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Tektronix 576 Curve Tracer

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fmashockie:
Hey everyone! So I'm look at purchasing a Tektronix 576 curve tracer that the seller says is not working.  The seller doesn't have a thorough way to test it, but confirmed the CRT works. 

I was wondering if anyone can tell me more about these things.  What are some potential issues that are common with these? Can they be easily restored or do they have a lot of propriety ICs/parts? 

How critical of a tool are they for someone who works in repairing electronics? Are there are other types of equipment that are more affordable that can do the same kind of testing?

What would you consider a fair price to pay for one in non-working condition?

Any input you can provide is greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

bdunham7:
I got one for $275 plus a road trip in OK-ish physical condition (one switch assembly broken, a few dark pixels on the readouts) but only intermittently working.  It has a bad HV transformer and I've been trying to locate one since.  Apparently someone had a batch custom-made, but I haven't reached anyone selling one yet.  They're a pretty specialized use item, it's not an instrument most people will use every day. 

There are other ways of doing curve tracing, but the actual Tek units can put out some pretty serious power and most lesser devices can't. 

Stray Electron:
   There are already a couple of pretty good threads on here about repairing the 576s. Did you read them?

   Congratulations on the purchase, they're great machines.  As Bdunham pointed out, the HV x-former seem to the biggest weakness in them  but the HV is necessary for the CRT to have any display so if the seller has confirmed that the CRT has a display then your HV xformer should be ok.  The other problem with them is that knobs and sometimes switches get broken with rough handling so those and the adapters are hard to find and are expensive. 

  I paid a grand for mine a couple of years ago but it was fully working, had no broken knobs and including 7 different adapters.  That's less than the asking prices for the adapters alone on E-Greed.

mawyatt:
We picked up a Tek 577 locally that evidently was used at Sandia Labs, wasn't working but did have a display. The 577 and 576 are similar and you can locate service manuals online. We had to remove a modification to bring out the vertical and horizontal analog signals which suspect were for sampling with a ADC for display on a PC, then we were able to get the 577 working after replacing some PS caps, a couple op-amps, and some knobs which were broken.

As mentioned by Stray E, the specialized fixtures are rare and expensive, so decided to Roll Our own as shown here.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/smd-test-fixture-for-the-tektronix-576-curve-tracer/msg4553639/#msg4553639

Good luck with your 576, these are nice instruments when working!!

Best,

bdunham7:

--- Quote from: Stray Electron on October 31, 2023, 04:34:12 am --- the HV is necessary for the CRT to have any display so if the seller has confirmed that the CRT has a display then your HV xformer should be ok. 

--- End quote ---

Mine works when it is cold, then fades out when it warms up.  Opening it up and putting a fan on the HV transformer keeps it on indefinitely.  The issue appears to be leakage in the HV winding that overloads the drive circuitry.

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