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 and sell it.

Key Specifications

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Links

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

Documents referencing Curve tracers

Document	Class	Title	Authors	Year	Links
062-1009-00.pdf	Book	Measurement Concepts: Semiconductor Device Measurements	John Mulvey	1969	Curve tracers • Tunnel diodes
Tekscope 1969 V1 N1 Feb 1969.pdf	Article	Curve Tracing Displays		1969	Curve tracers • 576
Tekscope 1972 V4 N3 May 1972.pdf	Article	Semiautomatic Testing with the Curve Tracer	Jack Millay	1972	576 • 172 • Curve tracers
Tektronix Curve Tracers - Device Testing Techniques.pdf	Book	Tektronix Curve Tracers - Device Testing Techniques		1985	Curve tracers • Tunnel diodes

Prices

Year	Catalog price	In 2026 dollars
1959	$995	~$11,100

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.

Pictures

Early Tektronix 570 (Brown Era)

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Tektronix 570 Serial Number 396

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  6L6 Plate curves

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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Components

Some Parts Used in the 570