Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Contents
Section 1: Using the BoardMaster Premier Software ................................................................................4
Using Premier Software...................................................................................................................5
Section 2: SYSTEM 8 Modules ..............................................................................................................10
SYSTEM 8 Modules ......................................................................................................................11
Board Fault Locator .........................................................................................................12
Analogue Test Station .....................................................................................................16
Analogue IC Tester..........................................................................................................17
Multiple Instrument Station ..............................................................................................18
Variable Power Supply ....................................................................................................22
Section 3: Testing with the BoardMaster 8000 PLUS .............................................................................23
Design Mode .................................................................................................................................24
Section 4: Test Principles ......................................................................................................................27
ABI Digital Test Philosophy ...........................................................................................................28
The digital IC test fails................................................................................................................34
How do ABI test Digital ICs?..........................................................................................................36
Section 5: Technical Articles...................................................................................................................45
V-I Test Techniques ......................................................................................................................46
Graphical Test Generator .................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
SYSTEM 8 Analogue IC Testing ...................................................................................................54
NOTES...................................................................................................................................................56
Section 1:
Using the BoardMaster Premier Software
Standard TestFlow
Action buttons control the edit and
run processes
Change the order of items in the
step list by dragging and dropping
Instructions can be given for each
step
Pass/Fail flag gives a status for the
whole test
Instrument layouts settings and
positions are saved in the TestFlow
Custom TestFlow
One custom instrument can be
created and used in one, some or
all steps
Controls can be added or removed
between steps
Access to controls can be
restricted
Edit mode allows restricted
controls to be altered by
mirroring standard
instruments
Calculator
User programmable calculators each with
readout display, comparison and statistics
functions
Use basic instrument measurements to
perform further calculations and display
or log the results
Simple to use, but flexible
FormulaPlus control
language allows user to
develop application
specific equations
Section 2:
SYSTEM 8 Modules
10
SYSTEM 8 Modules
SYSTEM 8 modules
The SYSTEM 8 range contains 4
different modules offering both
analogue and digital testing:
Multiple Instrument Station (MIS)
Board Fault Locator (BFL)
Analogue IC Test (AICT)
Power Supply Unit (VPS)
SYSTEM 8 Modules
Analogue IC test
Digital IC test
Library based test
Varied test types
Analogue and digital V-I test
Moving reference V-I test
Built-in power supplies
Integral scope, function generator,
counter, DMM, I/O
Advanced software
11
Live Comparison
128 channels
Graphically programmable for PCB setup and test
Vectors can be saved, loaded and compared
Short Locator
3 resistance ranges
Audible and visual indications of proximity to short
Audible continuity checker
12
Digital IC Tester
Expandable to 256 test channels in 64
channel steps
4 bus disable outputs for guarding
signals
Loop modes for intermittent faults
Programmable logic thresholds
Logic trace mode to analyse test wavefk
waveforms
Automatic clip positioning
Circuit compensation allows
as wired testing for fast faultfinding
Short Locator
3 resistance ranges
Audible and visual indications of proximity to short
Audible continuity checker
13
Live Comparison
Compare a faulty PCB with a known
good board for both digital and
analogue devices
Compare results from a suspect PCB
and a known good PCB at the same
time
Vary conditions on the good PCB and
track changes against the faulty PCB
Quickly identify a wide range of faults
by comparing both power-on and
power-off results
14
Digital IC Identifier
Full library search by size
In-circuit, accounting for all logical
connections
Out-of-circuit with adapter
Equivalent devices listed (where
available) for unknown or illegible ICs
House coded ICs are normally standard
types and easily found within the library
Short Locator
3 resistance ranges
Audible indication of proximity to short
Audible continuity checker
