We have a small team that is building a DIY Curve Tracer. Not a Tek577, but a lot better than anything we found that comes close. We are close to the final stages and have a fully operating CT that I'm making measurements with.
If you're interested, have look on my blog. Eventually everything will be shared but we'll wait until we have finished the project.
This describes how we came to the design:
Paul's DIY electronics blog: Building a Curve Tracer - Version 3
Here is the final desciption of building the Curve Tracer:
https://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2022/06/the-vba-curve-tracer.html
My blog is not great for handling questions and replies, so please leave them here.
Enjoy!
If you're interested, have look on my blog. Eventually everything will be shared but we'll wait until we have finished the project.
This describes how we came to the design:
Paul's DIY electronics blog: Building a Curve Tracer - Version 3
Here is the final desciption of building the Curve Tracer:
https://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2022/06/the-vba-curve-tracer.html
My blog is not great for handling questions and replies, so please leave them here.
Enjoy!
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I'd be interested in something like this - small form factor that could plug into a 1104x-e or possibly an ADC with a HV opt-isolated front end on an Arduino for data capture, post processing on the PC after. It's a pity that the 1104 acquisition cannot be triggered for each sample, nor can the XY mode work with acquisition mode, so you can't set the memory depth to 70K, use a trigger to sample different segments (almost 4000 segments) then process the result (even if average) as an XY. You can't enable an additional channel to externally trigger either. With the pattern of the curves, it renders the remaining standard trigger of the X and Y channel pretty much useless.
The 1104x-e has 14M sample depth, the XY mode has options of 7K/10K/100K/7M which affects the refresh rate. It's also locked into 500MS/s.
Considerable amount of work there! A DSO/PC module for the backend would be very good, even if the PC/Arduino ADC would be slower sampling. Most arduinos have at least a 10bit ADC now, those would give you something in the region of 0.1%?
I can hear the 'DIY' already
(also I finally got to the bit about it's designed for DSOs)
The 1104x-e has 14M sample depth, the XY mode has options of 7K/10K/100K/7M which affects the refresh rate. It's also locked into 500MS/s.
Considerable amount of work there! A DSO/PC module for the backend would be very good, even if the PC/Arduino ADC would be slower sampling. Most arduinos have at least a 10bit ADC now, those would give you something in the region of 0.1%?
I can hear the 'DIY' already
(also I finally got to the bit about it's designed for DSOs)
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Nick, I specifically decided not to go the post-processing way as I explained in my first Blog post about the CT. It can be done, there are several examples on the net that already do that. We chose another route and are just about done. Too late to make any significant architectural changes.
However, if post-processing has your interest, I suggest you start a specific forum post for that project. Let's keep this one clean for this particular design.
Our motivation is based on this particular design that resembles current CT's. One of the team members needs to replace his Tek CT units in their university labs and there is interest from other universities as well so we further developed my earlier design towards that effect.
However, if post-processing has your interest, I suggest you start a specific forum post for that project. Let's keep this one clean for this particular design.
Our motivation is based on this particular design that resembles current CT's. One of the team members needs to replace his Tek CT units in their university labs and there is interest from other universities as well so we further developed my earlier design towards that effect.
RE DSO, since everything is driven from the triangle wave you could capture the waveforms and pass them to an excel file to generate the plots offline. Triggering on the base/gate step can work. (Overcoming these limits is why I requested an external blanking for the 1104X-E on eevblog.)
1Audio, we have an external Z-Axis (blanking output) option for analog scopes. We don't think we need it since we changed the way we sweep the triangle with the steps. Have a look at one of the screenshots to see how close a DSO (which is much less forgiving) now comes to an analog scope display.
As a matter of interest why (for what purposes or applications) would you want to do post-processing when you already have a real-time display with screen-shot capabilities?
As a matter of interest why (for what purposes or applications) would you want to do post-processing when you already have a real-time display with screen-shot capabilities?
Hi Jan,
You can put two DUT's in the adapter and switch between them, just like any other good CT can do. Is that what you mean?
Otherwise, have a look at the prototype Front Panel to have a look at the DUT connections we will provide. Right now we use a ZIF socket (see first pic on the Blog) that later can be put on a little PCB and connect to the CT through 2mm banana plugs to provide an assortment of sockets and adapters.
You can put two DUT's in the adapter and switch between them, just like any other good CT can do. Is that what you mean?
Otherwise, have a look at the prototype Front Panel to have a look at the DUT connections we will provide. Right now we use a ZIF socket (see first pic on the Blog) that later can be put on a little PCB and connect to the CT through 2mm banana plugs to provide an assortment of sockets and adapters.
Reading through your notes on the project it occurred to me that you have a lot of similarity to the 7CT1N curve tracer plugin. Its power limited etc. and does not rely on the mains power for any timing, instead running at 110 Hz with a triangle wave.
Creating a curve tracer capable of power is a major task and I'm interested in your project even though I have a 7CT1N.
Creating a curve tracer capable of power is a major task and I'm interested in your project even though I have a 7CT1N.
We have finished the design of the Curve Tracer and published all files required to build an instrument yourself.
Here is the link to the description: https://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2022/06/the-vba-curve-tracer.html
And here is the Github repository: https://github.com/paulvee/VBA-Curve-Tracer
Here is the link to the description: https://www.paulvdiyblogs.net/2022/06/the-vba-curve-tracer.html
And here is the Github repository: https://github.com/paulvee/VBA-Curve-Tracer
I am so very sorry to mud up your Thread by my post. I did find the BOM and the
EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
I tried to register so I could ask about how to acquire the boards and possibly a loaded board, I was not able to register. Please assist.
It sure looks like over 2K people have looked at this
EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
and several people have asked about purchasing boards, yet I don't see a single response. I don't know if you have disabled this link, since I was unable to register and log in.