A Good Ol' DIY Curve Tracer (and a bonus)

Lengthy editing for this video, but finally smooth when filming it
If i suggest to replicate this project? Yeah! Sure! It's easy to make and quite useful, the only annoying part is hooking up all these devices every time you want to test a component LOL
Same schematic here:: imgur.com/a/5X...
...yes, the scope is italian, it's a Unaohm G4001C DT

[@Attic-Toy-Design]

Absolutely amazing tracer. Greetings from London-UK.

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

TY!

[@agranero6]

"more bored than Charles Manson at Disneyland" I will use that.

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

it's always a pleasure to help :)

[@johnbravo7542]

He said more bored.

[@agranero6]

@@johnbravo7542 typo

[@nielsdaemen]

Very nice, I thought of building a digital tracer, but this is beautiful

[@EdwinSteiner]

Very nice tracer for such a simple circuit, and good idea to use the AC to replace the 555, if I saw that right. Could you test voltage-controlled devices by putting a resistor in parallel with gate-source? As long as the DUT is high-enough impedance this should turn the current steps into voltage steps. At least for positive gate-source voltages it should work, shouldn't it? (Voltage range for driving JFETs is another problem, of course.) Those scope music videos are crazy!

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

thanks... yeah, i thought of making finer voltage steps, fact is that there already are voltage steps (converted in current steps trough resistors) but the Vgs threshold is so distinct that it will end up with just two conduction planes anyways, you'd probably need a more complex system the 555 was just as schmitt trigger, i used a CD4040 instead of a CD4029 and the schmitt trigger was already incorporated :)

[@zdzisiek1979]

Zaciekawił mnie ten układ. Czy on bada tranzystory NPN i PNP czy tylko jeden rodzaj PNP. Dziękuję za schemat.

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

it can test both, but the PNP just worse... in my opinion if the different traces appear the transistor is still good and that's it, the likelihood that a transistor is in medium condition is quite rare

[@janno288]

How could I have missed this! Also no tube curve tracer, how sad

[@marcobicerna470]

Buongiorno. Una domanda: il 7812 senza dissipatore non si surriscalda ?? Ottimo proggettino....

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

praticamente no, fino a quando prendi pochi milliamperes dalla sua uscita non c'è bisogno di un'aletta, la maggior parte della "potenza" è nella sezione del componente sotto test, e non è tramite il 7812 e grazie :)

[@gkazanowski]

Hi, Will it work with a digital oscilloscope?

[@xxexplosivexxxxexplosivexx8512]

If it has some kind of "virtual phosphor" afterglow effect function (it memorizes the path and shape of the curve for some time - like the old scopes did it) OR it has the function to sort of record the curves (like the curve of a capacitor getting charged), then yes, it will.

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

almost certainly yes, i have a digital scope, it's just that it looks uglier and i wanted to stick to a "classic" feel for this video

[@ferisebok6678]

Hello! Thank you for uploading. Nice work . I built the circuit. It works. I'm just not sure it works the way it should. It draws only 4 lines on the oscilloscope. In principle, there should be 7 lines, but only 4 appear for me. I don't know if I made a mistake or if the PC oscilloscope is not suitable for this. What do you think the problem might be? Hi! Feri

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

i'm not sure, maybe the scope doesn't have much persistence etention OR you didn't make the resistors network properly (you really have to use 20k resistors or two 10k in series) OR there's something wrong OR you're analyzing a transistor that doesn't polarize itself almost at all at low currents OR a too sensitive transistor that just stays saturated at the higher currents OR i dunno

[@ferisebok6678]

@@PosthumanKindergarten thanks for the reply. I think the cd4040 is at fault. pin 9 does not give a normal signal. I will replace it at the weekend.

[@AllLoudNation365]

1:41 LMAOOO

[@Earthcomputer-d9t]

Ok brother i am waiting for you wedding date 28 April

[@PosthumanKindergarten]

i'll be there dressed all in white, like a proper sicilian mobster ;-)

[@Earthcomputer-d9t]

I will give the address i will also dressed like a sicilian mobster

[@T2D.SteveArcs]

Oh cool, a jazzed up "octopus" 😃...

[@Earthcomputer-d9t]

​@@T2D.SteveArcs you also need to come