Visual indication of proximity to short
Automatic probe calibration
15
16 channels
2 probes for live comparison
Variable test signal parameters
Variable pulse output
Analogue IC Tester
24 analogue channels
3 discrete channels
Optimized for analogue components
Matrix V-I
16 channels
Rotating reference
Multi-plot display
Charge voltage protection
16
Analogue IC Tester
Analogue IC Tester
24 channels for voltage and current
drive/sense
3 special channels for transistor and
diode testing
Library driven tests for op amps,
transistors, comparators, optos, diodes
and special function devices
Automatic clip positioning
Circuit compensation allows as wired
testing for fast fault-finding
Simple pass/fail indication and more
complex analysis for each test
Matrix V-I
Performs a V-I test between every pair of
pins on a device and in every single
combination
Data for each pin is collated and
displayed in a graphical format to
greatly improve fault coverage
Up to 256 characteristics per device
compared with 16 on standard V-I test
No ground reference required
Finds faults that could be missed with
standard V-I test
17
Multiple
Multiple Instrument Station
Multiple Instrument Station
Digital Storage Oscilloscope
2 channels
2 MHz to 150 MHz
Frequency, period, RPM and gate-width
Event Counter
Minimum, maximum and average
Function Generator
4 analogue channels
Voltages from -9 V to +9 V
Sinking and sourcing up to 20 mA
4 digital channels
Output and read back TTL logic levels
5 V output at 0.5 A
+9 V output at 100 mA
-9 V output at 100 mA
Current monitoring
Universal I/O
0.1 Hz to 10 MHz
Sine, square and triangle waveforms
Single-shot pulse
AM, FM and pulse width modulation
2 channels
DC and AC current up to 2 A
Ohms up to 20 MOhm
Auto-ranging
Minimum, maximum and average
18
Trigger
100% pre- and post trigger delay
Edge and level adjustment
Trace comparison
One click comparison
Quick set-up or user defined tolerance
Function Generator
Range, frequency & shape select
Simple controls and clear display
Sine, square, triangle and single shot pulse
Sweep Mode
User defined start and stop frequency
Variable steps (log. or linear) variable interval
Modulation
Amplitude, Frequency and Pulse width
modulation
Variable level
19
Tolerance
Visual indication of comparison
Quick set-up or user defined tolerance
Statistics
Highest, lowest and average
measurements
Sample count reset
Built in Calculator
Frequency Counter
Tolerance
Visual indication of comparison
Quick set-up or user defined tolerance
Event Counter
Trigger level or pulse setting
Positive or negative polarity trigger
3 gate range to optimise for expected gate
width
20
Universal I/O
Analogue
Variable +/-9 V output or input measurement
Variable 20 ma current output
Digital
Individually set for logic Low or High
TTL input detection displayed on LED
Control
Simple On/Off with status LED
21
Power Supplies
Auto measurements for voltage
and current
Variable current limit for +/- 24 V
supplies
Over voltage protection on Logic
Supply
Adjustable current trip
Short circuit protection with
unlimited duration and auto
recovery
22
Section 3:
Testing with the BoardMaster 8000 PLUS
23
Design Mode
What Is Design Mode?
Custom controls
Text changes
Create new instruments
Size and positional changes
The Benefits
Simplified instruments for
operators
Limit number of errors through
incorrect settings
Save time by having all relevant
displays in view
Emphasise important controls by
enlarging or by descriptive text
24
Adapting Standard
Instruments
Remove display elements
Delete tolerance bars and statistics if not used
Change text
Alter existing group box or control text
Add text to aid in the use of instrument
25
26
Section 4:
Test Principles
27
Confirm that the IC is correctly wired, correctly driven and correctly powered.
Confirm that the input and output pins are not damaged, and the IC is not
overloaded.
If the results of all these types of test are in order, you can be confident that the IC works and is correctly
wired. If only part of this sequence is possible, you can still be reasonably confident. This is a very
important point, and it is one that many of our customers and distributors still do not understand, even
after many years. To illustrate this, our customers often ask us:
Im getting a pass result for an IC, but I know its faulty because Ive done a
digital V-I test on it. What is wrong with my system?
This question shows a complete lack of understanding of the way the system works. The overall aim is
to repair the board, not to perform detailed IC failure analysis. So, if the digital V-I test shows a fault,
change the IC. The truth table test is not the only way of finding a fault, as this example shows. The
following diagram shows a simple digital NAND gate IC with an internal low resistance to ground on one
input.
This is quite a common fault (often caused by a faulty static protection
or clamping diode on the input), but it is almost impossible to detect
with a truth table test. The reason is that the outputs of the system
have a high current capability, and are easily capable of driving the
40R load to generate the correct logic levels, resulting in the IC passing the truth table test. With the
digital V-I test however, the 40R load shows up easily as a near vertical digital V-I curve.
Now we have the answer to the above question - nothing is wrong with the system; the system has
found the fault using the digital V-I test. Do not attach too much importance to the truth table test - it is
only one of five types of test that can find faults on boards.
