Huntron Tracker is this cool or crap?

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selloutrr
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Huntron Tracker is this cool or crap?

Post by selloutrr »

I stumbled across a Huntron Tracker 2000 / 2500 component tester by accident it looked pretty useful to test FX pedals and batches of IC's / parts. The thing that leaves me wondering if it's any good is how many used units go up for auction on ebay on a regular basis for under $600, so is it only good for certain things, like computer boards?, and why such a high turn over rate? Could this really be an easy way to test and repair fx pedals all in one box? Am I missing the big picture and I can do all of the functions with standard tech equipment I already own. I'm looking for an easy way to stream line my productivity and fix / diagnose / repair a basic effect pedal in 30-45 minutes... check, check, check, bad- replace, check, test, Good, done. (without removing parts to perform tests)
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smokin' tone
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Re: Huntron Tracker is this cool or crap?

Post by smokin' tone »

It's similar to a curve tracer. I used one for years to test MOSFETS and JFETS. It applies a higher voltage, displays the signature curve and will show the point where it breaks down if it's bad. I never tested IC's with it. To me capacitor and resistor signatures were to hard to interpret. It's a nice piece of gear if you learn how to use it but I don't think it's a necessity. I sold mine on Ebay a couple of years ago. I think you are seeing a lot of them due to the decline of component level repair.
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selloutrr
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Re: Huntron Tracker is this cool or crap?

Post by selloutrr »

Thank you,

So it's probably cool but frustrating to use because it's more then likely difficult to read. so I might be better off buying a Sencore LC-103 for capacitors? what should I use for IC's? an old tektronix 575? I bought a book about old test equipment that had a mod for the 575 so you could turn it into a 570 tube curve tracer with the addition of an external power supply and some jumpers.
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selloutrr
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Re: Huntron Tracker is this cool or crap?

Post by selloutrr »

Ok i test drove a Huntron Tracker and from what i can tell it's both cool and a totally useless piece of crap. If you do batch testing and have a known perfect piece as a calibration then it's pretty cool but if you just want to go threw a circuit and make heads or tails of the parts it's very frustrating you would have better luck learning a new language then trying to understand the small varriables in drift and value.

My personal conclusion ... If you mass produce the same unit day in and out it could save you huge $ in warranty repair. If you need it to test circuits it would be quicker and cheaper in most cases to just close your eyes and randomly replace parts until it works.
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