Curve tracer with a personal computer and LabView

The circuits and programs that form the prototype of a curve tracer, operated under the control of a personal computer (PC), are presented. The prototype uses a data acquisition board that generates the signals applied to the base and collector terminals of the tracer. This board also carries out the necessary measurements to trace the characteristic curves of the device under test. An additional board was designed with the appropriate circuit for the base and collector terminals. A program was written in the graphical language G of LabView™ to program the complete operation of the tracer and to control the external circuits. The developed program presents the results in a graphic indicator as a family of curves; it can store the parameters of the characterization process in a file, and also, the program can open files to plot the information stored.