So, now back to the original question What actually happens
during a digital IC test? We will now describe in detail what
happens, starting when you click the Start button. The
procedure is slightly different depending on whether the IC is
being tested in in-circuit or out-of-circuit mode.
28
29
This information is stored, both for later display and also to provide information for the automatic circuit
compensation function, which will modify the subsequent test according to the pattern of shorts found.
Certain types of fault, for example solder bridges, are detected by this test.
30
only, a check is made of the high input current of the IC by driving it high with a 10 K resistor and
checking that the high input voltage is greater than 2.5V. This identifies resistively loaded inputs in a
similar way to the digital V-I test. Note that the backdrive test is not performed if the input is shorted to
either 0V or 5V, since we already know we cannot drive the pin.
The exact sequence of stimuli and checks is controlled by the IC test program, which is loaded when the
IC number is selected from the library. It is also modified automatically in in-circuit mode to allow for the
pattern of shorts and links discovered in steps 4 and 5. This automatic circuit compensation feature,
31
invented by ABI in 1985, ensures that the IC is tested as wired without user modifications to the
program.
32
That completes the sequence of events for a typical IC test, assuming that all test types are available
and that they are all enabled. For many ICs, certain test types cannot be performed; for example the
truth table test cannot be performed on some ICs.
This does not prevent the other test types from being performed, and does not affect the integrity of the
results from the other tests. Please remember that the different types of tests complement each other,
and that certain types of fault cannot be found by a truth table test alone, as in the example above.
We hope we have improved your understanding of the system. If you do not understand all the technical
details given above, do not worry, but please remember just one important point:
33
34
35
Test Principles
ABI digital tests are designed to find faults
on boards. To do this the following
principles are used:
Confirm that the IC is correctly wired,
correctly driven and correctly powered
Confirm that the input and output pins
are not damaged and that the IC is not
overloaded
Confirm that the IC functions according
to its truth table
36
37
5. Link Detection
Identifies links between pins on
same IC
Shorted pins are ignored
Pin pairs analysed to identify
matching change when driven
Procedure repeated for all possible
pairs in both directions
Results stored for use by circuit
compensation feature later
38
39
40
41
42
43
Device Fails
Loop or fail loop selected?
Summary
Truth table testing is just a small part
of the ABI test philosophy.
To get the best results all of the test
types should be utilised as much as
possible.
Understanding how the equipment
gets the information speeds up the
success in fault-finding.
44
Section 5:
Technical Articles
45
46
47
This means that the digital V-I test does not require variable frequencies in use, because the same curve
would be obtained regardless of the test frequency. Therefore the ABI digital V-I test uses a fixed
frequency to simplify the test and reduce the system learning curve for the operator.
Secondly, and very important, they usually contain static protection networks which use reverse biased
diodes to protect the inputs. These diodes can be easily damaged by even small values (a few mA) of
reverse current, therefore the output stages of a suitable V-I tester must be carefully designed to avoid
this problem. This is a major problem when using some analogue V-I testers with digital ICs - if the
wrong range is inadvertently selected the ICs can be damaged very easily.
At ABI we do not recommend that an analogue V-I tester be used on digital ICs, because the risk of
damage is too great. The output current of the ABI digital V-I test is limited to +/-1mA for all voltage
settings, eliminating the risk of damage regardless of the settings used.
Thirdly, the impedance of the input/output pins of digital ICs is very consistent, even with ICs from
different manufacturers, because the ICs are all trying to meet the same specification. This means that
the source impedance of the digital V-I tester and with it the maximum test current can be preset to the
correct level. This simplifies the setup procedure and makes the test safer in use.
The digital V-I test is combined with the digital truth table, connections, voltage and thermal tests using
the same test clip. This means that it is readily available without switching to another clip or probe, and
furthermore the analogue V-I test can then be used simultaneously on another area of the board. We
believe that the combination of the two tests, when correctly used on all types of components gives the
most optimum solution to the requirements of safe, reliable and easy to use V-I testing.
Finally, do not forget that V-I testing is only one of many test and fault diagnosis functions provided by
our products. 75% of PCB faults can be found by simple connections testing. General purpose test
instruments such as an oscilloscope, voltmeter, short locator, IC tester, frequency counter and function
generator are also included. Our products can also be used for complete board test and setup and for
out of circuit analogue IC testing.
Matrix V-I testing is a powerful extension to the normal Analogue V-I technique. The Matrix V-I test
performs a V-I test between every pair of pins on the device under test (DUT) and in every single
combination. This provides a much more comprehensive test than the standard V-I test. This technique
also allows ICs to be tested out-of-circuit as well as finding shorts between pins that would otherwise not
have been found.
