Show Us Your Curve Tracer

[Electro Fan]

B&K Model 501A

Thanks for posting the B&K 501A.  I looked it up and found this, looks like a good product and educational demo.

[jh15]

Makes me want to sell my 575, and get one of those. Probably not anywhere near the capabilities of the 575.

And the tubes warm the basement.

[Markus2801A]

Deas anyone have the schematics for the ELV Curve Tracer KS7000?

Thanks in advance :-)

[Messtechniker]

My semi-finished  semiconductor curve tracer. Completed and verified D/A converter and USB link. Output stages need to be built one day.
More on this here:
https://www.dl4jal.de/kls/kls.html

(Attachment Link)

Completely scrapped the pcb. for space reasons and rebuilt this:







More here:
https://www.wellenkino.de/557/viewtopic.php?f=7&p=3205&sid=141deca1ed14b466610df61b065a9b98#p3205

and here of course:

https://www.dl4jal.de/kls/kls.html

For something more advanced see here:

http://diy.ucborgmann.de/index.php/de/audio-messtechnik/kennlinienschreiber

[0culus]

I have three curve tracers...I have one Type 575 Mod 122C that is in perfect working order, another nearly identical one that isn't in good working order (repair queue, eventually), and a 577M1 with working storage. Pictured here is my experiment at rejuvenating a set of tired Burroughs Nixie tubes that came out of an -hp- 3440A voltmeter (also in repair queue, mainly for the plug in now). It actually worked very well, and the curve tracer provides excellent visual feedback of when the rejuvenation is getting there...the negative resistance region goes from being absolutely crazy to rock stable (and of course the poisoned bit of cathode is now lighting properly). I need to designed a test jig with proper sockets for Nixies to make the process less manual.

Also, I *highly* recommend anyone who owns a curve tracer find a copy of the Tektronix Measurement Concepts book on semiconductor devices.

[rodpp]

I have two curve tracers, a 567 and a 370A.

Both are great instruments, responsive and with a great range of voltage and current.

The 370A have some nice additions compared to the 576:

- Cursors to measure parameters of the curve.
- GPIB interface that allows operate all functions of the instrument remotely, and acquisition of data.
- Memory to save/restore different configurations of the instrument. You can set an experiment configuring all parameters of the test, then save it in a memory position. Configure another one test setup, and save in another memory position, and so on. After that, you can restore as needed each one from the respective memory position.
- Save/restore curves. It's handy to compare/match components. You trace one (various) component(s) curve(s) and save it. After that you can test another component and show, at the same time on screen, actual and saved curves to compare/match.

[edavid]

I have a Tek 371, complete with bubble memory cartridge, but I've never been able to find a test fixture for it.  Anyone have a spare?

(the second photo shows me defeating the fixture interlock, the hard way)

[Johnny10]

Oh, I want one of those !!!!!

[Cubdriver]

Oh, I want one of those !!!!!

Join the club!  The 576 is sweet, but that thing - wow!


-Pat

[rodpp]

I have a Tek 371, complete with bubble memory cartridge, but I've never been able to find a test fixture for it.  Anyone have a spare?

(the second photo shows me defeating the fixture interlock, the hard way)

Wow! What a nice equipment.

The 371 is a beast, it can supply 3000V or 400A (pulsed) to the DUT, up to 3000W!

It does a pair with the 370. The 370 is the "high-resolution" curve tracer with a resolution of 1pA and 50uV (but can only supply 2000V or 20A), while the 371 is the "high-power" brother.

The test fixture for the 371 is not easy to find, but sometimes some shows up on ebay.

[edavid]

Oh, I want one of those !!!!!

Well, feel free to PM me 

[Wolfgang]

Hi,

I do it using SMUs. My SMUs are Keysight B2902A and B2962A. Why do I do this:
- I need precision for the base voltage (e.g., for Gummel plots)
- The measurements must be pulseable to mitigate device heating at higher powers
- I also need wide range current measurements (0.x uA to several 100mA)
- The data is imported to a PC and all the curves are made there using Python.
  (I have output curves, like a normal curve tracer, Gummel plots, beta curves, ...)
- The imported data is used to create SPICE models.

An analog curve tracer is nice to make quick measurements or go/no go tests. I have not built, but I like a nice
project from Changpuak (complex curve tracer) or the Curve Tracer Arduino shield.

