Speaking of curve tracers

Mark Wendt (Contractor)

Anybody know of a good video tutorial, or a good read with lotsa pictures of how a curve tracer is actually used, what the display is actually showing me, examples of both good and bad components under test, and nifty things to do with a CT that you normally wouldn't think of?

All I really have at the moment, along the the 7CT1, is the manual, and it has a few diagrams of typical traces, but really doesn't go into much depth on explanations.  I'm presuming when Tek wrote the manual that Tek presumed a modicum of knowledge of the operation of a curve tracer, but for someone who hasn't used one in the past, the manual doesn't quite go far enough, at least for me.

Thanks,
Mark

#76049

Attached is a couple of pictures of some 7587 Nuvistor testing I did
w/ a stock 575 curve tracer, if you want a feel for what you can "see"
with one.

One picture is a tired old 7587, the other one is a NOS one.   Curve
settings were the same between them.  (But I've forgotten what they
were now. :->    )   Hopefully the list won't strip them off.   The
pictures are a little fuzzy, but they'll do.

There's a Measurements Concepts PDF book out there.   "Semiconductor
Device Measurements" by John Mulvey that has all sorts of measurements
you can make using a curve tracer.   Its pretty generic, and not
specific to any certain tracer.   Unsurprisingly its semiconductor
specific, and does not have any specific vacuum tube section.   I've
forgotten where I picked my copy of the PDF up, but thanks to whomever
had it posted.

David



On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 7:07 AM, Mark Wendt (Contractor)
<mark.wendt@...> wrote:
Anybody know of a good video tutorial, or a good read with lotsa
pictures of how a curve tracer is actually used, what the display is
actually showing me, examples of both good and bad components under
test, and nifty things to do with a CT that you normally wouldn't think of?

All I really have at the moment, along the the 7CT1, is the manual, and
it has a few diagrams of typical traces, but really doesn't go into much
depth on explanations. ?I'm presuming when Tek wrote the manual that Tek
presumed a modicum of knowledge of the operation of a curve tracer, but
for someone who hasn't used one in the past, the manual doesn't quite go
far enough, at least for me.

Thanks,
Mark


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#76057

Hi Mark,

Get yourself a copy of the Tektronix Measurement and Concepts Series book
called Semiconductor Device Measurements. You can find it on ebay often for
~$10 if you are patient. It probably can be found on Amazon for a lot more.
It is a paperback.

Tek actually gave a course on how to measure the parameters of a wide
variety of semiconductors many years ago. Attendees were given a 3-hole
binder with instructions on taking measurements for each type of
semiconductor that was covered in the course. It included specific settings
of the curve tracer and screen shots of the CRT marked with the measured
parameters. I have seen a copy of this binder but unfortunately the screen
shots Tek used in the binder do not reproduce well and they all appear
almost totally black. I could not make out the traces on the curve tracer
screen shots. I do not know if the contents of this binder exists in
electronic form on the internet.

Finally, several of members have posted to the forum over the years about
the more atypical things that can be measured with a curve tracer. A curve
tracer, while designed primarily for semiconductor measurements, is a
general purpose instrument that can display the voltage versus current
curves for anything. Search through the TekScopes forum for all the unusual
things that can be measured with your curve tracer. Key words to search on
are 575, 576, 577, 7CT1N, 5CT1N, and of course, curve tracer

Dennis

Show quoted text

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Wendt (Contractor), Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2012 4:07 AM

Anybody know of a good video tutorial, or a good read with lotsa pictures of
how a curve tracer is actually used, what the display is actually showing
me, examples of both good and bad components under test, and nifty things to
do with a CT that you normally wouldn't think of?

All I really have at the moment, along the the 7CT1, is the manual, and it
has a few diagrams of typical traces, but really doesn't go into much depth
on explanations.  I'm presuming when Tek wrote the manual that Tek presumed
a modicum of knowledge of the operation of a curve tracer, but for someone
who hasn't used one in the past, the manual doesn't quite go far enough, at
least for me.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark Wendt

#76091

Dennis,

Thanks for that information.  I think I downloaded the two documents you mentioned yesterday and started pawing through them.  The one with the black screen shots I have for sure.  ;-)  I'll dig some more into the archives too.  Thanks again!

Mark

Show quoted text

On 05/20/2012 01:39 PM, Dennis Tillman wrote:
Hi Mark,

Get yourself a copy of the Tektronix Measurement and Concepts Series book
called Semiconductor Device Measurements. You can find it on ebay often for
~$10 if you are patient. It probably can be found on Amazon for a lot more.
It is a paperback.

Tek actually gave a course on how to measure the parameters of a wide
variety of semiconductors many years ago. Attendees were given a 3-hole
binder with instructions on taking measurements for each type of
semiconductor that was covered in the course. It included specific settings
of the curve tracer and screen shots of the CRT marked with the measured
parameters. I have seen a copy of this binder but unfortunately the screen
shots Tek used in the binder do not reproduce well and they all appear
almost totally black. I could not make out the traces on the curve tracer
screen shots. I do not know if the contents of this binder exists in
electronic form on the internet.

Finally, several of members have posted to the forum over the years about
the more atypical things that can be measured with a curve tracer. A curve
tracer, while designed primarily for semiconductor measurements, is a
general purpose instrument that can display the voltage versus current
curves for anything. Search through the TekScopes forum for all the unusual
things that can be measured with your curve tracer. Key words to search on
are 575, 576, 577, 7CT1N, 5CT1N, and of course, curve tracer

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Wendt (Contractor), Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2012 4:07 AM

Anybody know of a good video tutorial, or a good read with lotsa pictures of
how a curve tracer is actually used, what the display is actually showing
me, examples of both good and bad components under test, and nifty things to
do with a CT that you normally wouldn't think of?

All I really have at the moment, along the the 7CT1, is the manual, and it
has a few diagrams of typical traces, but really doesn't go into much depth
on explanations.  I'm presuming when Tek wrote the manual that Tek presumed
a modicum of knowledge of the operation of a curve tracer, but for someone
who hasn't used one in the past, the manual doesn't quite go far enough, at
least for me.

Thanks,
Mark



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Speaking of curve tracers