horizontal scale: 1V
4. Ch2 horizontal scale: 5mV
5. Trigger type: video, sync: line.  There's an option for number of lines but that doesn't have a noticeable effect
6. Acquisition mode is "normal" (it's disabled)
7. Memory depth is 6k for each channel (lowest)
8. Sample rate: 500Sa/s. It looks like there's no way to directly set the sample rate, the manual just says to adjust the horizontal scale.

wasedadoc:
This is a sample of what I can get with a Rigol DS1054Z and Octopus type circuit.  12 Volt transformer. 50 Hz. Series circuit of 1.5k current limit resistor, 3.9 Volt Zener as DUT and 100 ohm current measuring resistor.  Channel 1 probe switched to x1, ground to Zener anode and tip to Zener cathode.  On scope, CH1 settings are 20 MHz BW limit on and probe gain x1.

Channel 2 probe also switched to x1. Ground to Zener anode and one end of 100 ohm. Tip to other end of 100 ohm.  On scope, CH2 settings are 20 MHz limit on, Invert on, probe gain 0.01 and Unit set to A.

Trigger set to AC.  Memory depth 60k. (6k much the same). Timebase slow.
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