[Shock]

I do it using SMUs... (proceeds to explain whole procedure)

Looks at Hameg button, looks back at post, reaches for Hameg button.

[david77]

Deas anyone have the schematics for the ELV Curve Tracer KS7000?

Thanks in advance :-)

You can still get it from ELV

https://de.elv.com/elv-serie-7000-kennlinienschreiber-ks-7000-teil-12-204310

https://de.elv.com/elv-serie-7000-kennlinienschreiber-ks-7000-teil-22-204319

I've built one this year, its quite capable. Although I do still have some issues that I need to resolve.

[kripton2035]

elv don't sell anything outside of germany/austria/swiss.
I bought from them years ago, now it's impossible.
they have now a french store elv.fr, but there are quite nothing in this store, only their domotic line.
it was a great shop, it's even no more european !

[Jacon]

You can still get it from ELV
----

Iron Curtain apparently still exists...
Unable to buy them from Poland

[0culus]

Man, I don't think I've seen a 370 or 371 in the wild! Neat! While we are on the subject of "modern" curve tracers, I give you my -hp- 4145B system I have put together. We are showing Ic-Vbe and Ib-Vbe characteristic curves for a 2N2222A, on a log-log plot. This makes it easy to compute AC beta for any values of Ic using cursor math (shown at the bottom of the graphics display). The flat lines at the end are the SMUs going into compliance at 100 mA. The real strength of the 4145B (and it's later and far more expensive brethren, the 4155 and 4156) is very low current measurements. In fact, most of these were used in wafer probe stations and not as bench instruments, even though you totally can with the 16058A test fixture.

[0culus]

I have a Tek 371, complete with bubble memory cartridge, but I've never been able to find a test fixture for it.  Anyone have a spare?

(the second photo shows me defeating the fixture interlock, the hard way)

I seem to recall seeing a complete 371 for sale on the bay of fleas once, for a suitably obscene amount of money. 

[TERRA Operative]

Nice, I just picked up a 4145B a couple days ago for about a hundred and fifty bucks, will look nice sitting next to my 4145A. Couldn't pass it up....
I just need a few test pins for the test fixture, and 4 triax cables and I have a full 16058A test fixture.

A 371 just sold here in Japan for around a thousand bucks, on the lower end of the going rate for them these days, depending on exact model, they sell for one to two grand, approaching three if it comes with all the accessories etc.

[Johnny10]

That was a really good buy!

HP 4145B

[0culus]

Nice, I just picked up a 4145B a couple days ago for about a hundred and fifty bucks, will look nice sitting next to my 4145A. Couldn't pass it up....
I just need a few test pins for the test fixture, and 4 triax cables and I have a full 16058A test fixture.

A 371 just sold here in Japan for around a thousand bucks, on the lower end of the going rate for them these days, depending on exact model, they sell for one to two grand, approaching three if it comes with all the accessories etc.

Very good price. Personally, I really think the 4145B complements an analog curve tracer nicely in terms of capabilities. It does the low current stuff the Type 575 just doesn't do (no Kelvin sense connections at all) and the 577 honestly isn't that great at (though I have not yet found the Kelvin sensing transistor adapters for a price I'm willing to pay, so there is that).

[TERRA Operative]

I have a 577 with a handful of adapters waiting to get its turn on the healing bench (I know it has some of the usual shorted tants to begin with), but I've not used it yet so I can't comment on it.
I wouldn't mind a 576 but they are either stupid expensive here, or pop up at a more reasonable price only after I just made another big purchase already.

[0culus]

The 576 is quite complicated too...the 577 has the huge advantage of sharing the upper chassis with the 5000 series scopes, so working on that stuff is as easy as finding a suitable 5000 series to cannibalize if needed. I know of a fellow who repaired a 577D1 with a bad storage tube by getting one from a dead 5000 series scope with a storage tube.

[TERRA Operative]

Oh, that's good to know if I need parts.

Next the trick is to find a reasonably priced broken 5000 series scope, I have seen one being sold so far, but because they are 'rare' here, the price goes up beyond what they are really worth..

[AaronLee]

I was reading about this guy's (named Paul) project:
http://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2017/
And his latest version 3 of it:
http://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2021/03/building-curve-tracer-version-3.html

Looks interesting to me, but I don't have a curve tracer yet. I'm quite interested in acquiring a curve tracer, but not in a big hurry, so maybe I'll wait until he's finished version 3. Anyone have any opinions on his approach?