TestingVacuumTubeswithaTektronixModel576SemiconductorCurveTracer

2011DanielSchoo

Plottingplatecurrentversusplatevoltagecurvesisausefulwaytodeterminetheoperating
characteristicsofavacuumtube.Thedisplayofafamilyofcurvesshowsthecharacteristicsofatube
overthefullrangeofgridandplatevoltages.Unliketubetestersthatshowasimplecharacteristicsuch
astransconductanceatonlyoneoperatingpoint,curvesshowyoueverythingatonce.Bycomparingthe
characteristiccurvestothemanufacturerspublisheddataanaccurateevaluationcanbemadeofthe
conditionofthetube.Forserviceworkintherepairshopasimpletestonatubetesterisusually
sufficienttodeterminewhetheraparticulartubeisstillserviceablebuttherearetimeswhenyouneed
moreinformationthanatubetestercanprovide.Matchingseveralcharacteristicsofapairofaudio
tubesisoneexample.Anotherisdeterminingwhetherapowertubeiscapableofprovidingbookvalue
outputpoweratmaximumdesignplatecurrentandvoltage.

Formatchingtubestoeachothersinglepointcomparisonoftransconductance,platecurrentorother
parameterscanbeverymisleading.Matchingisgreatlysimplifiedwhenyoucanseethe
transconductance,plateresistanceandplatecurrentgraphicallyrepresentedovertheentireoperating
rangeofplateandgridvoltages.WithacurvetracerABcomparisonsbetweentwotubescanbemade
withthethrowofaswitch.AdditionallytheTek576hasthecapabilitytoplotthetransconductanceor
theamplificationfactorovertherangeofgridvoltages.Runningacomparisonofcurvesforseveral
differentscreenvoltagesisalsoabigadvantageoversinglepointtesting.

Ihadapairof6973audiopoweroutputtubesthatreadthesamevalueoftransconductanceonaHickok
539Ctubetestertowithinonesmalldivisiononthemeter.Plottingafamilyofcurvesusingthebook
valueof250voltsscreenbiasshowedthattheywerenotevenclose.Iranthecurvesagainat130volts,
thescreenvoltagethatthe539Cuses.Theyshowedabettermatchbutstillnotcloseenoughforapair.

DuringtheboomyearsforvacuumtubesTektronixsoldthemodel570vacuumtubecurvetracertodo
platecurvesandotherplotsonvacuumtubecharacteristics.Todayausedmodel570isarareand
expensiveinstrumenttobuy.Whentransistorsbecamedominant,Tekintroducedthemodel575,576
and577semiconductorcurvetracerstofilltheneedtotestsemiconductors.(Figures1and2)The575
wasavacuumtubebaseddesignthatservedthepurposeforthetransistorsofthedaybutwitha
maximumof200collectorvoltsand2voltsofbiasithadverylimitedusefulnessfortestingtubes.Itcan
bemodifiedtoproducehighergridvoltagesandsomepeoplehavedonethistotesttubes.

The576wasatransistorbaseddesignfarmoreadvancedinfeatures.Itwascapableofupto1500volts,
10ampsand220wattsofpower.Onthe350MAXPEAKVOLTSrangemostsuitablefortubetestingit
couldsupply500milliampsofaverageplatecurrentor1amppeakpulsed.Itcouldprovideupto40
voltsofgridbiasmakingitveryadaptabletotestingtubes.The576hadthegreatadvantageofadigital
displaynexttotheCRTthatreadouttheverticalandhorizontalsettings,thegridvoltagesettingandthe
calculatedverticalscaleinBetafortransistorsorGmforFETsandtubes.Thisisahighlydesirable
featureforphotographicrecordingbecausealloftheplotscalesarerecordedalongwiththecurves
rightthereonthephoto.Italsohadanilluminatedgraticulethatshoweduponthephoto.Fortheseand
forotherreasonsthe576isthemostdesirableoftheclassicsemiconductorcurvetracers.The576was
availablefromthefactorywithoutthedigitaldisplayasaMOD301WbutIhaveneverseenasample
withthisoption.

The577wasfunctionallyequivalenttothe576butthereisnodigitaldisplay,illuminatedgraticuleor
calibratedDISPLAYOFFSETfunctionanditisnotcapableofasmuchpowerasthe576.Likethe576itis
capableofupto1500voltsand10ampsbutonly100wattsofpower.Forsmallsignaltubesitis
equivalenttothe576inperformance.Twoversionsofthe577weresold,onewiththestandardCRT
andanotherwithastoragetypeCRT.Thestoragetubecouldstoretheresultfromasingleshotplotand
overwriteasecondoneforcomparison.Ineverfoundthistobeallthatusefuland,withtheavailability
ofinexpensivedigitalcameras,CRTdisplaystorageisprettymuchunnecessaryandfarinferiorinimage
qualitytoadigitalphoto.

Onthe400MAXPEAKVOLTSrangethe577couldsupply150milliampsofaverageplatecurrentor310
milliampspeakpulsed.Formostaudiopowertubeslikethe6V6GT,7591A,KT66,45and6BQ5thisis
quiteadequate.Forthebigguyslikethe6L6GC,7027Aorespeciallythe6550andKT88itisalittle
underpowered.Itwillplotthecurvesaslongasyoukeepthescreenatorlessthan250volts,the
controlgridalwaysnegativeanddontruntheplotformorethanafewminutes.

Boththe576and577featureanoperatorprotectioninterlock.Foranyvoltagesettingthatmaybehigh
enoughtocauseanelectricalhazardtotheoperatorthecollectorvoltageisinhibitedunlessthe
interlockissatisfied.Normallytheinterlockissatisfiedbyaplasticprotectiveboxsuppliedwiththe
curvetracer.(Figure3)Theboxsnapsontothetestpadareaandcompletelyenclosesthedeviceunder
test.Ithasahingedlidforaccesstothedevice.Whenthelidisclosedthereisapinthatpressesonthe
interlockswitchlocatedinthelowerleftcorneroftestpadareaenablingthecollectorvoltage.The
protectiveboxisalmostalwaysmissingwhenyoubuyausedcurvetracerandtheyrarelyshowupfor
sale.

Someofthe577modelshadasmallredmomentaryactionpushbuttonswitchonthefrontoftheapron
thatwouldmanuallybypasstheinterlock.Tektronixhadsecondthoughtsaboutthatfeatureandlater
ontheyurgedownerstoreturntheinstrumentandhaveitremoved.Homebuilttubetestadapter
modulesareequippedwithabuiltinactuatortosatisfytheinterlockandthemoduleisenclosedsothat
dangerousvoltagesarenotexposedtotheoperator.

