Now Bill this would be a good project, build a curve tracer , plenty of circuits on the internet , called an Octopus, useful for every hobbyist, mine is really old and in use daily, I made mine as an apprentice in a tv repair shop back in the 70's. The first thing we learned and expected to do, was make your own basic test equipment for your bench.
Working on a cordless power tool battery charger, I think I ran into the same thing you did using an octopus curve tracer with my Techtronix 4635B. I haven't scoped the octopus, so not sure what its peak voltage is. After seeing your video, I now believe the zener I had was also higher than the peak of the octopus; so it read as a typical diode. Thx! I am now using mjlorton's method to test zeners and find their breakdown voltage if unknown. Video: "Tutorial: How to test / measure the value of a Zener / Avalanche Diode". Love how fast and easy it is. Also like your opamp circuit. Thx!
Perhaps a modified octopus curve tracer that use a variac to feed a 120V to 24V transformer to supply 1Vp-p, 8Vp-p, 16VP-P or 32Vp-p when required would be able to trace the curve of a higher voltage zener.
I think the Karl-Heinz Kübbeler / Markus Frejek / "Chinese" AVR component testers only swing to 5V.... but I'd have to dig into the documentation to be sure. I still have a great fondness for the 741! I had an electronics kit back in 1980 that had one of "these new IC thingies" in it.... the 741 :) Gotta go have a look at your yummy 'scope now.
With that cheapo component tester, did you put the zener diode in the zener testing slots? I have a very similar-looking version, and if I recall correctly it works up to 30 something volts.
At the time of recording (November '21) no I didn't, later I discovered that it would indeed test the zener using the A and K sockets, thanks to a comment on a previous video made by medelec35 , for which I am grateful!
Thanks, Bill. The way you laid out the breadboard was a great help. I hope you keep doing that. Keep up the great videos!
Great explenation and also very good to show the circuit diagram as well as the breadboard setup, thank you very much for your efforts.
Coincidentally I was just sitting here at 2am testing Zener diodes - no kidding
Thanks Bill - very interesting. Just a thought, how about a video about your workbench, which instruments you find useful etc
Now Bill this would be a good project, build a curve tracer , plenty of circuits on the internet , called an Octopus, useful for every hobbyist, mine is really old and in use daily, I made mine as an apprentice in a tv repair shop back in the 70's. The first thing we learned and expected to do, was make your own basic test equipment for your bench.
nice informations
Working on a cordless power tool battery charger, I think I ran into the same thing you did using an octopus curve tracer with my Techtronix 4635B. I haven't scoped the octopus, so not sure what its peak voltage is. After seeing your video, I now believe the zener I had was also higher than the peak of the octopus; so it read as a typical diode. Thx!
I am now using mjlorton's method to test zeners and find their breakdown voltage if unknown. Video: "Tutorial: How to test / measure the value of a Zener / Avalanche Diode". Love how fast and easy it is. Also like your opamp circuit. Thx!
Perhaps a modified octopus curve tracer that use a variac to feed a 120V to 24V transformer to supply 1Vp-p, 8Vp-p, 16VP-P or 32Vp-p when required would be able to trace the curve of a higher voltage zener.
I think the Karl-Heinz Kübbeler / Markus Frejek / "Chinese" AVR component testers only swing to 5V.... but I'd have to dig into the documentation to be sure.
I still have a great fondness for the 741! I had an electronics kit back in 1980 that had one of "these new IC thingies" in it.... the 741 :)
Gotta go have a look at your yummy 'scope now.
With that cheapo component tester, did you put the zener diode in the zener testing slots? I have a very similar-looking version, and if I recall correctly it works up to 30 something volts.
At the time of recording (November '21) no I didn't, later I discovered that it would indeed test the zener using the A and K sockets, thanks to a comment on a previous video made by
medelec35
, for which I am grateful!
i didnt get well what the voltaje of the source is in the circuit ?