48
A standard V-I test on a 16 pin IC will only have 16 sets of V-I characteristics. An equivalent Matrix test
will have 256 characteristics to compare with a good board! So if you have a problem with a pin of an
IC, or a board connection to that pin, the Matrix test is much more likely to highlight this, because up to
32 traces will be effected. Whats more, the information is collated and indicated in graphical form next
to the relevant pin, greatly improving fault coverage!
49
Bi-directional - Each cell can be configured in the sequence expected low input (L), expected high input
(H), dont care input (X), low output (0), high output (1). When the pattern is run, the system will either
output signals or compare responses depending on the way the channel has been configured.
As an example, we will generate a test for a simple logic gate, the 7400 quad NAND gate IC. This will
show how the system works. Before we start, a word of warning. The Graphical Test Generator is
normally used for generating tests for complete boards. It can also be used for generating IC tests, but it
has no automatic clip positioning or automatic circuit compensation features. Therefore you must always
use the test clip in the pin 1 position, and you must generate the test pattern according to the way the IC
is wired in circuit.
The first step is to set up the Graphical Test Generator for the
component or board you wish to test. Click the Setup button
and enter the required number of channels, in this case 14
because the IC has 14 pins. The pattern depth can be set to a
maximum of 230 steps, but in this case we only require 16
because there are 4 possible test stimuli for each of the 4 gates
in the IC. The thresholds that are used to compare the
response from the unit under test can be set, but here we will use the default TTL values of 0.5V, 1.2V
and 2.4V.
Now we need to configure the individual channels by double clicking on the channel name on the left of
the display window. Here you can enter the name of the pin and the channel number, and you can also
define whether the pin is an input, output or bi-directional pin. We will define the channel numbers so
that the IC can be tested using a 64 way test cable with the clip in the pin 1 position (there is no
automatic clip positioning when using the Graphical Test Generator).
50
This means that pins 1 to 7 of the IC correspond to channels 1 to 7 of the system, and pins 8 to 14
correspond to channels 58 to 64 of the system.
Now we can enter the test data. By double-clicking on the grid, you
can enter the correct stimulus for each gate in the IC in turn, using
the four available states 00, 01, 10 and 11. You can enter the output
response if you like, or you can learn it using a known good IC. The
output response should be high (H) for the first three states, and low
(L) for the last state. We do this first for gate number 1, setting the
expected outputs from the other gates to dont care (X). For
completeness, we have also configured the system to check that the
GND rail is always low and the VCC rail is always high.
Now you can run the test by attaching the test clip to an IC. The PCB under test should be powered
from the power supply in the IC Test Solution module in the usual way. There are two ways to run the
test pattern. If you click Run the system will output the test stimuli to the output channels and check the
response from the input channels, indicating failures by highlighting the display in red. Invalid logic
levels are also indicated. If you click Learn the system will output the stimuli as before, but this time the
response will be learned and added to the test pattern, which can then be saved as a basis for further
tests. This is a very powerful timesaving feature that means that you only need to concern yourself with
the stimuli when generating a test pattern.
We will now describe in detail what happens when you run a test pattern. This is necessary to
understand exactly what is happening. The first point to make is that the channels are controlled by
software, not by hardware. This means that the exact timing relationship between channels cannot be
defined, although it can be measured.
The channels on the Graphical Test Generator timing diagram are processed one at a time, so there is a
small delay between each successive output. For example, consider the first two channels on the 7400
test pattern we entered earlier.
The signals are defined as follows:
1
1A
1B
When this pattern is run, the following signals appear on channels 1 and 2:
1
1A
1B
You will see that there is a small timing difference between the signals caused by the software execution
time. This makes no difference to the test, because an important rule of test programming is that you
should never change two signals at the same time because of problems caused by timing skew between
channels. This built-in delay means that it is impossible to change signals at the same time, eliminating
the problems caused by timing skew and making your tests more reliable.
The actual magnitude of this delay is of the order of a few milliseconds, but can be measured if required
with the oscilloscope. Note that it may vary if other instruments are open and running at the same time,
depending on the speed of the PC used and the number of other instruments. Please bear this delay in
mind when generating test patterns, particularly for clocked systems.
ABI Electronics Limited 2007
51
So what are the usual applications for the Graphical Test Generator?