TheTektronixsemiconductorcurvetracersweredesignedtobehighlyflexiblewiththeabilitytotestall
typesofbipolarandfieldeffecttransistorsofeitherpolarityatrelativelyhighvoltages.Addona
filamentsupplyandtriodetubesareeasilytestedasNchanneldepletionfieldeffecttransistors.Witha
screenbiassupplybeampowerandpentodetubesaretestedthesameway.

FUNCTIONALDESCRIPTION
Illdescribebasicallyhowacurvetracerworksinvacuumtubetriodeterms.Thecurvetracersuppliesa
DCvoltagetotheplateofthetubethatrampsfromzerouptoavoltagethatisselectedbytheoperator
thenbacktozeroatarateof120timespersecond.Thisvoltageisplottedonthehorizontalaxisofthe
CathodeRayTubeastheplatevoltage.Thecurrentdrawfromthissupplyisplottedontheverticalaxis
astheplatecurrent.Aconstantsignalvoltageisprovidedtothegridforthedurationofeachramp.The
gridisheldatzerovoltsforthefirstramp.Afterthefirstrampthegridvoltageissteppeduptothe
nextlevel,muchlikeclimbingastair,andheldconstantforthenextplateramp.Witheachadditional
rampthegridvoltageisincreasedbyafixedamountuntilitreachesthemaximumnumberofstepsthen
itdropsbacktozeroandstartsover.Thenumberofstepsandthegridvoltagestepsizeisdetermined
bytheoperator.

Letssaywewanttouseonevoltpersteponthegrid.Forthefirstcyclethecurvetracerapplieszero
voltstothegridthenrampstheplatevoltagefromzerotomaximumandbackdownagain.Theplate
voltageandcurrentareplottedandonecurveistracedonthescreen.Forthesecondrampthecurve
tracerstepsthegridvoltagetominusonevoltandrepeatstheplatevoltageramp,plottingthevoltage
andcurrentforasecondtrace.Thiscontinuesuntiluptotentracesareplottedinsequence,eachwitha
highernegativegridvoltage.Whenthemaximumnumberofstepsisreachedthegridvoltageissetto
zeroandtheprocessrepeats.Becausethisisdonerapidlyinsuccessiontheentirefamilyofcurves
appearssimultaneouslyonthescreen.

Whatthecurvesshowyouaretheplatecurrentforeveryplatevoltagefromzerotomaximumfora
discretesetofuserselectedgridvoltages.(Figure4)Theverticalspacingbetweenanytwocurves,the
changeinplatecurrentforachangeingridvoltageataconstantplatevoltage,isrepresentativeofthe
transconductance.Theslopeofthecurves,thechangeinplatecurrentforachangeinplatevoltageata
constantgridvoltage,representstheplateresistance.InthisfigureIhaveaddedtheidentificationtext,
graphscalesandgridvoltagenumberstotherawplot.Thecurvetracerdoesnotdothatforyou.

Forpentodesandbeampowertubestheprocessisexactlythesameexceptthatyoumustalsosupply
thescreengridwithaconstantDCvoltage.Testingapentodeinthetriodeconfigurationisaseasyas
connectingthescreengridtotheplateinsteadofascreenbiassupply.

Theordinarymeansofconnectingsemiconductordevicestothecurvetracerfortestingisaccomplished
byanappropriatemodulethatplugsintothetestpadareaofthecurvetracer.Twomodulescanbe
pluggedintothetestpadareatoallowcomparisonoftwodevices.Thedevicetotestisselectedbya
LEFTOFFRIGHTABswitchlocatednexttothetestpadareaofthecurvetracer.Tektronixdidtheir
homeworkwellindesigningaselectionofpluginmodulestotestthevarioustypesoftransistor
packages.Whiletheydidnotselltestmoduleswithtubesocketsonthemyoucanmakeyourownand
usethemodulestotestavarietyoftubetypesfromninepinminiaturetwintriodestooctalbeam
powerpentodes.

Thetubetestmodulesarewiredsuchthattheplatepinofthetubesocketisconnectedtothe
COLLECTORterminalofthecurvetracer,thegridtotheBASEandthecathodetotheEMITTERterminal.
Theheater/filamentpinsareconnectedtobananajacksforattachmenttoanexternalpowersupply.For
thepentodemoduleasecondpairofbananajacksisprovidedtoconnecttoanexternalscreenpower
supply.

Typicallyyouneedonlytwotestmodulestotestmanyofthepopularaudiotubes.(Figure5)One
modulehasanoctalandaninepinminiaturesocketprewiredfortestingmanytypesoftwintriodes.
SelectingwhichtriodetwintotestisdonewiththeLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchonthecurvetracer.(Figure
6)Thesecondmodulehastwooctalsocketsprewiredfor6L6basingtotestorcomparetwobeam
powerpentodes.Manyaudiotubesusethisbasingsothemoduleisveryversatile.AnAOFFBselector
switchisbuiltintothepentodetestmoduleinordertoswitchthescreengridbiasalongwiththeplate
andcontrolgridvoltagesfromonetubetotheother.

Forotherpowertubesliketheoctalbased7591Aortheninepinminiaturebased6BQ5thatdont
match6L6wiring,specialbasingadapterscanbeusedtoconvertthebasewiringofthetubetothatofa
6L6.(Figure7)Abasingadaptercanbealsobeusedtochangethestandardsocketwiringtotestbeam
powerpentodesinthetriodeconfiguration.Oldfourandfivepinbasedtriodeslikethe01A,26,27or45
caneasilybeadaptedfortestingbyusingbasingadapters.Youcaneventestrectifiertubesusinga

basingadapter.Twosectiontubeslikethe5AR4fullwaverectifierwouldadapttothetwintriode
modulebecauseoftheneedtotesttwosectionsononebase.A/Bmatchingofthetwosectionscanbe
doneforcriticalapplicationslikethetype83and5Y3usedinHickoktubetesters.Singlesection
rectifierslikethe35Z5wouldadapttothepentodemodule.

