Multifunction JTAG board tester fits into Xcerra ECT fixtures
Eindhoven, the Netherlands. JTAG Technologies has announced a new cooperative effort with Xcerra’s Everett Charles Technologies (ECT) division, which makes PCB test fixtures and interface components. JTAG and ECT have just completed a successful integration of the JT 5705/FXT multifunction JTAG tester into the small linear series of cassette-based reconfigurable fixtures.
The JT 5705/FXT is a compact single-board test system that supports analog measurement and stimulus, frequency measurements, digital I/O, boundary-scan testing (via two TAPs), and in-system device programming. The latest JTAG software also includes multiple controller support that allows the linking of multiple units to create a homogeneous system of increased channel counts. Within the fixture, the JT 5705/FXT cards mount on purpose-built carriers featuring the ATE industry-standard 208-pin Pylon connectors.
Many new electronic designs feature some devices such as programmable logic and microcontrollers/SoCs that feature JTAG; however, due to mixed-signal nature of most of these designs it is useful to have mix of test signals to provide analog stimuli and measurement, digital I/O channels, and so on. The JT 5705/FXT provides these features.
Dave Burrows european manager at ECT, commented, “We were delighted to work with such a renowned technology leader on this recent project. The uptake of JTAG/boundary-scan is increasing with our customers and we see this approach to ATE building as an ideal fit in many low-medium cost projects.”
In the ECT small linear series, access to the UUT is provided through spring probes/nails that are part of a swappable interface module often referred to as a cassette. The cassette links the resources within the fixture-tester (power, tester signals, auxiliary instruments, etc.) to the UUT. By swapping cassettes different board types can be tested on the same base hardware—providing a cost-effective solution especially for high-mix low-volume organizations. What’s more, customization of the tester’s FPGA kernel allows users to develop their own digital I/O options such as CAN bus, counter/timer, or high-speed memory support. IP from sharing sites such as Open Cores can be implemented in the FPGA fabric and accessed via JTAG Technologies’ own CoreCommander FPGA translator module.
As the boundary-scan market expands beyond the traditional high-density digital targets, so the test equipment must evolve to match. As well as supporting two JTAG (IEEE 1149.x) compatible TAPs with programmable thresholds, the JT 5705 unit has extensive I/O capability (64 channels) eight of which can be defined as analog with a measure and stimulus range of ±16 V or 0 to 32 V. Multiple JT 5705s can be “linked and sync’ed” to provide higher TAP and I/O channel counts.
Peter van den Eijnden, managing director of JTAG Technologies, commented, “Industrial controls/automation and automotive electronics are just two examples where we expect to see a high demand for this type of product. A great many ECUs require an analog/sensor stimulus which registers back to a microprocessor where the values can be checked using boundary-scan or JTAG emulative test methods—as supported by JTAG Technologies CoreCommander tools.”
