Tektronix 577 Curve Tracer Repair and Demo 

Thank you I think you have the only video that shows some of how to use this unit. Thanks again

Instructive video on hard to find Tektronix curve tracer. Thank you for posting !

super cool tool. I used one back in 2000 to sort a box of power transistors for my employer. Still to this day o remember box weighed 50lbs! Fun too use and super quick. As stated really handy to sort out analog components especially ones all mixed up in a box. when I was done I had sorted everything into tubs and saved them something of the order of 3000$. I was my very first summer student job between my fist and second year engineering technologist schooling.

I really appreciated this video. My tracer has the same broken shaft, and I like your solution! I hope to test some JFETs using mine.

it's how they made all the old datasheets!

I just finished my IT-1121 that needed much work... now running like new

Its 2022 and that accounting department joke is still funny. Love it.

That splash screen about accounting cracked me up.

I love watching these. Any chance you can do 1080p videos?

great video. is there a modern version of this instruments. I havent seen these instruments used much,

I want one of those!

I wonder how the heathkit one compares

thank you for the video. I have a question, could you possibly give me you opinion on the following issue please? I got a 577 with 177 fixture. I get no response when I connect anything to the test fixture. Main voltage nub responds, Horizontal nub responds. If the Vertical is turn clock wise all the way on the screen a slanted oval looking shape is seen.

A repair of one of these instruments may only be mechanical! Wow! Who would have guessed!

Very nice, thanks for the demo. Looking at the unevenness of the trace lines where they each depart from the vertical line on the left of the display: presumably this is due to the tracer going up one line and coming down the next. Should this be fixable by aligning the instrument, or is it a fundamental limitation in how it works? Can you make it run slower and give purer results? Cheers. (sought after. "searched")

These curves really look great. Do you remember what those transistors were? esp. the first two (at 9:00 and 10:00 respectively)?

why they stopped making thsee? I mean for high currents, there some punny little tracers that only go to 100mA

I wish someone could give me data for a HP 0072-13L photoresistor. The dark resistance is too high for my instruments to measure...

LOL Those bastards in Accounting keep taking my damn curve tracers..

Haha accounting might steal it

IMSAI GUY just finish one of those,... 576.

Noob checking in: I'm a little lost at what Y-axis represents?

Hello, I recently acquired one of these curve tracers but do not have any test fixtures and I can't figure out how to connect a diode. Could you please use a multimeter on your text fixture and tell me how they are wired up? I can't figure out how to connect the C sense and E sense terminals if I wanted to connect a diode. Thank you!

Great video and excellent summary, I have a Tek 576 and don't use it often but when I do, it's nice to know I have a decent unit in house analyses. Always enjoy your well done videos ..

Thanks a lot for sharing this video !

Belongs to engineering.....the calibration stickers don't always tell the truth either! :)