Forgenerictubetestingapodofseveralcommonsocketscanbeassembledwithapigtailcable
attached.(Figures8,9)Thepigtailwiringcanbedoneonanasneededbasistoconnectthesocketpins
tothevariouspowersuppliesandcurvetracerconnectionsoryoucanmakeafancypatchpanelwith
jumpercablessimilartowhatTektronixdidwiththeirmodel570.Thisisusefulforoneseytwoseytests
onoddtubesthatyoudonttestfrequently.Connectionofthepodwiringtothecurvetracerismade
usingaspecialmodulewithbindingpostsonitinsteadoftubesockets.(Figure10)Youcanusea
commerciallyavailablethreepositionbananaplugtobindingpostadaptertomaketheconnectionsbut
youwillalsohavetosatisfythehighvoltageprotectioninterlockbuiltintothecurvetracerthatthe
modulesusuallytakecareof.

CURVETRACERCONTROLS
(Figure11)Atfirstglanceasemiconductorcurvetracerisacomplicatedandmysteriousinstrument.The
variouscontrolscanbedividedintorelatedfunctionsandunderstoodindividually.Thefivemajor
sectionsincludetheVERTICAL,DISPLAYOFFSET,HORIZONTAL,STEPGENERATORandCOLLECTOR
SUPPLY.Othersecondarycontrolsforgraticuleandreadoutlampintensity,CRTfocusandCRTintensity
completetheadjustments.TheupperhalfofthecontrolpanelcontainstheCRTdisplayandthe
associatedcontrolsforthepresentationofthetraces.Thelowerhalfofthepanelcontainsthecontrols
thatadjustthesignalsandvoltagesthatareappliedtothedevicebeingtested.

VERTICAL
TheVERTICALchannelofthecurvetracerdisplaysthecollectororplatecurrent.Thegainiscontrolled
byarotaryswitchintheupperrightcornerofthecontrolpanel.Thisworksverymuchlikethevertical
gaincontrolofananalogoscilloscope.Theverticalgainissetina125sequencefrom1microampper
divisiontotwoampsperdivision.Amaximumof20ampscanbedisplayedonthescreen.Theextreme
counterclockwisepositionofthisswitchistheSTEPGENposition.Inthispositiontheverticalchannel
displaysthestepgeneratorvoltageonthegridinsteadoftheplatecurrent.Thescaleisonestepper
divisionforanystepgeneratorvoltageorcurrentsettingwhateverthathappenstobe.Fortubesonly
thevoltagestepsettingswouldbeused.Inthismodethegridvoltagecanbeplottedontheverticalaxis
againsttheplatevoltageonthehorizontalaxiswhichisaplotoftheamplificationfactor.The577does
nothavethisfunction.Thereisasecondscaleonthisswitchforemitterleakagecurrent.Sincethisis
strictlyatransistorfunctionIwillnotdescribeit.

VERTICALPOSITIONHORIZONTALPOSITION
Justbelowtheverticalcontrolisthesectionforcontrollingtheprecisepositionofthedisplayonthe
screen.TheVERTICALandHORIZONTALpositioncontrolshavetwoparts.Theinnerknobcontrolsthe
positionofthespotcontinuouslyplusorminusabouttwoandahalfdivisions.Theouterknobsswitch
thepositionupordown,leftorrightinfiveortendivisionincrements.

DISPLAYOFFSET
TotherightofthePOSITIONcontrolsistheDISPLAYOFFSETswitch.TheDISPLAYOFFSETswitchhastwo
functions.Theinnerswitchhasfourpositions,twoforverticalX1orX10magnification,andtwofor
horizontalX1orX10magnification.Thenormaloffpositionforthisswitchisstraightup.Settingthe
innerswitchtotheX1positionforeitherverticalorhorizontalmovesthedisplaybyfivedivisionstothe

centeroftheselectedaxisandenablestheouterpartoftheswitch.Theouterswitchisaprecision
positionoffsetcontrolfromzerototendivisionsinhalfdivisionsteps.Theprecisionpositionswitchcan
onlymovethedisplaydownortotheleftincalibratedsteps.SettingtheinnerswitchtotheX10setting
magnifiesthedisplaybyafactoroften.TheouterringsettingisalsoaffectedbytheX10magnification
causingthepositionsettingstobecomezeroto100divisionsinfivedivisionsteps.Thesecontrolsallow
theoperatortopreciselyzoomandpanaportionofacurveandexamineitclosely.Tekthoughtof
everything.Theprecisionpositionoffsetcapabilitywasdroppedfromthelatermodel577.

HORIZONTAL
BelowthedisplayoffsetcontrolistheHORIZONTALgaincontrol.Thehorizontalchanneldisplaysthe
platevoltage.Thegainiscontrolledbyarotaryswitchsetina125sequencefrom.05voltsperdivision
to200voltsperdivision.Amaximumof2000voltscanbedisplayedonthescreen.Rotatingtheswitch
counterclockwisepastthe200voltperdivisionpositionchangesthefunctionofthehorizontaldisplay
fromplatevoltagetogridvoltage.Gridvoltagescanbedisplayedina125sequencefrom.05voltsper
divisionto2voltsperdivision.Inthismodetheplatecurrentcanbeplottedontheverticalaxisagainst
thegridvoltageonthehorizontalaxiswhichisaplotofthetransconductance.

Liketheverticalgainswitch,theextremecounterclockwisepositionofthehorizontalgainswitchisthe
STEPGENposition.Inthispositionthehorizontalchanneldisplaysthestepgenerator.Thescaleisone
stepperdivisionforanystepgeneratorvoltageorcurrentsettingwhateverthathappenstobe.For
tubesonlythevoltagestepsettingswouldbeused.

STEPGENERATOR
TherearethreerotarySTEPGENERATORcontrolsandasetof13pushbuttonswitchestocontrolthe
stepgenerator.TheNUMBEROFSTEPSswitchisarotaryswitchthatallowsyoutoselectthenumberof
gridvoltagestepsthatyouwanttousefromonetoten.Thecenterknobofthiscontrolsetsthecurrent
limitforthegridsteps.Thisisusedfortestingtransistorsandshouldremaininthe2Amppositionwhen
testingtubes.

Belowthenumberofstepsswitchisthestepoffsetcontrol.Thisisavoltagecontrolthatallowsyouto
applyacontinuouslyadjustableDCoffsettothegridsignalsteps.Thevoltagerangeisdependentonthe
stepvoltagesetting.ItiscalibratedfromzerototenequalingzerototenstepsofDCbias.Forexampleif
thestepgeneratorissetfor.5voltsperstepthenthecontrolprovidesfromzerotofivevoltsofDCbias
forsettingsofzerototenontheadjustmentknob.Justbelowthecontrolknobarethreepushbutton
switches.TheseswitcheslabeledZERO,AIDandOPPOSEselectwhethertheaddedoffsetwillbeturned
off,addedtothesteps,orsubtractedfromthestepsrespectively.Itshouldbenotedthattheaidor
opposefunctionworksexactlythesamenomatterwhatthesteppolarityis.

