Merging ATE: An interesting possibility

There have been great strides in the open system plug and play concept for Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) in the Department of Defense (DoD). An ideal test system can be thought of as the sum of its parts: measurement and stimulus hardware, signal switching, power supplies, cabling and interconnect system (Interface Test Adapter - ITA), external PC or embedded controller, Operating System (OS), control and support software, and the programming environment. Each part is selected based on parameters such as Unit Under Test (UUT) test parameters, physical dimensions, test times, and cost. UUT test requirements are the crucial aspect of instrument selection and functionality. The open system plug and play concept gives rise to the possibility to run a test program on a different ATE, that is, taking your ITA and your Test Program Set (TPS) from its programmed ATE and running the TPS on a different ATE utilizing the same ITA. The main components for running a TPS on different ATE are an ITA Transition Adapter and Translation Software to convert or compile the Test Program to run on another ATE. The ITA hardware configuration and the Interface Connection Assembly (ICA) variations between different ATE are critical factors. If instruments have compatible features then UUT test requirements might not require examination, however if there are distinct differences in instrument capability between ATEs then UUT Test Requirements become a critical factor. Also, there will be ATE switching variances between ATE designs so this is a prime consideration. In pursuit of merging ATE TPSs from its programmed ATE to a different ATE, an ITA transition adapter can be developed. The transition adapter is the hardware between the ITA and the different ATE ICA. The transition adapter is wired to route signals from one ICA configuration to another ICA configuration. The transition adapter design requires an ICA to ITA evaluation that consists of a pin-to-pin comparison between each ATE. Each ICA connection must be traced to the instrument or instruments which can be connected to that pin. In addition, instrument specifications must be evaluated and compared between different ATE. One thing of critical importance is the instrument driver compatibility. The translation software will convert an existing TPS from one ATE to another ATE. That is, the translation software must compile the existing test program to run on a different ATE test executive. At this point, many factors come into focus; the re-compiled Test Program must be analyzed for capability to run on the new platform or ATE. Remember, instruments from different manufacturers don't always perform completely inter-changeably. Quirks between instruments, which theoretically have the same specifications, can be a major setback. During the ITA hardware development signal integrity is analyzed not only by signal evaluation and noise but also by actual test program execution. Every design detail is important to minimize signal integrity problems. Signal degradation factors analysis is vital to signal health and proper UUT testing. This paper will cover many aspects associated with running a TPS on a different ATE utilizing the same ITA.