Best-in-Test 2014 finalists: Manufacturing Test

01/19/2014

Very soon we will get to know who has managed to win Best-in-Test Award annually held to announce innovative developments worthy to become the best in test and measuring world. Winners will be rewarded on January 29 in Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA, USA.

Here are the winners in category Manufacturing Test.

M9703A AXIe Eight-Channel Wideband Digital Receiver/Digitizer, Agilent Technologies

Three new options extend the functionality of Agilent’s M9703A AXIe eight-channel wideband digital receiver/digitizer to bring better, faster measurements to the communications and aerospace/defense industries. The M9703A can measure over a large number of phase-coherent channels for multichannel applications that are moving toward a fully digital architecture and require continuous analysis of a wide variety of signals.

The M9703A-FRF delivers dynamic range and sensitivity over the full input frequency range for improved analog performance, with optimized analog-to-digital conversion, offering improvements of 0.3 effective bits, 2dB signal-to-noise ratio, and 4dB spurious-free dynamic range. It also provides real-time digital downconversion (DDC) on the data for up to 80MHz analysis bandwidth (160 MHz in I+jQ mode) with center frequencies from DC to 2 GHz. The wide input frequency range, combined with a very low noise power spectral density (down to -145dBm/Hz, comparable to a 16-bit digitizer), make the M9703A a step toward a fully digital receiver. In addition, the M9703A-LDC provides an accelerated connection to the software measurement layer, such as Agilent's 89600 Vector Signal Analysis software.

M9703A-M16 provides 16GB of onboard memory, corresponding to 1Gsample per channel, for applications requiring a long acquisition time.

Agilent Technologies

RF Device PXI Test Solution, Agilent Technologies

The M9391A/81A PXI VSA/G analyzer and generator RF PXI device test solution is ideal for test and design validation of wireless power amplifiers, transceivers and cellular base stations, primarily picocell and femtocell. Agilent X-Series measurement applications for modular instruments support a common set of standard measurements that enable major wireless communications and connectivity testing, such as LTE, GSM, W-CDMA and IEEE 802.11ac. Using the proven Agilent X-Series measurement applications with the PXI VSA/G, engineers can increase measurement speed while ensuring code compatibility and measurement continuity to test wideband power amplifiers, front-end modules, transceivers and more.

Agilent Technologies

ScanWorks Intel SiliconView Technology, ASSET InterTech

The ScanWorks platform for embedded instruments is the only toolset to support all three aspects of Intel’s on-chip SiliconView Technology (SVT): platform debug, electrical validation on high-speed serdes buses, and board manufacturing test.

Based on ASSET’s nine-year collaboration with Intel, ScanWorks supports Intel SVT in both processors and chipsets. Intel SVT is a key Intel strategy to support embedded instruments. Intel SVT is an on-chip DFx (design for debug, test or validation) set of capabilities that addresses the challenges designers and manufacturers must overcome when faced with shorter development cycles, shrinking form-factors, and greater performance expectations in tighter power envelopes. Specifically, ScanWorks HSIO tools work with the Intel SVT electrical validation capabilities to measure and optimize operational timing and voltage margins on high-speed data links and buses such as PCI Express Graphics, Direct Media Interface (DMI) and the DDR3/4 memory bus.

ScanWorks functions interactively with Intel SVT to investigate the root causes of low operating margins on these buses. In a board manufacturing test setting, ScanWorks Boundary-Scan Test (BST) and Processor-Controlled Test (PCT) function with Intel SVT to test and diagnose both structural and at-speed defects. Intel SVT and ScanWorks enabe at-speed tests for high-speed interfaces, thereby reducing dependencies on board functional test and lowering test cost. The ScanWorks Arium hardware-assisted debuggers quickly isolate the root causes of firmware and software code bugs on Intel processors and chipsets.

ASSET InterTech

compactUTS Functional Test Platform, Bloomy Controls

Bloomy Controls compactUTS electronics functional test platform enables engineers to quickly create automated test solutions for mixed-signal connectorized PCBAs and subassemblies with 64 or fewer test points under 50V. It improves productivity and competitiveness of high-mix manufacturing operations by simplifying the reuse of its general-purpose instrumentation.

A robust interconnect allows quick connection of DUTs through DUT-specific cables. A switch matrix routes the various analog, digital, and power signals to the instruments under the control of a PC running National Instruments' software. Small and simple for operators to employ on the manufacturing line, the compactUTS is also easy to program by test engineers using the included compactUTS NI LabVIEW drivers and optional UTS Software Suite for NI TestStand.

Versatile instruments power the compactUTS through USB interface, including an NI USB-4065 DMM, NI USB-6341 data-acquisition system, and a Bloomy Controls switch matrix and power control module. These instruments connect through a high-density Virginia Panel Corporation i1 jack on the desktop enclosure. Each DUT-specific cable is electronically keyed to assure the proper test procedure executes for the attached device.

LabVIEW developers can use the included compactUTS drivers. TestStand developers can reduce test sequence creation effort by using an optional UTS Software Suite.

Bloomy Controls

SFX-TAP16/G-RM TAP Transceiver, Goepel Electronic

The SFX-TAP16/G-RM is a TAP (test access port) Transceiver for the test and programming of up to 16 electronic assemblies in parallel. An integrated system power supply increases throughput for UUTs with a single TAP by 16, which improves production efficiency and reduces cost. The TAP interface's programmability (voltage, delay, protocol, etc.) and the TAP-to-UUT assignments individual configurability let you customize the system fit nearly any test application.

The SFX-TAP16/G-RM, available as rack mount version in 19-in. technology (1U), provides 16 parallel TAPs. Its architecture supports all modern ESA (Embedded System Access) technologies, including boundary scan, processor emulation, and chip-embedded instrumentation, providing test and programming methods without mechanical probe access.

The new transceiver can be adapted to the UUT characteristics; its bandwidth reaches from concurrent test/programming of 16 UUTs with a single TAP to two UUT with eight TAP each. In addition, the TAPs can be individually programmed in many parameters.

Interest is growing for high-speed programming of Flash through processor debug interfaces or with an FPGA-embedded programmer. This new addition ensures the utilization of dynamic tests based on processor emulation in production lines or stress tests in climatic chambers. The detection of latent defects in particular in HASS/HALT procedures becomes more and more important for many test and production scenarios.

GOEPEL Electronic

J750Ex-HD Production Test System, Teradyne

The J750Ex-HD system lowers the cost of test for consumer digital devices such as broad microcontrollers. System enhancements include new HD instruments that can be installed as an upgrade to J750 systems to extend performance and system throughput. J750Ex-HD instrument offerings double the number of digital pins, increase power supply channels by 5x, and increase AC channels by 4x to gain higher site count and address needs such as wireless connectivity. IG-XL enhancements for J750EX-HD deliver unique push-button multi-site software to scale from 1 to 512-sites.

The HSD800 Multifunction Instrument delivers 128 digital channels plus test resources for MCU testing. Its integrated DIB Access Matrix enables connection between a single Device-Under-Test pin to a digital channel or other HSD800 resources (e.g., 18V/100mA resource for a broad range of embedded memory testing)or even external instruments without loadboard switching circuitry.

The HSD800 also supports concurrent testing so that multiple memory or logic blocks can be tested concurrently.

The high growth of sensors in consumer electronics will drive more ADCs per MCU and higher performance. The new 72-channel HD CTO is a precision DC and analog instrument capable of testing 14-bit SAR ADCs, 24-bit Sigma Delta ADCs and 12-bit DACs. The system includes source and capture plus integrated voltage references within a single instrument.

Teradyne

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