Thenextrowdownisthepulsedstepscontrolswitches.Inpulsedmodethecurvetracersuppliesa
constantDCvoltageinsteadofaramptotheplateandthegridstepsignalinshortsteppedpulsesin
ordertominimizethepowerdissipationinsemiconductortests.Thisfunctionisnotusedforvacuum
tubetestingandcandestroysometubesaveryshorttime.AlwaysusetheSTEPSmodefortesting
tubes.

BelowthepulsedmodeswitchesaretheSTEPFAMILYandRATECONTROLsections.IntheREPmodethe
stepgeneratorrunscontinuouslytracingcurves.IntheSINGLEmodethestepgeneratorrunsthrough
onesetofstepsthenstopsatzerovoltsuntiltheSINGLEswitchispushedagain.Thisisusefulwhen
runningcurvesonahighpowersemiconductorsothattheheatdissipationdoesnotbecomeexcessive.

EitheradirectviewoftheCRToraphotoofthescreencanbetakenduringasingleplotofafamilyof
curves.Thiseliminatestheneedtorunthesemiconductorathighpowerforextendedperiodswiththe
riskofoverheatingit.Sincereceivingtubesnormallydontneedexternalheatsinksand,unlike
transistors,theyrunhighplatecurrentwithzerobias,operatingatubeinthesingletracemodeisnota
usefulfunction.Thereisawaytosetupthecontrolstoreversethestepdirectionandsafelydosingle
familyplottingstartingfrommaximumbiasinsteadofzerobutitdoesntgetyoumuchforthetrouble
andIwontgointodetail.

Therateswitchescontrolthesteprate.AttheNORMratethestepsadvanceatthesamerateasthe
platevoltageramp,onestepatatimeforeachcompleterampcycle.Inthe2Xmodethestepsare
changedattwicethenormalrate.Eachstepisincreasednotonlyattherampzerovoltagepositionbut
alsoattherampmaximumvoltage.Thiseffectivelydoublestheratebydrawingacurvewhentheplate
voltagerampsupandthenextcurvewhenitrampsbackdown.The.5Xmodehalvestheramprateby
runningtwocompleterampcyclesforeachstep.Someofthesemodesareusefulforgettingabetter
lookingplotbutinmostcasestheNORMrateisperfectlyacceptable.

TotherightoftheSTEPGENERATORpushbuttonareaarethe.1XandINVERTbuttons.IntheINposition
the.1XswitchcausesthestepstobeonetenthofthestepAMPLITUDEsetting.Thischangesthescaleof
theamplitudesettingsfromthenormal.05to2voltspersteptoarangeof.005to.2voltsperstep.This
functionmaybeusefulfortubeswithaverylargetransconductance.

Rightbelowthe.1XswitchisthesteppolarityINVERTbutton.WiththebuttonsetfortheOUTposition
thesteppolarityisnormalfortransistors.SetfortheINpositionthepolarityofthestepsisreversed.
Thisisthenormalsettingfortubes.

COLLECTORSUPPLY
Nowwecometothecontrolsthatsetthepolarityandamplitudeofthevoltageappliedtotheplate.
Therearetwoprimarycontrolsfortheplatevoltage.TothefarleftjustbelowtheCRTistheMAXPEAK
VOLTSswitch.Thisisarangeswitchthatsetsthemaximumvoltageinfourrangesofzeroto15,75,350
and1500volts.ConcentricontheMAXPEAKVOLTSswitchistheSERIESRESISTORSswitch.Thesettingis
changedbypullingoutontheouterknobandrotatingitindependentlyoftheMAXVOLTAGE.This
switchsetsthevalueofaresistorinserieswiththedeviceundertest.Theresistorsettinglimitsthe
maximumpeakwattagethatthetestdevicewilldissipate.Thereisawattagescaleontheknobasa
guidefortheoperator,220wattsbeingthehighestsettingthatthecurvetracerwillallow.

Thewattagelimitfunctionisaverysimplesystemwhereincreasinglyhighervalueresistorsareplacedin
serieswiththedevicetolimittheamountofpowerdissipationbydroppingmoreandmoreofthe
availableplatevoltageastheplatecurrentrises.Thelowestvalueresistoronthe350voltrangeis140
ohmsinseries.Whatthismeansisthat,dependingonyourACpowerlinevoltage,youhaveabout400
voltstostartwithfromthecollectorsupplywitha140ohmresistorinseries.Asyoudrawcurrentfrom
thesupplytheresistordropssomeofthatvoltage.Themorecurrentyoudrawthelessvoltageyouhave
onthedeviceduetothisdrop.ItdisplaysontheCRTasanimaginarylimitlinedrawnfromthe
maximumplatevoltageatzeromilliampsupwardandtothelefttothemaximumplatevoltageatthe
highestplatecurrent.(Figure12)

Themaximumratedplatecurrentforthe350voltrangeis500milliamps.Atthenominal350maximum
peakvoltssettingwiththe220wattseriesresistorof140ohmsyoucancalculatetheapproximate
maximumplatevoltageatvariouscurrentsusingohmslaw.Startingatzeroplatecurrentyouwould

haveabout400voltsontheplateplusorminusafewvoltsdependingonyourACpowerlinevoltage.At
50milliampsthedropacrossthe140ohmseriesresistorisabout7voltssoyouhave393voltsonthe
plate.At100milliampsthedropis14voltsleaving386volts.At200milliampsthedropis28volts
leaving372volts.At500milliampsthedropis70voltsleaving330ontheplate.Thecalculatedplate
voltagesarehigherthanactualsincetherearemoreinternallossesthanjusttheseriesresistor.

Themaximumratedplatecurrentforthe1500voltrangeis100milliamps.For the 1500 volt range the

220 watt series resistor is 3000 ohms. Youwouldnotordinarilyplotafamilyofcurvesonanaudiotube
witha1500voltplatesupplysoletsassumesomethingmorerealistic.Fortheplatesupplysetto600
voltsthe50milliampvoltagedropona3000ohmresistoris150voltsleaving450voltsontheplate.At
100milliampsthedropis300voltsleaving300voltsontheplate.At200milliampsyouloseall600volts
acrosstheresistor,youaredumping120wattsintoitandburningitup.Thecurvetracerwillactually
supplyalotmorecurrentthanitisratedforsoyoumustpayattentiontothesettingsandnotallowthe
platecurrenttogomuchabove100milliampsonthe1500voltrangeor500milliampsonthe350volt
range.

