A Heathkit IT-12 Signal Tracer, part 1: Examination
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 11:52:42
I picked this guy up at Dayton 2026, literally the only signal tracer I saw. This was one of two magic eye laden devices I saw, the other being one of Heathkit’s larger, upright-style R-C bridges. Test equipment of this nature was absent, probably due to the fact that what’s still working is either in collections or is being sold on eBay at the eBay tax rate.
I’ve wanted one of this style for some time, and this one was a couple of sawbucks. Vendor didn’t offer me any advice on it’s status, and I assumed that it did not work. I was correct, the device is silent and the output tube seems to be getting quite warm - much warmer quicker than a simple few minute test would indicate.
I did a bit of troubleshooting to determine if the supply was working, and it is - that will show up later in both a video and a post, as I want to get this device working.
Beyond that, there’s not much to say. Here’s the device photos:
The device is clean but dusty, and hopefully shouldn’t take much to make it talk again. Stay tuned!
Next part of this series: Coming soon.
Wrapup and final thoughts: Coming soon.