JTAG targets production test

The existing XJTAG development system product, carrying the same name as the company itself, was introduced in 2003. It establishes an integrated environment that can migrate seamlessly through a product's life cycle, from early design to field support and repair.

XJTAG enables you to shorten development cycles and prototyping processes by facilitating early test development, and early design validation of CAD netlists. It also supports generation of functional tests, and supports test re-use across circuits that use the same devices.

Test Scrip Re-Use

XJTAG test scripts are also re-usable and portable across different boards, thanks to a novel device-centric approach. Re-usable device tests and the abstraction of device tests from both circuit detail and complexity of JTAG means that you can develop systems to debug elements of your designs, and do functional test of early prototypes.

Back to the new add-on. Dubbed XJRunner, it's a graphical add-on designed for production sites that need to improve and speed up the testing of densely populated circuit boards. These boards typically have JTAG-compatible devices on-board, such as BGA (ball grid array) and CSP (chip scale packaged) devices, so-called flip chips, and other high-density packages.

In addition to JTAG and non-JTAG devices such as BGAs and CSPs, the system can test SDRAMs, Ethernet controllers, video interfaces, flash memories, FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), and microprocessors, to name a few.

XJRunner's graphical interface can be configured to provide Pass/Fail indications, as well as more sophisticated test routines. Here's what a typical screen looks like.

Other features include support for logging, serial numbers, date and time handling, and file locking. Serial number logging ensures traceability of boards during manufacture. Similarly, the system's file locking capabilities permit information to be shared safely across multiple production lines.

JTAG's A "Must-Have"

"The trend towards smaller and more tightly-packed boards with less test points and more JTAG-compliant chips is forcing manufacturers to add boundary-scan to their test regimes," contends Dominic Plunkett, chief technology officer at XJTAG. "XJRunner meets that requirement with a low cost alternative to bed-of-nails testing."

To ensure that production line engineers have relevant data to create an XJRunner project and commence testing, XJTAG also offers a product called XJPack. It enables you to automatically select or pack all relevant data for a particular board, such as BSDL files, netlists, XJEase files, and pin-mapping files. These can be forwarded to a production facility, which may prove useful when working with contract manufacturers.

For more information about XJRunner and the XJTAG Development System, contact XJTAG Ltd., The Irwin Centre, Scotland Road, Dry Drayton, Cambridge CB3 8AR, England. Phone: +44 (0) 1954 213888. Fax: +44 (0) 1954 211565. E-mail: info@xjtag.com.

Learn morer about other products from XJTAG at its Web site.