BelowtheMAXPEAKVOLTS/SERIESRESISTORSswitchistheVARIABLECOLLECTORSUPPLYcontrolon
thefrontapron.Thiscontroladjuststheplatevoltagecontinuouslyfromzerotothemaximumsetting
ontheMAXPEAKVOLTSswitch.

TotherightoftheMAXPEAKVOLTSswitchisthecollectorsupplyPOLARITYswitch.Thesettingsare
mainlyusedfortestingdifferenttypesofsemiconductors.Threesettingsarepossible;AC,+(NPN),and
(PNP).Alltubesaretestedusingthe+(NPN)switchpositiontoapplyapositivepolarityvoltagetothe
plate.The(PNP)settingappliesnegativepolarityvoltagetotheplateandisneverused.TheACsetting
applies60HzAC.Thisisusefulfortestinganumberofthingsliketriacsandzenerdiodesbutneverfor
tubes.

OnthefarrightoftheCOLLECTORSUPPLYareaistheMODEswitch.TheMODEswitchhasthree
positions:NORM,DCandLEAKAGE.TheNORMsettingappliestheusualrampedvoltagetotheplate.In
theDCmodeaconstantDCvoltageisappliedtotheplateinsteadofaramp.TheLEAKAGEsettingis
anotherDCmodeusedonlyfortestingbaseemitterleakageintransistors.BelowtheMODEswitchis
theLOOPINGCOMPENSATIONcontrol.Thisisusedtoadjustthecompensationforcapacitiveleakage
whenmeasuringextremelylowplatecurrents.Underordinarytestingsituationsthiscontrolwillnotbe
used.

MISCELLANEOUSCONTROLS
GRATICLEILLUMadjuststhebrightnessofthecrosshatchgraticuleontheCRT.Thedarkgraticulemarks
ontheCRTareusuallythebestfordirectviewingwithoutillumination.Graticuleilluminationisused
whenmakingphotographicrecordsofthefamilyofcurves.
READOUTILLUMadjuststhebrightnessofthedigitalreadoutdisplayandtheassociatedbezel
markings.Thereadoutilluminationisadjustedforcomfortabledirectviewingandforproperexposure
whenmakingphotographicrecordsofthecurves.
INTENSITYadjuststhebrightnessoftheCRT.Adjustforcomfortabledirectviewingorforproper
exposureofphotographicrecordsofthecurves.AlwaysadjusttheCRTbrightnesstotheminimum
comfortableintensityinordertopreventphosphorburn,especiallywhenthecollectorvoltagecontrolis
atminimumandthereisjustaspotonthescreen.
FOCUScontrolsthefocusoftheCRT.

LEFTOFFRIGHTistheswitchthatselectswhichofthetwodevicestotestonthetestpadarea.
Switchingbetweenthetwosidesrapidlyallowseasycomparisonoftwodevices.
TERMINALSELECTORSWITCHislocatedonthetestpadareaaboveandtotherightoftheLEFTOFF
RIGHTswitch.ItisforreversingtheconnectionsoftheEmitterandBaseonatransistortotestthe
deviceincommonEmitterorCommonbasemode.Fortestingtubesitshouldalwaysbeleftinthe
clockwiseEMITTERGROUNDED/STEPGENERATORposition.

INDICATORLAMPS
Thegreenlampnexttothepowerswitchindicatesthatthepowerison.
TheyellowCOLLECTORSUPPLYVOLTAGEDISABLEDlampnexttothegreenpilotlampindicatesthatthe
operatorvoltageprotectioninterlockisnotsatisfiedandthecollectorvoltageisdisabled.
TheredlamptotheleftofandabovetheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchindicatesthatthecollectorsupplyis
enabledanddangerousvoltagesmayappearonthedeviceterminals.Thelampitselfisfailsafe.Ifit
burnsoutorisremovedthecollectorsupplywillremaindisabled.

SETUPFORTRIODEPLATECURVES
Testingtubesisfairlystraightforwardonceyouunderstandwhatthecontrolsandswitchesdo.Illstart
withanexampletestinga6SN7twintriodeusingthetriodetestmodule.Firstwellsetuptheswitches
andcontrolsonthecurvetracerthenwelldiscusshowtointerprettheresultsandadjustfor
differencesintubecharacteristics.

TomakeitabsolutelyclearforthebeginnerIlldefinethesettingsforeveryswitchandcontrolinthis
example.

POWER:ON
MAXPEAKVOLTS:350
MAXPEAKWATTS:220
SERIESRESISTORS:140
GRATICLEILLUM:Fullcounterclockwise
READOUTILLUM:Adjustforcomfortableviewing
VARIABLECOLLECTORSUPPLY:Fullcounterclockwise
POLARITY:+(NPN)
MODE:NORM
LOOPINGCOMPENSATION:Asfound
LEFTOFFRIGHT:OFF
TERMINALSELECTOR:EMITTERGROUNDED/STEPGENERATOR
INTENSITY:AdjustforcomfortableCRTintensity
FOCUS:Adjustforbestfocus
VERTICAL:2Maperdivision
VERTICALPOSITION(Outerknob):Settocenterpositionarrow
VERTICALPOSITIONFINE:Adjusttoplacetraceonhorizontalgraticulelinezero(seeillustration)
HORIZONTALPOSITION(Outerknob):Settocenterpositionarrow
HORIZONTALPOSITIONFINE:Adjusttoplacetraceonverticalgraticulelinezero(seeillustration)
DISPLAYOFFSET(Outerknob):Clockwiselimit(zero)
DISPLAYOFFSET(Innerknob):Straightup
DISPLAYINVERTbutton:Out(noninverted)
DISPLAYZERO:Asfound
DISPLAYCAL:Asfound

HORIZONTAL:50voltsperdivision
NUMBEROFSTEPS(Outerknob):10
NUMBEROFSTEPS(Innerknobcurrentlimit):2Amps
OFFSETMULT:Counterclockwiselimit(zero)
STEPGENERATORAMPLITUDE:1Voltperstep
OFFSETZERO:In
OFFSETAID:Out
OFFSETOPPOSE:Out
STEPS:In
PULSEDSTEPS300us:Out
PULSEDSTEPS80us:Out
STEPFAMILYREP:In
STEPFAMILYSINGLE:Out
RATE2X:Out
RATENORM:In
RATE.5X:Out
STEPMULT.1X:Out
STEP/OFFSETPOLARITY:In(invert)
EMITTERGROUNDED:STEPGEN

Plugthetwintriodemoduleintothetestpadfirmlysothattheredcollectorvoltageinterlockindicator
lightsup.

