System level BIT: a tool for MATE test station self maintenance

Abstract

The author examines what can be done in a MATE environment to reduce self-test runtime and at the same time provide increased fault detection and isolation. His solution involves the integration of VMEbus extension for instrumentation (VXI bus) technology and existing BIT (built-in-test) techniques. This integration produces a system-level BIT capable of utilizing integrated test station resources to keep the BIT hardware/firmware overhead to a minimum. In addition, data collected during system level BIT can be used to compensate for instrument drift and path loss, reducing the frequency of routine calibration and alignment of test station instruments.<>