Its main application is in the field of complete board test. To test an assembled unit, which could be a
complete product or just one PCB, you have to stimulate it. For example, a PCB from an intruder alarm
has inputs from various sensors and switches to activate the alarm, inputs from a keypad to control it,
and outputs to sounders and flashing lights, and possibly to a telephone dialler.
To test such a PCB, you cant just power it up and measure voltages. You have to drive the inputs to
simulate opening a door or breaking a window, or enabling/disabling the alarm from the keypad.
You then have to check the response to ensure that the alarm signal appears and the correct warning
lights flash. This is where you use the Graphical Test Generator. Depending on the specifications of the
inputs/outputs of the board under test, an interface may be required to convert the digital output levels to
the correct voltages.
The inputs can be converted to digital levels if possible, or they can be measured with the SYSTEM 8
voltage probes which together with the Multiplexer give up to 16 voltage test points.
As a further example, consider the programmable power supply that is used in the Measurement
Solution module. This is controlled by a serial interface, which programs DACs to set the output
voltages and current limits. If you just power the board up, the outputs will do nothing because there is
no way of controlling them.
A test pattern is required to generate the correct serial signals to program the board, so that the outputs
can then be measured with the voltage probes via the multiplexer. We use this principle in conjunction
with a custom made test fixture with built-in Multiplexer to demonstrate the operation of the SYSTEM 8
Test Solution with our Measurement Solution power supply board. The complete system, including test
fixture, multiplexer, test sequence with pre-defined test patterns and a power supply board is available
from ABI.
Common questions
1) How fast does the Graphical Test Generator run?
The outputs are controlled by software, therefore it is not possible to define exactly how fast they run,
because it varies from PC to PC depending on the number of other instruments running at the same
time. If the exact speed must be known for some reason, it can be measured with the Measurement
Solution digital storage oscilloscope. Tip - only use the number of channels required for your test
(configured with the Setup button). If you have other channels on the screen that are not being used,
time will be wasted in processing them.
2) Why is there a limit of 230 test steps?
This is done to conserve PC memory. The graphical programming method is very memory intensive,
and would be very slow if the disk were used. Therefore we have limited it to 230 steps. This is
normally no great limitation because in normal use with the Test Sequence Generator the test would be
broken down into several steps, each with its own pattern. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to
manipulate a pattern with more steps because the required scrolling makes understanding of the pattern
very difficult. If you require more steps, split your test into 2 or more separate patterns.
52
53
54
test. There could also be hundreds of op amps in the same configuration that could be identified as the
same device without resorting to expensive parametric testing.
What type of functional test does the system perform?
This varies from device to device. Generally, the system attempts to perform simple GO/NO GO tests
that verify the basic functionality of the device under test. In repair applications, the most common
component failures will be catastrophic and will be easily found by simple tests. More complex tests
obviously demand more expensive hardware and are very unreliable when performed in-circuit.
Why are some tests power on and others power off tests?
If the AICT can perform a functional test without the need for powering the board then this is the
preferred option. Power-off tests have less interference from connecting circuitry and can use smaller
currents, which is obviously less risky. Unfortunately, when testing more complex devices such as
operational amplifiers a functional test must be performed with the power on.
What is the analysis information?
Many of the analogue tests display extended analysis information along
with a pass/fail result. Generally, information displayed in the analysis
window is extra information that the user can either ignore or use to find
out more about the board under test. For example, the operational
amplifier test will display gain values that are determined by the circuit
surrounding the device under test and therefore plays no part in the
pass/fail result. Some tests cannot be performed due to the way the
device is connected but do not indicate that the device itself is faulty. All
of this type of information is displayed in the analysis window.
What is the use of the voltage display and the tolerance setting for it?
The voltage test measures the voltages on all the pins of the device under test, at the beginning of the
functional test. The functional test itself uses this information to adjust the test to the way the device is
configured. This information can also be useful to users, especially the voltages on the supply pins.
The voltage results can be stored in a test sequence for comparison with another board at a later date.
Because the voltages can vary slightly from one board to another a comparison tolerance can also be
set. On some boards the voltages on some of the pins can be random, in which case they cannot
practically be used for comparison between boards and this test may be turned off?
55
NOTES
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
56
NOTES
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
ABI Electronics Limited 2007
57
NOTES
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
ABI Electronics Limited 2007
58
NOTES
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
ABI Electronics Limited 2007
59