Insertaknowngoodtype6SN7tubeintotheoctalsocket.

ConnectadualbananatodualbananacabletotheHEATERjacks.

Connectasourceof6.3voltsrmsACor6.3voltsDCtothebananacableandallowthetubetowarm
up.

RotatetheVARIABLECOLLECTORSUPPLYcontrolclockwisetothestop.AdjusttheCRTintensityand
focusasnecessarytogetasufficientlybrightcleartrace.Thisvoltagesettingrepresentsamaximum
platevoltageofabout350volts.

SettheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchtotheLEFTposition.

Asetofcurveswillbedisplayedfortriodenumberone.(Figure13)Triodenumberone,asdefinedbythe
RCAReceivingTubeManual,isconnectedtobasepins4,5and6.SettheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchtothe
RIGHTpositionandobservethatthecurvesfortriodenumbertwoappear.(Figure14)Triodenumber
twoisdefinedasconnectedtobasepins1,2and3.

ObservethatthedigitaldisplaytotherightoftheCRTindicatesthevertical,horizontalandstep
generatorsettings.Thebottomdigitalgmdisplayshowsthevalueof2mmeaning2millimhosper
division(or2000micromhosinmorecommonterminology).ChangingtheVERTICALsettingto5
milliampsperdivisionclosesupthespacingofthecurvefamilyandputstheendofthetopcurveon
screen.ThedigitalgmdisplaywillchangealongwiththeVERTICALscalesettingtoindicatethenewgm
scaleof5000micromhosperdivision.(Figure15)

ChangetheSTEPGENERATORto2voltsperstep(Figure16)andobservethatthedisplaychangesto
2500micromhosperdivision.Theseparationbetweenthecurvesisdoubledandtheentirefamily
expandsdownwardreflectingthelargervoltagestepsappliedtothegrid.Tomakeavisualcomparison
betweenthetwotriodesquicklyalternatetheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchbackandforth.Thedifferences
betweenthetwotriodesarereadilyseensimilartothisoverlaidcomposite.(Figure17)

OKsowhatisthistellingus?Comparingthecurvestothepublishedplotinthemanufacturerstube
manualyoucanseewhetherthetubebeingtestedissimilarorshowingsignsoflowtransconductance
orpooremission.IfthemanufacturersdatadoesnotshowaplotyoucanusetheDCoperating
characteristics.Fora6SN7thetypicalconditionsare:

PLATE:250volts
GRID:8
PLATERESISTANCE:7700
TRANSCONDUCTANCE:2600micromhos
PLATECURRENT:9milliamps

Asyouknowtheverticalscaleistheplatecurrent,thehorizontalscaleistheplatevoltagejustlikethe
curvesinatubemanual.(Figure18)Eachcurveinthefamilyshowsagraphoftheplatecurrentfrom
zeroto300voltsontheplateforafixedvalueofgridbias.Thetencurvesshowtheplatecurrentforgrid
biasofzeroto20voltsintwovoltsteps.Achangeinplatecurrentforachangeingridbiasisthe
transconductance.Graphicallythisisdisplayedasthedistancefromanygivencurvetothenextoneata
fixedplatevoltage.

Youcanreadtheplatecurrentatanyplatevoltageforanygivengridbias.Letsusethebookvaluesand
seehowourtriodecompares.SettheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchtotheLEFTpositionandchangethe
VERTICALto2milliampsperdivisiontoexpandthescaleforeasierreading.Thefigure(Figure19)shows
theexpandedfamilyofcurvesfor6SN7triode1.Followthe250voltplatevoltageverticalgraticuleline
uptothe8voltgridbiascurveandreadtheplatecurrent.Weseethatthe8voltcurveintersectsthe
250voltplatevoltagelineat7.6milliamps.

Thetransconductanceisdeterminedatanygivenplateandgridvoltagebycountingthenumberof
divisionsbetweentwocurvesatafixedplatevoltageandmultiplyingbythescalefactor.Referringto
thecurves,(Figure20)ataplatevoltageof250voltsthereare2.8divisionsofdistancefromthe6to
the8voltgridbiascurve.Forascalefactorof1000micromhosperdivisionthisshows2800micromhos
oftransconductance.At100voltsontheplatethedistancefromthe4tothe2voltcurveis1.9
divisionsequaling1900micromhos.

Thechangeinplatecurrentforachangeinplatevoltageatafixedgridbiasistheplateresistance.Take
anotherlookatthe6SN7(Figure21)triodecurves.Theslopeofthecurvesindicatestheplate
resistance.Curveswithasharpupwardslopeshowalowresistancesincetheplatecurrentgoesup
quicklywithplatevoltage.With8voltsonthegridand240voltsontheplatethecurrentis6.4
milliamperes.At260voltsontheplatethecurrentis8.75milliamperes.Theincreaseof20voltsonthe
platedividedbytheincreaseof.00235ampsplatecurrentequals8500ohms.

TRANSCONDUCTANCEPLOT
Fromthespacingbetweenthecurvesyoucanseehowlinearthetransconductanceisovertherangeof
operatingpoints.Thefigure(Figure22)showsafamilyofcurvesforatype01Atriodeat200peakvolts

ontheplate.Noticetheuniformspacingofthecurvesonetoanother.Whilethisisuseful,youcansee
thelinearitymoredirectlyonatransconductanceplot.

BychangingtheHORIZONTALgainswitchtotheSTEPGENERATORsetting,thegridvoltageisplottedon
thehorizontalaxisagainsttheplatecurrentontheverticalaxis,atransconductanceplot.(Figure23)
Sincethegridvoltagegoesnegativetheplotdisappearsofftheleftedgeofthescreen.Togetthecurves
onscreenyoumustalsooffsettheplottotherighttendivisionsbyrotatingtheouterringonthe
calibratedHORIZONTALPOSITIONswitchtwostepstotheclockwiselimit.YoucantusetheDISPLAY
OFFSETwhichonlyshiftsfivedivisionstotheright.

