Boundary-Scan Tester Flexes Muscle With Multiport Controller

Thanks to the PCI-400 multiple-port controller, the ScanWorks boundary-scan test and in-system programming (ISP) solution is getting a jolt of added performance. The new hardware subsystem consists of a controller card that plugs into a PC and a...
Dec. 23, 2002
2 min read

Thanks to the PCI-400 multiple-port controller, the ScanWorks boundary-scan test and in-system programming (ISP) solution is getting a jolt of added performance. The new hardware subsystem consists of a controller card that plugs into a PC and a boundary-scan interface pod that links the ScanWorks software to as many as four circuit boards under test. As a result, the ScanWorks system can now apply boundary-scan tests or programming algorithms at speeds up to 50 Mbits/s (at a distance of up to 50 ft) or at a test clock frequency of 50 MHz.

The PCI-400 is compatible with previous-generation ScanWorks boundary-scan controllers. So, tests and programming operations developed on any ScanWorks controller can be reused on the PCI-400 without modification in a manufacturing environment. Because setup information is bundled with the test and programming data, the PCI-400 setup parameters are established automatically when tests and programming operations move from development to deployment.

The PCI-400's flexibility lets ScanWorks test multiple identical boards in parallel for high-volume operations, or one board at a time in an environmental test chamber. ScanWorks can logically combine several separate boundary-scan paths and then apply the tests or programming algorithms for the combined scan paths, increasing test coverage. For further flexibility, the PCI-400 hardware subsystem includes 20 discrete nonboundary-scan signals for optimizing flash programming or for performing certain general-purpose tasks. A second boundary-scan interface pod can be added to test or program eight circuit boards simultaneously.

For upgrades to existing systems, the PCI-400 hardware begins at $9995. Depending on configuration, a standalone ScanWorks manufacturing test system equipped with the PCI-400 subsystem starts at $15,995.

Asset InterTech Inc., www.asset-intertech.com; (888) 694-6250.

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