570

Manuals – Specifications – Links – Pictures

The Tektronix 570 was Tek's first curve tracer, introduced in 1955. It is a curve tracer for vacuum tubes. It sweeps the plate voltage between zero and a selectable maximum voltage while "stepping" the control grid through a set of voltages.

A selectable screen voltage is available for testing tubes with screens. The plate voltage is measured and applied to the X-axis of the display. Plate current is measured and amplified and is applied to the Y-axis of the display.

John Kobbe had a key role in the development of both the 570 and 575 curve tracers. He says:

While I was working on the 540 series vertical amplifier, Virgil Briton, whose bench was next to me, had put together a vacuum tube curve tracer using stepping relays and other mechanical devices. I remember thinking that, that was a neat display even if it did a lot clicking and was slow. After putting the cross hatch generator together, I knew it would be very easy to do the curve tracer electronically,it started for in house use,but after putting a self-contained instrument together, Tek decided to call it 570^{(Note 1)} and sell it.

Key Specifications

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Internals

The 570 contains five transformers:

• T310: center-tapped isolation transformer for plate sweep
• T340: multitap transformer for heater voltages
• T401: multitap autotransformer for selecting peak plate voltage, feeds T310
• T501: transformer for floating supplies and screen voltage supply
• T620: transformer for 60 kHz HV power oscillator for CRT voltages

The screen supply is regulated and uses a 6CD6GA tube as the series regulator.

The vertical and horizontal amplifiers are almost identical. The first stage is a differential amplifier made of two 6AU6 tubes. The second stage is a differential amplifier made of both halves of a 6BQ7A.

A T52P1 CRT is standard in the 570.

Links

• https://vintagetek.org/curve-tracers/
• Request from GE for a 10-amp 570 (1961)

Pictures

Early Tektronix 570 (Brown Era)

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Tektronix 570 Serial Number 5010

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Tektronix 570 Serial Number 5055

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Tektronix 570 Serial Number 5148

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Tektronix 570 Serial Number 5429

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Adaptors for Different Tube Bases

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  12-pin adaptor

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  12-pin adaptor

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  7-pin miniature adaptor

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  7-pin miniature adaptor

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Notes

Note 1: The original quote refers to the 575, however, the first curve tracer was the 570 in 1955; the 541 was released in 1955 as well, and the text continues to tell the 575 story. It follows that the instrument referenced is clearly the 570, not the 575, which was released in 1957.