Lookingatthecurvesnowweseeatransconductanceplotforthesame01A.Eachofthecurvesisnowa
verticallineofvaryingheightrepresentingtheplatecurrentforeachvalueofgridbiasat200platevolts.
Ihaveconnectedthedotsofthetopsofthelinestoillustratethetransconductancecurve.Thecurve
tracerdoesnotdothisforyou.Fromtheplotyoucanseethetransconductanceisverylinearfrom
about12allthewayuptozerovoltsgridbias.Thevalueofthetransconductanceisdeterminedthe
samewayaswiththeplateV/Ifamily.Measurethenumberofdivisionsofverticaldistancefromone
linetiptothenextandmultiplythattimesthescalefactoronthecurvetracerorgmPERDIVdigital
display.At10to8gridvoltsthecurveshowsavalueof800micromhos.At14to16thevaluehas
droppedto650.Bymanuallyadjustingthepeakplatevoltageupordownyoucanobservethevalues
andthelinearityofthetransconductanceatanyplatevoltageforcomparison.

Thisillustrateswhynotwoservicetypetubetesterswillgiveyouthesamevalueoftransconductance.
Thetestresultisgreatlydependentonthegridbiasandplatevoltagethatyouarelookingat.Ifyou
wantthenominalbookvaluetransconductanceyouhavetousethesamevoltagesandcurrentsthatthe
tubemanufacturerused.Thecurvefamilydoesexactlythat.

PENTODEMODULE
Pentodesaretestedprettymuchthesameastriodeswithafewprecautions.WithtriodestheLEFTOFF
RIGHTswitchonthecurvetracerselectswhichofthetwotriodetwinstotest.Becausepentodeshave
threeelementsthatmustbeswitched,controlgrid,screengridandplate,theswitchingmustbedone
onthetubetestmoduleinstead.Forpentodetestingthepentodemoduleisplacedonthetestpadarea
ofthecurvetracerandtheLEFTOFFRIGHTselectorswitchisplacedintheRIGHTposition.Connectan
externalscreenpowersupplytothetestmoduleusingabananatobananacable.Besuretoobservethe
correctpolarity.(Figure24)

SetthescreenandplatevoltagestothedesiredvaluesbeforeswitchingtheAOFFBselectoronthetest
module.ForpowertubesyouwillhavetostartwithaVERTICALsettingof10,20ormoremilliampsper
division.ThiscanbechangedupordowntofitthecurvefamilyontheCRTwithoutgoingpasttheedge.
TheplateandscreenvoltagecanbefoundinthemanufacturersdatamanualsuchastheRCAReceiving
TubeManualRCseries.UsetheclassA1TYPICALOPERATIONdatalistings.Fora6V6GTor6L6GCyou
shoulduse250voltsonthescreenwiththeplateat350voltsmaximum.SwitchtheAOFFBselectoron
themoduletothetubeyouwishtotest.Foragoodtubethecurvesshouldlooksomethinglikethe
figure(Figure25)Abadtubewillshowlowplatecurrentsandweaktransconductanceasinthisfigure.
(Figure26)Iftwotubesareinstalledinthemoduleyoucanmakeacomparisonbetweenthemby
quicklyalternatingtheAOFFBswitchonthemodulebackandforth.NeverdothiswiththeLEFTOFF
RIGHTswitchonthecurvetracer.

Mostpentodeshaveaveryhighplateresistancesincetheyareconstantcurrentdevices.Astheplate
voltagegoesuptheplatecurrentchangesverylittleasseenintheplatecurvesfora6V6GT.

Youmustbeespeciallycarefulnevertoapplyscreengridbiaswithoutplatevoltageoryoucaneasily
overheatthescreen.NevermanuallyruntheplatevoltagedownorfliptheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchto
theOFForLEFTpositionwhilethecurvesareplotting.AlwaysusetheAOFFBswitchonthetubetest
moduletoselectthetubefortestingandsetittotheOFFpositionbeforemakinganychangestothe
settings.

BASINGADAPTERS
Youcanusethepentodemoduletotestavarietyofothertubetypes,suchasninepinminiature
pentodesorfourpinantiquetriodes,byaddingabasingadapter.Abasingadapterisessentiallyanoctal
tubebasewithasocketpiggybackedtoitsuchastheseadaptersusedtotest6BQ5tubes.(Figure27)
Insidetheadapterthewiringfromthebasetothesocketchangestheconnectionsofthetubethatyou
wanttotesttomatchthepinconnectionsonthetestmodule.Anotherexampleistheoctaltofourpin
adapter.Thefourpinadapteriswiredsuchthatthefilament,gridandplateconnectionsonthesocket
comeoutontheproperoctalpins.Populartubessuchas01A,26,45,2A3andothersplugrightin.

Forindirectlyheatedtubessuchasa6V6GTthepolarityoftheheatersupplydoesntmatter.Fortesting
filamentarytriodessuchasan01Athefilamentpolaritydoesmatter.Thisiswhytheheaterconnection
onthepentodetestmoduleispolarized.Forfilamentarytubesalwaysconnecttheheater/filament
supplytothetubewiththeproperpolarityasdefinedinthetubedataorinconsistentresultswillbe
seeninthecurvefamilies.Forsomefilamentarytriodeslikethe26or45thataredesignedtobe
operatedonanACfilamentsupplyyoumustuseDCinsteadbecausethebasingadapterconnectsone
endofthefilamentdirectlytogroundandnottoacentertappedtransformerorhumbalanceresistors
aswasdoneintheradiosthatthosetubeswereusedin.

RECTIFIERTUBES
Rectifiertubessuchastype80,5Y3,5R4,5U4and6CA4canalsobetestedwithappropriatebasing
adaptersorwithasocketpod.(Figure28)Forrectifiersyouarelookingfortheamountofplatecurrent
atvariousplatevoltagesasdeterminedfromthetubemanufacturersdata.TheRCAHB3manualisthe
bestsourceforplatecurvesonrectifiers.Theslopeoftheplatecurrentcurveistheimportant
characteristictolookat.Thefigure(Figures29,30,31)showsthepublishedcurveontheleft,anormal
rectifiercurveandabadcurveontheright.Noticethattheweaktubehasmorehorizontalslopetothe
platecurveespecially,athigherplatecurrents,indicatinghigherplateresistanceduetolimited
emission.Theweaktubewasverysensitivetoheatervoltageandchangingthesettingoftheplate
voltagecausedtheslopeofthecurvetodriftupanddownfromcathodeheating.Itisinterestingtonote
thattheweaktubetestedfairtogoodonaHickok800Atubetesterwhilethecurveshowsanobvious
deficiency.

