PCB tester is equipped with boundary scan, PXI, more

Wichita, Kansas—Building on its established European ATE (automated test equipment) foundation, test-and-measurement firm Aeroflex says it sell to Americans, starting with its 5800 Series of multi-configuration, multi-function PCB (printed circuit board) test systems. Launched in 2005 in Europe, the 5800 Series can be upgraded to satisfy future requirements.

The 5800 Series lets you integrate hardware with commercial off-the-shelf and PXI (PCI Extensions for Instrumentation) instruments from third-party suppliers. That approach lets one machine be cost-effectively configured to any test environment.

Scaleable Combinational Platform

The 5800 Series is a scaleable combinational PCB testing platform that features an open hardware and software architecture, as well as re-configurable pin-face styles. This lets you combine low-cost analog in-circuit testing with a maximum of 3,456 test points. It supports functional testing and systems test—all within a single test environment. This saves floor space, reduces board-handling damage, and can lower the cost of test.

In addition to its 5800 Series, Aeroflex offers a variety of ATE systems. Automotive applications, for one, involve testing airbag controllers, braking control systems, telematic and night vision units, occupancy safety sensors, and steering-wheel electronics. Medical applications include testing glucose meters, medication pumps, and blood monitors, to name a few.

The 5800 Series also includes boundary scan hooks. This lets you observe and control the boundary pins of a JTAG-compatible Joint Test Action Group device via software. JTAG capability enables in-circuit testing without the need for bed-of-nails in-circuit test equipment.

Pin Connectivity Testing

The 5800 Series also provides a so-called Q-Test. It permits ICs (analog or digital), plus connectors, to be tested for pin connectivity, without detailed information on the DUT (device under test). In practice, only pin list data is required to generate, debug and test, even for high pin-out DUTs.

You also get a PXI software wrapper tool that permits PXI cards to be integrated into the Aeroflex software environment without .NET assemblies. Not restricted to PXI cards, this tool can also be used for most instrument drivers, including Windows DLLs (dynamic link libraries).

Combined Cards, Instruments

With the core hardware architecture based on a PXI backplane and Aeroflex's internal bus providing high-speed signal integrity, you can create versatile test scenarios based on the combined use of 5800 Series instrument cards, Aeroflex PXI instruments, third-party PXI cards, and external instrumentation. This enables existing test applications to be migrated to the 5800 Series platform as required.

From a software perspective, the 5800 includes an integrated test environment featuring Assisted Program Generation software. The software environment is completely .NET-compatible, ensuring test programs already written for TestStand or National Instruments LabVIEW can be implemented on the 5800 Series. That avoids the need to re-train test engineers, as they can use their existing programming skills.

Different test environments also have different signal integrity requirements when connected to the unit under test. To address these differing requirements, the 5800 Series can be supplied with almost any interface, from Virginia Panel Corp. interface to a cabled system.

The 5800 Series can also be used to undertake parallel testing of either two boards of the same type, to reduce board handling time, or two different boards at the same time.

Three Body Styles

Three different body styles make up the 5800 Series. There's a floor-standing 5850, a benchtop 5820, and rack-mount 5830. Each body style has a common core of 21-slot rack, power, and utility cards.

The floor standing system is ergonomically angled horizontally, and has a bed-of-nails interface to the test fixture. A mechanical locking mechanism pulls the fixture down on to the interface. An independent dual-well vacuum control connects the test subject to the fixture. The floor standing system has three programmable user power supplies, each capable of providing up to 30-V at 3-A or 15-V at 5-A.

The 5820 benchtop system provides the same core system in a lower-cost package, with Aeroflex instruments cards interfaced to the test fixture by means of interconnecting cabling. For its part, the 5830 rack-mount version builds the core system in a standard 19-inch relay rack.

Aeroflex's instrument cards can be cabled to an industry-standard interface of your choice, and further integrated with additional test resources not available in PXI format.

Available Cards

Aeroflex says there will initially be three 5800 Series instrument cards available, with more under development. These include a multi-function card that provides a 2-channel reference generator, a 2-channel differential voltmeter, and programmable resistance and capacitance. This card also includes a current-to-voltage converter and a guard amplifier.

A test point relay card, with 192 pin-face test points, is for switching between both a pin-face and system buses. A multi-voltage source card provides a higher output voltage and current than standard PXI cards (it offers two ±20-V DC outputs at 200-mA and up to sixteen channels at ±10-V DC and 15-mA.

Various other Aeroflex PXI instrument cards are available, including Aeroflex's 3000 Series comprising modules and associated software applications for RF signal generation and RF signal analysis.

Service and Support

In an ATE environment, system up-time is key to ensure profitability. In keeping with that, Aeroflex provides local support for these ATE products out of a facility in Wichita. To provide local applications development support, Aeroflex partners with Boston-based Metrikos.

Price And Availability

The 5800 Series with boundary scan, Q-Test, and the PXI software wrapper tool is available for order now. Delivery will be four weeks from receipt of order. Pricing starts at $45,000.

For more info, contact Aeroflex Inc., 35 So. Service Rd., Plainview, New York 11803. Phone: 316-529-5384 or 516-694-6700. Fax: 516-694-4823.

Aeroflex, 516-694-6700, www.aeroflex.com