Remote testing requires embedded test infrastructure, consisting of communication, test control and test access. This article presents an embedded test solution for a low-frequency audio board. Supporting analog testing, the solution consists of a measurement and calculation method for passive component characterization, analog test bus solution and an embedded test controller for controlling embedded tests and providing test stimuli. Moreover, the solution, which supports the presented test plan, was compared to a test plan supporting traditional testing. It was found that the embedded test solution provided a 29% test coverage of the audio board components and substituted flying probe testing included in the traditional test plan. Besides such benefits as improved fault diagnostics and lower manufacturing costs, the paper also discusses the drawbacks of the presented solution, including reduced measurement accuracy. This paper also presents a correction to a previously presented passive component measurement and calculation method.

Enabling Remote Testing: Embedded Test Controller and Mixed-signal Test Architecture

The purpose of this paper is both a review and an assessment of techniques presently available for automatic test generation for analog systems. After recalling the general problems of automatic testing (definitions, faults in analog systems, different types of tests, main operations, and diagnosis procedures), characterization and description modes of analog systems, and the main software ingredients of automatic test equipment, a categorization of known techniques along several criteria can be proposed. Then, several techniques, respectively, proceeding from approaches based on deterministic and probabilistic estimation, taxonomical and topological analyses can be detailed. Techniques specific to linear systems (several of them belonging to the above three categories) are dealt with in a separate section. The main features of the techniques that are described are summed up in five synoptic tables. As a conclusion, several research areas that need further investigation in view of a possible industrial implementation of automatic analog test generation techniques are identified. Two appendixes deal briefly with fault tolerance and fault simulation in analog systems. An extensive bibliography ( \sim 500 entries) is provided.

Automatic test generation techniques for analog circuits and systems - A review

This paper provides development of an RF circuit software tool that automatically generates diagnostic programs for device interface boards. The diagnostic tool utilizes novel techniques to differentiate faulty RF circuits embedded in printed circuit boards. We present RF circuit diagnostic techniques using power sensors and multi-tone dither testing, which we integrated into the diagnostic software tool that we developed. The diagnostic tool provides user-transparent pseudocodes with high fault coverage and significantly decreases time to market.

Embedded RF Circuit Diagnostic Technique with Multi-Tone Dither Scheme

This paper provides development of an RF circuit software tool that generates diagnostic programs automatically for device interface boards. The diagnostic tool utilizes novel techniques to differentiate faulty RF circuits embedded in printed circuit boards. The diagnostic tool provides user-transparent pseudocodes with high fault coverage and significantly decreases time to market.

RADPro: Automatic RF analyzer and diagnostic program generation tool

The article introduces an integrated hardware/software codesign and test platform for the digital predistortion and power amplifier blocks of radiofrequency transceivers. The platform allows evaluation and optimization of system performance with minimum computational resources, contributing to higher design flexibility. The platform is demonstrated on a variety of power amplifiers.

An Optimization Platform for Digital Predistortion of Power Amplifiers

This paper describes a low cost automatic test methodology for mixed signal boards based on IEEE 1149.4. The uniquely designed test hardware provides the access needed for measurements on a device interface board (DIB) through a device under test (DUT) socket and I/O connectors on the board. A new integrated software environment has been developed to automatically generate functional tests for board verification. This software environment utilizes schematic information, DIB specific constraints, accessibility provided by the test hardware and instrument automation tools to generate a functional test program. The test methodology presented in this paper reduces design expenses and time to market significantly in comparison with the existing techniques for mixed signal board testing.

T. Byrd

Papers

Low cost automatic mixed-signal board test using IEEE 1149.4