Formercuryvaporrectifierslikethe83theplatevoltagedropwillbequiteabitsmallerandalmost
constantforvariationsinplatecurrent.(Figure32)Thetubemanualsdontincludeplatecurvesfor
mercuryvaporrectifiers.Lookatthespecifiedplatevoltagedropatratedcurrent.Alwayspreheatthe
filamentforatleast30secondsbeforestartingthetesttowarmandconditionthemercuryfill.Setthe
MAXPEAKVOLTSswitchtothe75voltrangeandtheHORIZONTALat2voltsperdivision.Startwiththe
platevoltagesetatzeroandrunitupslowly.Donotpushthetubebeyondtheaverageratedplate
currentandnotetheplatevoltage.Youcancomparethetwohalvesandmatchthemforcriticaluse
suchasserviceinHickoktubetesters.


Notethatbecausean83isafilamentarytubethereisabiasonthecathodeequalingthefilament
voltage.Becausethefilamentsforthetwoplatesareinseriesonewillhavemorebiasonitthanthe
otherbecauseofthevoltagedropalongthelengthofthefilaments.Thisdoesntseemlikemuchbuta
lookattheplatecurveforthesecondplateshowsasubstantialdifference.(Figure33)Tomakean
accuratecomparisonbetweenthetwoplatesyoumustreversethefilamentpolaritywhenplottingthe
secondplate.

REFERENCETUBES
Coldcathodeglowdischargevoltageregulatortubescanbetested.IdonttesttheseveryoftensoIuse
asocketpodwithpigtailwirestoconnectthetubetothecurvetracer.Theplateisconnectedtothe
COLLECTORterminalandthecathodeisconnectedtotheEMITTERterminal.Thevariousreference
tubessuchas0A2,0A3,0B2andothersarebasicallypresemiconductorerazenerdiodes.Theyhavea
specificplatevoltagethatremainsrelativelyconstantoverarangeofplatecurrent.

Testingagasdischargetubeisdonebystartingtheplatevoltageatzeroandadvancingitslowlyuntil
thetubestrikesorbreaksdown.(Figure34)ThisistheAnodeBreakdownVoltage.Afterbreakdown
theplatevoltagedropstotheaveragevoltage.Thiscanbeseenasasharpspikeinplatecurrent.Asyou
runthecollectorvoltagecontrolhighertheplatecurrentrisesrapidlywhiletheplatevoltagerises
slowly.Thisistheregulationcharacteristicofthetube.YoucanusetheDISPLAYOFFSETcontrolsto
expandtheplotandshowthecharacteristicsindetail.(Figure35)ChangethehorizontaltoX10andshift
theplottotheleftby75divisions.Lookinthemanufacturersdatamanualforthespecifiedreference
voltageandoperatingcurrentrangetoseeifthetubeisoperatingnormally.

ELECTRICALPROBLEMS
Allelectronicssuffersfromtheeffectsofageonelectrolyticcapacitors.Ihavefoundseveralofthesmall
axialleadaluminumelectrolyticcapacitorsintheseoldinstrumentstohavegonebad.Tektronixused
themoreexpensivetantalumcapacitorsinmanyofthecircuitsandthosearefairlyreliable.One
problemwithevery576thatIhavehadcontactwithisintermittentpushbuttonswitchcontacts.Display
driftingorjitteringandintermittentgridvoltageareseveraloftheproblemsdirtyswitchescancause.
Theswitchescanberemovedandcleanedtorestorefullfunctionalitybutthejobisfairlydifficult.Ihave
alsoseenverticalgainproblemsduetomisadjustedrelaycontactsintheverticalgaincircuit.Therelays
arecalledPrintactrelaysandtheymountdirectlyonthesurfaceoftheverticalamplifierboardusing
metalclipstoholdtheminplace.Theyhavebalancebeamcontactsonthebottomoftherelaythatrock
backandforthcontactingaspecialfootprintofgoldplatedtracesonthecircuitboardunderneathto
maketheconnections.IfthecontactsgetdirtyordontapplyenoughpressuretothesurfaceofthePC
boardtracestheygetintermittentoropen.Cleaningandcarefuladjustmentwillfixthatproblem.The
rotaryswitchesarefairlyreliableanddontcausetrouble.Othercommonproblemsareburnedout
graticule/bezellampsandbentinterlockswitchesfromforeignobjectsbeingjammedintothetestpad
safetyinterlocktodefeatit.

Anotherproblemthatisrathersimplebutobscureisacollectorwarninglampfailure.Theredcollector
voltagewarninglampjusttotherightofthetestpadhasafailsafefeature.Ifthelampisremovedorit
burnsout,thecollectorsupplyisdisabledsincethelampcannotwarnyouofdangerouscollector
voltages.Onlytheoriginaltypeof14volt80milliampcartridgelampcanbeusedinthislocation
becausetherelativelyhighlampcurrentisusedtopickupaninterlockrelay.AnLEDreplacementdoes
notpassenoughcurrenttosatisfythefailsafecircuit.InanemergencytheyellowCOLLECTORSUPPLY

VOLTAGEDISABLEDlampcanbesubstitutedsinceitisidenticaltothecollectorwarninglampexcept
forthecolor.

Justaboutevery577IhaveseenhastheLEFTOFFRIGHTswitchdamaged.Tektronixwasexpertat
designandlayoutintheirinstrumentsbuttheyreallygoofedonthisone.TheLEFTOFFRIGHTselector
wasplacedonthefrontapronandstuckoutbeyondtheframe.Anytimetheinstrumentwasmovedyou
werepronetosmackingtheswitchagainstsomethingandbreakingtheleveroff.

Whiletheyhavebeendiscontinuedformanyyearsthemodel576and577curvetracersarestill
availableatgenerallyaffordableprices.Theyfrequentlyshowuponebayinvariousstatesofcondition.
ThisdiscussionoftheTek576isonlyanoverview.Theversatilityandselectionofoperatingconditions
allowsformuchmorethanIhavedescribedinthisbasicarticle.Ihavelefttheinterpretationofthe
curvesandthemeaningofthetestresultsuptothereader.Thatsubjectcouldfillanarticleinitself.

REFERENCES:
TektronixType576CurveTracerInstructionManual,070090500,1969
TektronixType577CurveTracerInstructionManual,070141400,19731987
RCAReceivingTubeManualRC14,April1942
RCAReceivingTubeManualRC24,October1965
RCAElectronTubeHandbookHB3,5Y3,83
GeneralElectricEssentialCharacteristics,ETR15M,1967